Teaching can be a juggling act. Add in materials that cause a mess and you might as well join the circus. Check out my blog posts that help with differentiated instructions, early finishers, and other tips and technology to help manage your art room.
Game: Color “Corners”
One of my favorite games in elementary school was 4 corners. This is where each corner in the classroom was designated a number and whoever was it would close their eyes and shout out one numbered corner. Whatever number was…
Curating an Art Show
I’ve been teaching art for over 15 years and have taught every grade, K-12. In those years I have made resources and handouts helpful for the art room, contained classrooms, or homeschool parents. Check out my Etsy shop above. First…
Robot Assessments
A good way to begin the year with a Kindergarten art class is to give them an assessment disguised as a project. This allows you, as a teacher, to see their skill level, creativity, ingenuity, and level of independence your…
Grading Tips for the Art Room
Over the years of teaching, I’ve encountered one questions that I have learned to answer and developed my classroom around… “How can you grade my art when art is subjective?” In my first years of teaching, I would sometimes take…
Centers in the Art Room
Anyone who teaches elementary art knows that students work at different speeds. I will have a project that I think will take 2-3 days and there will always be one student who finishes it early, whether they are a fast…
iMovie for the Classroom
Recently I attended a PD about flipped classrooms where students complete readings, lectures, and/or research prior to the start of class. In this age of technology, I loved this idea. However, I also worry about the digital divide so I…
Top 10 Must Haves for the Art Room
I have been in the classroom for over 15 years. I have taught kindergarten through 12th grade. I have taught private school, public school, as a lead teacher, as an assistant. I have run the gamut with classroom sizes, budgets,…
Effective Classroom Strategies: Lowering Stress Levels for Teachers
Simple things I added to my classroom to help with my sanity and classroom management When the school year was ending in 2024, I felt the most drained I have ever felt from teaching. I realized that through having children…
In the Art Room with Mrs. D 