Artist~Teacher... tishalou

I just finished up a lesson with 2nd grade that I have been teaching for a couple years now. I think it started out as a Fairfax County lesson and I have been editing and adding to it. First we start out by looking at Grant Wood's American Gothic.

I have set up a Flikr image that has everything I want to discuss and links to other facts...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15230787@N06/5090280059/ just roll over the image to see them all.

We have fun looking at and discussing parodies of the painting. This can bring up some interesting conversations. The pitchfork brings some great responses. Last year I asked what it was used for and someone said - "for an angry mob" this year one of my quiet little blond girls said: "to kill people."

Next students have to draw themselves with a friend or family member. One person has to overlap the other and there must be clues in the background that give hints to what the people are doing.

As students begin to finish I give them a worksheet that they have to write about what is going on in their picture. Then they will switch with a partner and they must write about the other person's artwork. I stress that they are not to try to guess what that person was drawing - they are to bring their own memories and experiences to the drawing and write about what the drawing reminds them of or what memory it brings up for them.

Students sharing what they wrote about each other's drawings.

The worksheet is from the book Talking About Student Art by Terry Barrett it is in the Davis Publications' Art Education in Practice Series which my professors used in Grad school. A lot of great stuff in them!

Love the pool details in the background.




priceless!