ArtBooks!

This quarter I had my fifth through eighth grade students create ArtBooks for class.  I use these like a sketchbook although students do not have sketch assignments on a daily or weekly basis and they do not take them out of the classroom (except when necessary).  I have been using these ArtBooks for lesson and unit notes and brainstorming ideas for final projects.  I have really liked utilizing the ArtBooks in class, because I can gain useful information (formative assessments!) just by asking students to show me what they are working on in their books.  We have been able to adapt this as a routine in class - students know that when they have a question I am going to ask to look in their ArtBooks to access their notes or sketches.  I also like that the ArtBooks help to get students involved with the lesson during the instructional process - rather than going through a lesson and then having them work on something.  This is a great way to encourage accountability in class and I think the students are doing really well with these!

Below are examples of the Art Math my fifth grade students are currently working on in their ArtBooks.  Fifth graders are learning about color theory: Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary/Intermediate Colors as well as Complementary and Analogous Colors.