It's "testing season" in Florida where I teach and while it's tempting to allow students to "take a break" after testing, we all know the saying about idle hands!
So what I have done is channel my inner crafty lady and am happy to share the ideas that have helped to keep my students engaged!
Thee #1 thing that my students are into right now is PAINTING!
We were doing some test prep review using a menu designed for the picture book Miss Rumphius and asked the students to draw the main idea. One boy asked "Could we paint?" and I said "Sure!" The next thing you know, everyone was totally engrossed, calm and quiet! Then I added in some classical music and it was bliss! I so wish an administrator had walked in then!
Wanting to capitalize on this "artsy mood" we were in, I thought we could add in some writing. So I gathered some of those paint cards from Walmart, and we wrote some poems about color.
We also made some collages and cut out pictures from magazines to depict the 5 main text structures for nonfiction review.
Too many times, our students do not have the opportunity in Middle School to participate in art classes. It's truly a shame when you consider this:
" A 2012 study published by the National Endowment of the Arts linked arts education in low socio-economic communities to greater academic achievement, higher career goals, and more civic engagement." - from http://www.takepart.com/photos/art-projects-for-kids-best
Not only that, but art is soothing and a way to allow students to express themselves along with their learning in a more "out of the box" way. That's why I've begun collecting ideas that you can see below.
Thanks for stopping by!