Elementary Art
All ten of our Bloomington elementary art teachers are extraordinary! We’re highlighting experiences in four elementary art rooms, where teachers promote creative expression in varying mediums through their art knowledge and instructional expertise.Students are not only creating art, but also learning history, cultural contributions and traditions, computational thinking and reasoning, science and language arts. Inspired by diverse artists and techniques, each classroom captures the essence of human creation, expression and imagination.
Each of the featured teachers provides the time and expertise to elicit creative use of a particular medium. Teachers keep student creativity at the center of instructional design, allowing students to express themselves in a safe and supportive way. In the end, learning targets for the day are visible and unique.
Instructional Design
Ms. Terry Cooper
Students at Indian Mounds are in the culminating phase of an interdisciplinary unit using design thinking principles and a book called Balloons Over Broadway. Students designed puppets with a unique perspective - the fourth dimension: movement - to consider as they prepare for a parade at the end of the unit that will showcase their work.
See What It Looks Like
Ms. Alex Loosbrock
Students at Valley View Elementary all share the joy of creation, imagination and achievement. They enjoy working together, exploring together and building a community in the art room. It is a safe place for them to draw their feelings, paint their ideas and find success.Students come to the art room wanting to make and create; how they do it is as unique as each student who enters the classroom. Some stand and paint at their tables, some sit, some need more movement. Some work with classmates, and some benefit from having a special space all their own to focus on their ideas for their artwork.
Alex transformed the art workspace into a maker space, designed through a grant she was awarded through Donors Choose, a program for helping teachers bring their classroom dreams to life.
See What It Looks Like
Ms. Kaitlin Walters
Students at Normandale Hills are preparing for the annual Festival of Learning. They’re learning about the printmaking technique inspired by Gloria Petyarre and are in different phases of exploring printmaking. Some sketch designs that represent something of significance to them, some carefully press their designs into the foam plate for printing, and others actively print their designs. Students are encouraging, assisting and celebrating each other along each of the phases of printmaking.See What It Looks Like
Ms. Jen Ziegler
Students at Washburn enter the art room and begin their creative expression with “Sketch Time.” On the board is a small symbol created by Jen that incorporates the elements of art: shape and line. Students begin the creation process by making the symbol come alive to them. Before students begin their clay work, they review the importance of rolling, scoring and slipping, as well as the variety of techniques as they design their clay pot. Students observe and discuss possibilities of braiding, twisting, coiling and stacking as they envision their pots, then set to work to practice!Students have a purpose in their choices of techniques and confidence in their choices as artists. Students take risks, revise, collaborate, and land on an outcome that signifies confidence and pride. Art class is more than just creating art; the larger focus is creating confident, critical thinkers.
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