We did this great activity this morning in 6th grade around informal critique processes--- The students have completed their Self Portrait Paintings using the Principles of Design --- balance , emphasis , contrast , unity , movement, pattern/ rhythm. The portraits are acrylic --- really lovely and will post some images soon. For the informal critique --- each student wrote down each vocabulary word on a separate post it note-- we then set the words aside and walked around without talking to our pals and looked at each painting --- as the students looked they were asked to write out 3 separate comments about three separate paintings --- we talked about what would be appropriate comments " I think the way you used color and movement in this painting is really successful ' or ' The pattern in your background is very well painted' --- we also talked about the " you'll be invited to do over comments" like --- 'cool dude' and ' you rock ' or (a personal cringe comment )' awesome !' .
The students were asked to be specific and thoughtful about their comments for their peers. It was very exciting to see how seriously the students took this task. They walked around ---looking very closely at the art work of their classmates --- thoughtfully recording their comments. We all then took a final 'gallery walk' and the students placed the post its on the open journals of their classmates -- oh ... the other guideline was that ' one could not lay all their cards down in one place ' the students were required to walk around a give out nine different comments/words --- We then discussed what the response was to their work for example "Did they think they had done that much -- movement ? " sort of thing to engender the idea of perception of the art work sometimes doesn't and sometimes does meet the intent.
There are times of course that encouragement is just the thing --- this afternoon with 1st grade while drawing a chicken on the board for the students one child yelled out in excitement just above the low clucking( really) --- GOOD JOB MS. BUHR!!!!
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