Sketchbook Town-My Take

I graduated from Albion College in 1996 with a degree in Elementary Education and Visual Arts. Part of the reason I chose a visual arts degree is because I just loved art. That's it. I had no intention of becoming an art teacher. I went on to teach in the gen ed classroom for 21 years starting in second grade and ending in fifth. My lessons incorporated a lot of art because it was fun for me and the students responded well to it. I also had this ability to see the lesson before I taught it. But after 21 years, I was burnt out. I just couldn't correct one. more. paper. 

But I knew that I wanted to continue to teach and found my dream job: a creative arts teacher in a DK-1 building teaching STEAM. Teaching STEAM did not make me nervous and was not new to me. This concept is how I had taught for 21 years. Teaching littles, however, was a different story. I quickly learned they are just like fifth graders but smaller. I mostly used the same strategies I had in my previous classrooms but at their level. 

My students come to my STEAM class for an hour once a week. For the first two years in my buidling, the K art program was almost non exisitent until it was. I tried my best to incorporate a separate art lesson into the STEAM classroom but this proved to be challenging. Then COVID happened. While we were virtual, I offered to teach art virtually along with my STEAM lessons. When we came back in person this past fall, I knew we needed to continue to offer a separate space for the K kids to have art, so they saw STEAM and art as different classes. My plan was not ideal, but it worked. I would see the K kids one week for art in the art studio and the next week for STEAM in the STEAM lab. And we have been doing this since the first day of school. 

I NEVER thought I would love teaching art as its own entity, but I do. Before I actually taught my first class of straight art, I found myself with that familiar panic from four years ago of uneasiness. I delved right into reading art teacher blog posts, joined art teacher communities, and bought a few books. I then stumbled upon Cassie Stephens. I liked her right away. I liked her ideas and the language she used to make connections with her students. I ordered her book Art Teacherin' 101 and read it in one sitting. There were many ideas in her book that definately would work for me. The one that I loved the most was her earlier finishers idea of Sketchbook Town. Because of the lack of space in my art studio (I share with two other teachers), I tweaked Sketchbook Town to work for me and my students.  It took months and an inquiry approach with my students to get it where it is today. 

When I first read the idea, I knew it was going to happen. During my first kindergarten art class, I had one container of early finishers coloring sheets. I explained to the students what they would be doing second, when they were done with their masterpiece. On this particular day, I showed them the coloring sheet and talked about Sketchbook Town. I told them that Sketchbook Town is a place they could visit when they were done with their masterpiece and would be coming soon but for now there was Practice Sketchbook Town. Sketchbook Town was sending different art skills to practice before they felt they were ready to make an appearance. Practice Sketchbook Town wanted to make sure they used small strokes when coloring and all white spaces needed to be filled in. I don't remember what masterpiece the students completed that day, but I do remember what one of my student's said. "I wonder what Practice Sketchbook Town will bring us next time we have art."

With that, I knew what direction this was going to head. 

The following art class, I set up a bulletin board with a title that read Sketchbook Town. I mirrored Cassie's painting, rules, and what you can do when you visit Sketchbook Town. I also added another activity in Practice Sketchbook Town, scissors skills. We had just learned how to use scissors in STEAM class so this fit perfect. When the students came in, I showed them the bulletin board and said, "It looks like Sketchbook Town is leaving us clues!" I also told the students that there was something new in Practice Sketchbook Town today, scissors skills. So now the students had a choice or could do both activities if they had time after their masterpiece was completed. 

The Finished Bulletin Board

For the rest of September, October, November, and December, Practice Sketchbook Town gained a new skill each time. Many of these activities were going to find a home in Sketchbook Town, but the students could practice them each time they came to art. There is playdough, how to draw books, coloring, scissors, beading, just creating, and the Beautiful Oops bin. During all this practice, there was no sketchbook for them because they were just practicing. And Sketchbook Town continued to leave us hints with rules to follow and a shelf of new materials.  The students were bursting with excitement and couldn't wait for the grand opening of Sketchbook Town.

It started as one practice activity and evolved to this!

It was in December when I told them that I heard Sketcbook Town was going to be open for visitors after winter break. I wondered with them what they would bring us. How would it look? Then a student said, "Do you think Practice Sketchbook Town will still be here when Sketchbook Town opens?' And with that question, I answered, "Yes." 

I spent a day over winter break getting the art studio ready for Sketchbook Town. Nothing elaborate but some new decorations and wall decor. Enough for the students to notice. I also wrote a nice letter and created 200 Sketchbooks. 

 Sketchbook Town

I am not sure who was more excited, me or the students. But the week finally arrived where I would repeat this lesson eight times. It was a hit! They all noticed the new decorations and decor, loved the letter inviting them to Sketchbook Town, and decorating their sketchbooks with paint sticks. Then they got to go visit Sketchbook Town. They loved the painted mannequins (another Cassie idea), little animals, and legos. I know they love to build because I have them in STEAM class, but this time after they build something, they sketch it out and many times, color in their sketch. Some students chose to not visit Sketchbook Town but went to Practice Sketchbook Town. 

Some new rules were put into place. You only need your sketchbook when visiting Sketchbook Town and no markers were to be used in these books. Sketchbooks stay until the end of the year but you could bring anything home you completed in Practice Sketchbook Town. Sketchbook Town and Practice Sketchbook Town would always come back on two conditions: 1. You don't rush through your masterpiece. 2. When I say it is time to clean up, it is time to clean up. If one or both of those don't happen, they will not come back the following art period. 

So far so good. The studnets LOVE the two choices to visit. No one rushes through their masterpieces and ALL the students know what to do when they are cleaned up. Sketchbook Town and Practice Sketchbook Town have made an appearance each and every time except one. They were both out of town BUT left their cousins in their place. Cousin Must Do and Cousin May Do.