Who In The World Is Picasso & Why Are Her Eyes On Her Chin??
My students need 31 artists' biographies for background knowledge and inspiration, 3 artistic pop-up books, and blank books to use as portfolios of their projects as they study these artists.
FULLY FUNDED! Ms. Utke's classroom raised $444
This project is fully funded
Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
My Students
Growing up in a world that puts intense focus on test taking skills, my students have had little opportunity to explore other avenues of learning, such as art. Remembering the joy I felt when I was given time to both study and create art as a child, I would like to share that with my students.
My students attend an inner-city urban school in one of the most densely populated cities in the United States.
It is the poorest neighborhood in the district and all of my students live far below the poverty line. But in all other respects they are typical 8 year olds - mischievous, hard-working, enthusiastic, kind, silly, hilarious and creative. They are as wonderful as third graders are all over the world, but they also struggle to have things most of us take for granted - food, transportation, clothing. They are all learning English as a new language, and they are all struggling with succeeding at school and are considered 'at-risk'. Over 1/4 of my class has been identified as having some type of learning disability or other special need. But, when you meet them, it is difficult to remember how many challenges they face, as they greet most days with a smile and great deal of motivation to try their hardest and 'get better at school'.
My Project
As I see my students inundated constantly with 'sit still, pay attention and learn this as it is going to be on THE TEST', it is hard to see them trying to handle so much pressure at such a young age. They need an avenue where they can learn in less stressful way and explore their creative selves. The books I am requesting will be used to guide their journey into the world of visual art - artists, illustrators and book designers. We will be using the pictures in these wonderful books to explore the elements of art and to guide student projects about line and shape, color and texture, rhythm and perspective. We will also explore the ways these artists created by working on a portfolio of our own, where we will pay homage to each artist by trying their style and then by writing and illustrating our own stories, to be kept in a bound book that we will design.
One thing I try to teach is that no matter what path you choose in life, you'll be happiest if you find something you love to do and then work hard to get good at it.
That may not seem like a difficult concept, yet I worry that they will have been exposed to so little of the world, that they'll have difficulty understanding their sheer vastness of choices available to them. Looking at artists and art is a beautiful (and fun!) way to help them expand their view of what the world offers.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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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 Ms. Utke and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
