Lower Secondary Student Teach Experience
Prairie Central Upper Elementary & Prairie Central Junior High CUSD #8
Courses: 6th General Art, 7th General Art, 8th General Art, 8th Photography
Elements of Art
In this lesson, students divide mixed-media paper into eight sections to master their "artist’s toolbox" by isolating and exploring the core elements of art. They work through specific technical challenges like intricate zentangle patterns, thermal gradient maps, and geometric mosaics to give their subjects realistic value and texture. The project concludes with their subject living in a space with sandwich method and coming to life with form, ending with a final choice section and combining two elements
Fauvism Animals
Students created “wild beast” portraits inspired by Fauvist artists, using bold, non-naturalistic colors to express emotion instead of reality. They selected an animal, printed it, and transferred the image onto mixed media paper using oil pastel. For the background, students chose three analogous colors and blended them into a gradient. They then reimagined the animal by mapping the original grayscale values onto a new color palette using warm tones for lighter areas and cool tones for darker areas. Finally, they enhanced their work by adding texture and patterns to the background.
CD Dry Point Printmaking
In this lesson, students created unique intaglio prints by repurposing old CDs and scratching original designs directly into the plastic surface. After inking the grooves and wiping the plate, they used a metal spoon to apply firm pressure to damp paper, acting as a manual press to transfer their artwork. Finally, students added color and expressive textures to their designs to produce a collection of "mirror image" prints that reflect their unique artistic styles
Jeff Koon's Balloon Dogs
In this lesson, students step into the shoes of Jeff Koons, who turned simple party toys into monumental sculptures that celebrate childhood nostalgia and the vital human experience. They master an 8-step overlapping oval drawing method and use oil pastels to create volume and high-contrast highlights, transforming a flat sketch into a 3D metallic masterpiece placed in a unique, creative setting
Cyanotype Prints
In this lesson, students explored the history and science of "sun prints" by learning how photograms and cyanotypes use light-sensitive paper and UV light to create images without a camera. They studied the work of artistslike Anna Atkins and Man Ray while practicing art concepts such as monochromatic color and the balance between positive and negative space. Finally, students applied these concepts by researching examples, hunting for natural objects with interesting shapes, and designing their own prints featuring dominant space themes
Formative Assessments
Color Theory Portals:
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Filling in Color Wheel/Different groups of colors only using primary colored pencils
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Advanced color wheel with tertiary colors using only primary paint colors
Fauvism Animals:
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Practicing Fauvism color code using red, green, and purple for different light values on grayscale image of animal
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Oil pastel blending technique worksheet using analogous colors
CD Dry Point Etching:
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Ways to Shade practicing cross hatching and stippling worksheet
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Zentangle Pattern practice worksheet
Summative Assessments
General Art & Sketchbook Rubrics:
Students would have critic days where students assess their own artwork and give themselves a grade based on how they felt they did in each category for rubrics. Teacher would then call over students individually to assess their artwork as a team and walk through their final grade.
PAL 1
I visited the Art Institute of Chicago during my spring break to analyze Claude Monet's work. Monet is my favorite artist so I wanted to admire his beauty of landscapes in person. To see his application of paint and detailing up close was honestly incredible. The brushstrokes felt so alive and way more textured and vibrant than any image I’ve seen before. It made me appreciate how he captured light and movement in such a loose, expressive way, and reminded me why I love his work so much.
PAL 2
For my one of my student teaching placements through Prairie Central CUSD #8 district, I helped my CT set up and prepare for an institute night. Students artwork featured their one point perspective drawings, enlarged character design, and skyscapes projects. This allowed parents to see students' artwork and have a chance to come meet my CT and myself as a Student Teacher. It felt rewarding especially meeting so many of my students families and seeing past students I student taught from my first placement at the Highschool within Prairie Central CUSD #8 district.
