Choice Based Art Instruction

As I have changed my focus of teaching on giving the students more choice in how they explore many questions in our world through art I am still pondering if the quality of artworks I am getting out of them is the same if I were to give the whole class the same assignment.  My understanding of Choice Based Art instruction is students explore questions and things they are interested in based on a theme.  The theme this month is Natural Environment.  I am trying to get the students to understand there is more to artworks about the natural environment than landscapes.  I have created Inspiration Boxes.  Each tub contains images, actual replicas of natural materials, natural materials collected, and student artwork instructions. Students can create an artworks in whatever medium they choose based on their inspiration from one of the topic boxes.  The topics are Forest, Seaside, Animal Safari/Zoo, Under the Sea, Flowers and Plants, Frogs and Turtles/Rainforest, Mexican Desert, Landscapes, Birds, Bugs, Lakes Streams and Riverside Rocks.

Inspiration Station Pictures

Inspiration Station

At the beginning of the school year I had presented my students with what I called "The Inspiration Station".  At the table there were drawing books, master artworks, student examples and other hands on things to observe and use as inspiration.  Now I have transformed my Inspiration Station to one of medium inspirations so the students have more choices of what is avaliable to use.  I organzied the mediums into warm and cool colours and things are bright and inviting.  I will post a picture once I get my camera card back.

Winter Break

So many things were happening in the Art Room before our Winter Break I hardly had any time to post.  I am posting some of the projects that have been completed in our Themes.  Grades 4 & 5 worked on Fantasy projects, Grade 2 worked with a Dinosaur theme, and Grade 6 were exploring National Identity.