This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
In middle school students are beginning to learn who they are and what they want to be. At this time they begin to throw around the words "I can't." They give up before they even try. In my classroom I try to give them the opportunity to be successful, to say "I can!"
My students are a combination of every possible type, a wonderful mix of races, religions, abilities, and interests.
I adore the variety of experiences and interests that they bring into the Art classroom. By working together with engaging, high interest projects I can bring this "I Can" attitude to my students. I can help them to feel successful and proud of their accomplishments. Through Art we can do so much.
My Project
When you enter a middle school art room it is a place of opportunities, a place to try new things and learn about different processes. Trying to engage a Middle School student in a subject they do not feel that talented or capable of is difficult. Despite the challenge Art is a great way to reach students of all levels and ages to push themselves and challenge what they think they can do.
I use ceramics to engage my students in learning about basic Art concepts because they value the Artwork they make and see it as something awesome and not just something they had to do in class.
I need ceramic supplies to teach my students about color mixing and color theory in a new and unexpected way.
For this process we are going to create newspaper stencils. Then we wet them and layer them onto a ceramic bisque surface between layers of glaze. The glaze is sponge painted onto the ceramic plates to provide more even coverage and an interesting texture. The newspaper stencils act as a resist for the different layers of glaze. You start from a light color of glaze then move onto a medium, then a dark color adding newspaper stencils between each layer. When you remove the newspaper, you can see all of the different colors, but where the colors layer they can create new mixes of colors that are unexpected. These new colors won't be visible until after the artwork is fired in our kiln.
This is a way to experience color theory with a fun twist that allows for experimentation and surprise. It is a fun and engaging lesson that still teaching strong Art concepts.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Birmingham and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
