Oh...Crystal Bridges was AMAZING!  The museum, architecture, over all experience - WORTH the trip for anyone to join us in ARKANSAS!  Absolutely breath taking!

  Art Dog by Thacher Hurd

Getting EXCITED!!!! Here a few of the books that I am working on for my RAW ART class!!! Exciting things are in my students future!!!

Balloons Over Broadway - Melissa Sweet
 A Story A Story - Gail Haley
 Crow Call - Lois Lowry
A Day with No Crayons - Elizabeth Rusch
Fancy Nancy Poet Extraordinare - Jane O'Connor
No Such Things - Bill Peet
If I Were in Charge of the World - Judith Viorst

Super excited to have an article published from READING TODAY that is created from the International Reading Association about my RAW ART class.

Check it out here...  READING TODAY ARTICLE

http://engage.reading.org/Home/

Also this is a GREAT site!!  Join teachers from around the world in a social network that is spreading the love of literacy with teacher tips, research, authors, illustrators, blogs, networking and much much more!

Join the International Reading Association Today!

"I'm a pout-pout fish with a pout-pout face..."

Well I couldn't resist after seeing so many darling wide mouth fish made from the pinch pot method...had to dive in!  Oh and of course find a perfect book to make a splash with our art project!

(found this on pinterst)

Trucks and the ABC Rhyme

I just love my job teaching RAW ART!  Here is a fabulously written and cleverly illustrated book that we used for our art project.  The students created their collages inspired by the illustrations of Megan Halsey.  We used maps as she did in the book for part of our collage.  We learned how to draw trucks.  I took photos of them to place themselves as the driver.  Then I taught them my rhyme where they had to complete it with the first letter of their name.  The power point link I made gives all the details.

Julie's Trucks Power Point

Thanks to Deep Space Sparkle's interview with Megan Halsey and ideas she had there.

The ABC rhyme you begin using letters that start w/ "A" to fill in the blank and continue on through the alphabet.

My name is ___________.

I am very __________.

I'm going to _____________ with at truck load of ____________.

My name is Gaven.
I am very Great.
I'm going to Gulf Shores with a truck load of Grapes.

 Kindergarten & 1st graders did these fabulous collages based on the book Bugs! Bugs! Bugs! by Bob Barner.  My students viewed the book through tumble books at www.tumblebooks.com.
The book looks at a variety of "bugs" and it has a great chart at the end with information about bugs. 

My students traced their feet, created a flower out of a coffee filter and collaged their bugs with construction paper and markers.

6TH GRADE SOFTIES!

Patricia McKissack's book is a needle in the haystack!

This was great fun!  Well...it was a bit challenging with the needle threading and knot tying...but they did do it all on their own!!  They are so very proud of them!

We looked at Japanese and Chinese softies and where they came from.  I adapted a power point and here:  http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/huskeyj72501-1395712-softies/

and the students followed the steps.  Did many sketches until they came up with their final creation, traced their designs on felt pieces and the sewing began!