A Digital Holiday Lesson at School 21

At School 21 Art Professor in Residence Triada Samaras worked together with Art Teacher Raquel Ford to create a digital art lesson for the middle school students.  In Google Classroom, Ms. Ford taught these students how to use Google Drawings to create patterns on holiday mittens they created using their Chromebooks. Ms Ford is currently teaching on-line to her Paterson students.

Google Drawings is a feature of Google Drive. Ms Ford has been teaching several digital art techniques using this software during Fall 2020.  In this lesson students applied various acquired skills including drawing, creating a background, creating patterns and using symbols.  She encouraged students to create their own unique mittens for their holiday celebrations.

"Google Drawings is hosted on Google Drive where all files created with the application are saved by default." (edit) "Google Drawings allows multiple users to open and edit drawings simultaneously in real-time. It allows importing images from the computer or from the Web as well as inserting shapes, arrows, scribbles and text from predefined templates. Objects can be moved, resized and rotated. The software also allows for basic editing of images, including cropping, applying masks and adding borders" LINK 

Using a variety of digital artmaking tools in Google Drawings, students can work at home designing with color and texture even if they do not have paints, colored markers and other art materials.  

Google Drawings is also an app in Chrome.

Later Ms. Ford and her students placed the completed images in a Google Photos Album for the students to see. In the future Ms. Ford and Professor Samaras are planning an interactive Google Drawings lesson in which groups of two or three students will create an artwork together and simultaneously.

For more information see:

35 Creative Google Drawings Activities for Classes

https://ditchthattextbook.com/35-creative-google-drawings-activities-for-classes/

A Southeast Asia Project at DBTA

Art Teacher Patty Kaminski and Art Professor-in-Residence Triada Samaras collaborated to create an arts integration lesson at Don Bosco School that integrates art making, religious/spiritual traditons, technology and the culture of Southeast Asia.

Above: Ms. Kaminski's Mehndi Lesson in Google Slides

In this lesson the concept of Mendhi Design was presented to the students. "What is Henna Mehndi?," Ms. Kaminski asked her students in Google Classroom.  At Don Bosco Technical Academy many students originate from Bangladesh and are familiar with Mehndi. 

                          Above: Image of Mehndi on the back of the hands

In Google Slides, students learned that Mehndi is a form of art that traditionally uses dried leaves of the Henna plant to make a paste that is applied to the body. Mehndi is a form of body art and skin decoration that dates back to Ancient India. LINK

Above: Image of Mehndi on the inside of the same hands

 Mehndi is still a popular form of Body Art in Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, the Maldives, Africa and the Middle East. Mehndi has roots in spiritual and religious tradions in these regions.  For example Mehndi is often used on the hands of Hindu and Muslim brides. LINK  

Next, Ms. Kaminski showed her students Mehndi designs in Google Classroom.

Students began their artworks by tracing their own hands. Inspired by Mehndi images and designs placed in Google Slides for them, they created unique designs into their traced hand shapes.  Later they used black sharpie markers were to outline and highlight their designs.

This arts integration lesson utilised culturally responsive teaching strategies as well as social emotional learning and global perspectives.  

Some student artworks can be found below:

A STEAM Lesson at Hani School

At Dr. Hani Awadallah School (Hani School), Art Professor-in-Residence Simone Sandler worked with fourth grade students and Mrs. Crocker to create towers from items in their homes.

Students observed how towers are created through Google Slides and using Google Classroom. Students were given a wide range of possibilites. 

Here are some of their creations below:

For more information see:

Here are some everyday household items you can use to build towers.

1. Cups. Plastic, Styrofoam, or paper cups can make great towers.
2. Sugar cubes. Sugar cubes are like miniature blocks to build towers!
3. Plastic bowls and containers. 
4. Craft sticks. 
5. Cans. 
6. Playing Cards. 
7. Toothpicks and cheese squares. 
8. Swim Noodles

25 Ways to Build Towers Without Blocks Link

6 Artists:  The Poetry of Discarded Materials 

LINK (Video Below)

Art Professor-in-Residence Triada Samaras will turnkey this lesson with art teachers at Don Bosco Technical Academy and School 21 as a possible arts lesson plan in 2021 for middle school students using Google Drawing and/or Google Podcast. 

A Tree Study at School 9

Professor in Residence Simone Sandler recently completed this arts integration lesson at School 9. She writes:

"This is a second grade lesson after the students learned about the rain forest in different parts of the world.  I taught the students the parts of a tree and what trees need to survive (using Google Classroom)." 

See the image below:

For more information see:

LINK

Africa Tree Guide LINK

Names of a few, well-known trees in Africa:

Baobab

Buffalothorn

Bushwillow

Jackalberry

Knob Thorn

Lala Palm

Marulla

Mopane

Nara Plant

Natal Mahogany

Sausage Tree

Tambotti

Umbrella Thorn

Weeping Boer Bean

Wild Date Palm

Welwitschia

Art Professor-in-Residence Triada Samaras will turnkey this lesson with art teachers at Don Bosco Technical Academy and School 21 as a possible arts lesson plan for middle school students using Google Drawing and/or Google Podcast. 

Nature Mandalas at School 9

At School 9 WP Art Professor-in-Residence Simone Sandler worked with seond grade students and their teachers to create mandalas from nature.

Students observed how mandalas are created through Google Slides. The students collected rocks, sticks, leaves and other objects outside.  Starting in the center and working outwards, students created their mandalas.   The finished project was uploaded to the teachers. 

Here are some examples:

For more information: 

Making Mandalas with Younger Grades LINK

Mandalas from Around the World LINK

Art Professor-in-Residence Triada Samaras has turnkeyed this lesson with Art Teacher Raquel Ford at School 21 as a possible arts integration lesson plan in 2021. Soon Ms. Ford will be teaching lower grade students at School 21. 

Literacy, Math and Art at School 9

At School 9 WP Art Professor-in-Residence Simone Sandler worked with seond and third grade students and their teachers to create an arts integration lesson in Google Classroom combining literacy, math and art.

After learning about monsters in class, they used geometric shapes to create a monster. They used markers and plain paper at home. Next they developed a story about their creature.

Students uploaded their monster and story and sent it to their teachers. Here are some examples below:

For More Information:

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (Read in English) LINK

Where the Wild Things Are (Read in Spanish) LINK

The Spookiest Mythical Creature in Every Country in the World LINK