The author discovered artist Eleanor McCain's work on "Dear Ada," an art blog he follows. McCain makes brightly colored art quilts using various rectangles and squares. She creates visual "pop" by using these shapes in a variety of sizes and bright colors. There is an interesting spatial "push and pull" that happens when looking at her quilts.…

The process of finding inspiration for a class project is fascinating and intriguing. In this article, the author describes a class project inspired by the gyre, a widespread circulating rotation or vortex of ocean currents, known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. This particular gyre is the location of an enormous floating mass of garbage,…

In this article, the author describes a class project based on the work of contemporary American artist Red Grooms. Grooms is best known for his "sculpto-pictoramas," which are a combination of both painting and sculpture that literally pop off the page or out of the background.

In this article, the author shares a classroom project that she introduced to her students. The project involved decorating photographs with some metal materials. The project was inspired by "The Frame," a painting by the artist Frida Kahlo. This project aims to make students think critically and connect art to their lives.

The process of art-making is integral to the development of a child's fine motor skills, coordination, and concentration. Therefore, creating an ongoing project one or two weeks in length can benefit both teacher and students. The teacher can assess the children's skills by observing the way they handle materials. Also, after spending valuable…

If you are interested in using sequential art forms such as comic books in your EFL classroom, this article is full of helpful advice. Reading sequential art is beneficial because students can work with authentic texts with real language and graphic support. Students can also apply research and cultural knowledge to the creation of their own…

Students designed and painted their school's walls in a massive school enlivening project. (Author/RK)

Presents simple instructions for 15 mixed media art projects for the elementary grades. Part one of this series, listing 18 other techniques, appeared in the September 1979 issue of Instructor on pages 145-49. (SJL)

Describes a class project in which students write a detailed story of their family heritage and how they came to live in the United States. Notes that students also paint murals telling the story of their family and present the story and the mural on videotape. Presents four such stories and murals. (RS)

Describes an adventure through writing and art. Discusses the many uses of the blank sketchbooks\journals that students make. Describes an integrated writing and art workshop in which sketchbook\journal items are developed into finished pieces. Describes the evolution of a focused classroom inquiry project (a lunar investigation). Includes…

The article describes a class project which involved dyeing yarn from things of nature and using the yarn to create a design on burlap. (NQ)

Ways to keep children's minds on school as summer approaches include: (1) saving exciting topics or student projects for the last weeks of school; (2) going outside for activities that take advantage of the weather; (3) building finish-up stations where pupils can complete last-minute work; and (4) helping children plan summer activities. (PP)

Describes seven simple art projects which reinforce reading skills. Examples are: vowel finger puppets, a blend mobile, a shoebox-top racing game, and book illustration. (SJL)

Describes a number of class activities and student projects that the authors have used to teach the language and literature of peace in seventh- and eighth-grade reading and language arts classes, via theme-based units, interdisciplinary projects, and original theatrical student productions that celebrate language and literacy through the arts.…