Critiquing Independent Projects

After opening the Drawing, Painting, and Sculpture centers with Around the Room activities, students in grades K-5 spent several weeks working on independent projects if their own design. Older students brainstormed as a group strategies to generate ideas for their artwork, while younger students learned that artists make what they see, remember, imagine, and feel. Once they came up with their ideas, students chose which art medium would help them to make their creations come to life.

They had a few classes to work independently at their own paces, during which I would conference with each student artist to provide resources for research or strategies for their projects. When most projects were finished, we went over how to write a simple artist statement, which would describe to a viewer how the ideas and art media were chosen. The final class of the first unit was spent examining the finished products and celebrating students' hard work. Grades K-1 paired up for verbal discussions about each project, and Grades 2-5 learned how to write helpful suggestions or compliments to contribute to each artist's growth.