Modern 3/4 portraits

Inspiration for these has come via my favourite art blog Deep Space Sparkle and was ideal for beginning our painting art focus for this term. Ours did not turn out as 'true to type' as what was in the DSS lesson but we are really thrilled with the 'modern' look our portraits have taken on!

In the first week of school we wrote 'I am...' poems and I wanted the pupils to paint portraits of themselves; they have always done full-face portraits so agreed they are ready to try a different angle.

We found these images of self-portraits by Van Gogh on Google images:

First we practised the line drawings as advised by Deep Space Sparkle - we used 1/2 A4 and pencils, doing two attempts before then moving onto A4 paper, first with pencil, then with crayons.

Next, we moved onto A3 black paper (the paint colours we will be using are so bright, we think they will look good on the black paper - it will be something different for a change!)  The outlines were done with white chalk (easy to paint over).

We first painted the faces and features. We aimed to be using short brush strokes like Van Gogh used.

Next we painted the background, our focus being to have a mixture of colours, again with the short brush strokes.

Our next step, once the paint was dry, was to add some highlighting detail with black outlines on the main features - we did this with black oil pastels.

Don't they look fantastic?!

Normally I would launch into a painting unit by first working the children through a couple of sessions of brush techniques and colour mixing.  But for this activity I just wanted to get a quick product so we could display them to make the room colourful and it has also given me a baseline to see what the pupils can do.

As we worked I talked about the importance of proportion (ie large paper, so draw the features much larger) and emphasised the correct way to hold a brush, as well as the use of newspaper to clean the brush before getting the next colour (I do not as a rule use jars of water for cleaning brushes while painting).

I did not really have a set criteria - just wanted the children to do what they could.  We will have more specific learning outcomes as the painting  unit progresses.

Start of the year...who are we?

Two activities to help share or build identity: 4pics 1 person (pupils drew pictures to represent themselves. Some jumbled their names and others chose not to.)

I showed the children some of the pinterest posters for "in our classroom, we do..." statements.  They worked in groups to select statements of what they would like our classroom to be and then each decorated one panel for a mural...

First one at the top says WE DO LEARNING! Great to know that message is coming through! 

I have a blissful class of just twenty Year Six pupils - we are going to have a fantastic year I think!!

Classroom layout and displays

Photos from the beginning of Term 3 2013:

Job list - pupil pictures are rotated weekly

Year Sixes have special school-wide jobs

My desk: by the front door, laptop runs the IWB

View along the windows

View along the IWB/whiteboard wall

View from front door, across classroom to cloakbay door - we have a mixture of options for seating -
pupils select a numbered counter when enter the room on Monday morning (corresponds to a workspace/seat/table)
and that is their 'base' space for the week.  They are allowed to move to other spots during the day eg when working with a partner or on an ipad, or if I want a guided group to be in a certain place.

Computer cupboard area

Marking shelf - pupils place books or completed work here for me to look at

Basket for the DIY (do-it-yourself) learning folders and resources; shelf for flag, stickers box, guided group resources.

Games cupboard (due for a paint-job!)

Literacy/spelling resources, atlases and large reference books.

Library corner

Inquiry display table, reporting books in boxes underneath

Inquiry wall - has question, key understandings, a relevant quote or two;
work or other material still to be added as inquiry progresses.

Personal learning goals display - wearing a motorbike helmet in honour of Burt Munro

Inside the computer cupboard

Guidelines on doors of computer cupboard

This lets me know who to respond to on their blog

School agreement for pupils using computers

A work in progress - poem of the week, current events

Suggestions board for what to blog about and a playtime/lunchtime computer roster

Bulldog clips attached to wall for displaying class-made publishing books.

Displaying the expectations of learning for writing.

Motivation for the Year Sixes towards the end of year prize-giving.

Wall shelves - homework books are kept each day in the empty space; modelling books to the right,
Bible in Schools books below, refill pads and handwriting cards,
maths text books at bottom - all within easy reach.

Maths equipment

As we have no desks we store our books for each subject in these bins.

The chairs get stacked at the end of the day.

We have some stools as an option.

Another version of stools.

Handwriting levels

Noise signal lights

Reward system - when board is full the dodecahedron dice (to 12) is rolled
and the winner chooses from the prize-box.

And for inappropriate behaviour...(steps two plus are hardly ever referred to thankfully!)

Guided groups on display

Low table, cushions are a seating option - due for paintjob too!

As we have no storage desks the pencil cases are kept in these trays;
everyone shares the rulers and glue-sticks.

The centre of the maths shelves/homework book shelves -
spelling and basic facts resources, literacy CDs, music CDs etc.

My personal collection of teaching resources, kept on shelves in the art bay.

More of my resources, on a higher shelf on other side of artbay.

More of my resources - the bits and pieces stuff!

Pupils can use these art supplies.

My everyday trolley - planning and resources for the week are easy to access.

Reward system - using obsolete library cards, points given for tidy handwriting as well as three points per day
as "work pay" for being at school.  Pupils can 'buy' from the shopping list.

My marking system for book work.

I use groups of three for cooperative tasks. Change each term.