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What's Going On
In The Art Room?

Draw Around the Room

9/12/2018

14 Comments

 
Thanks to inspiration from my time at the Teaching for Artistic Behaviors Summer Institute and the workshops hosted by Cynthia Gaub, I decided to start my middle school students (grades 6-8) off this year with a Draw Around the Room. The intention of this was to provide them time to explore drawing media, some familiar and some less so, in new and playful ways while laying the groundwork for them to feel comfortable experimenting with these media. This was my set-up:
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Objective: I can explore and experiment with different drawing tools and techniques to learn more about them and develop my craft.
Warm-Up: (Every class I have a warm-up on the board for the students to start on when they enter) With your table group create a KWL chart for Drawing Media (ie colored pencils, markers, charcoal, pastels, pencils, pens). Fill out the K - what do you know already, and W - what do you want to learn, sections. *I quickly learned that having the students make the chart themselves took too much time so I made a blank template and printed it out for them so they could get right to the heart of the discussion. I've attached this chart below:
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kwl_chart_drawing.doc
File Size: 34 kb
File Type: doc
Download File

Set-Up:​ After explaining the activity, each table collected a medium and accompanying menu. It was important for me to have them do this themselves instead of having it already on the table because I want them to know where to find the media for future classes. 
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Media:​ I have six tables in my room so I chose six different media: Drawing Pencils (Set of 12), Markers (variety of thicknesses), Colored Pencils, Pastels (chalk, soft, and oil), Drawing Pens (Set of 5), and Charcoal (vine, pressed, pencil, with erasers).  
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Menus: On the menus I included the media name, definition, and some small examples. In addition there were a few questions on each for the students to think about as they were exploring. On the back side of the menus are nine different drawing techniques for the students to try out. I've included the menus here for you to download. One file is the front sides and one file is the back. I never laminate things but I did laminate these to make sure they survived all my classes. The menus and drawing techniques were inspired by Frankie Fisher. 
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draw_around_the_room_table_signs__2_.pdf
File Size: 1720 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

drawing_techniques.pdf
File Size: 913 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Task: Students were asked to create one page in their sketchbooks for each medium. It should include the name and definition of the medium and then a variety of experimentations made while exploring that medium. To aid them, each menu had a back side of different drawing techniques for them to try. I encouraged them to consider themselves as explorers and this as their field notebook, reminding them to take note, label marks, and write observations. 
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Teacher Take-Aways:​ Starting the year out with play and exploration feels so freeing and . . . right, even if I did have a lot of underlying structure. Some students struggled with the idea of further exploring media that they have used for years, the charcoal and pastels were definitely the most entertaining of all the medias. Overall I feel that the two classes will be very useful in the student artists' development. I am still debating on what to do next. I was considering moving on to a Paint Around the Room but I feel like this Draw Around the Room should have a larger conclusion, perhaps choosing one or more mediums to continue exploring for a week or two. All in all, the year is starting out well and I already see improvements on the choice-based curriculum I have been developing through student engagement and growth. 
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14 Comments
Allie D Robbins
9/20/2018 12:23:29 pm

Thank you for sharing!!! I did this activity in my Junior High Classes and they loved it!

Reply
Firas
4/30/2020 02:07:21 am

Your art work is AMAZING ms blondon

Reply
Firas
4/30/2020 02:06:32 am

Gy

Reply
dani
10/6/2021 10:30:17 am

I've been wanting to try this but felt I needed a bit my guidance. Thank you :)

Reply
Amber
3/5/2022 05:55:33 pm

Hi! I am new to the TAB in the art room. Thank you for the KWL and Draw around the Room pdf's. This will give me a great way to implement TAB right away. I can see how beneficial this strategy will be in opening up my students to so many different methods.
My current instruction is very heavily based in art history/ art making. Students learn about an artist and create a work of art in that artist's style. How does one incorporate art history into a TAB art room? From my research I don't see it used in the mini lessons the teacher gives because the focus is on media and technique.
Thanks for the input!

Reply
Carrie
10/3/2024 12:47:46 pm

Thank you so much for sharing this idea and the accompanying resources on TPT. I'm a knucklehead and can't figure out what students should write in the "Line Types" and "Line Quality" sections on the worksheet. Would you please enlighten me?

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David link
1/28/2025 11:17:32 am

Such a creative and engaging concept! ‘Draw Around the Room’ is an innovative approach to sparking imagination and encouraging self-expression. I love how it challenges the boundaries of traditional thinking and opens up new possibilities for creative exploration. This idea will definitely inspire many to think outside the box!

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Italian Brainrot Clicker link
6/8/2025 05:38:32 pm

Starting the year with play and exploration, despite having underlying structure, is a freeing and beneficial approach for student artists’ development.

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6/8/2025 05:39:00 pm

Some students had difficulty with further media exploration, yet charcoal and pastels were highly entertaining in the classes.

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dreadhead parkour link
6/8/2025 05:39:22 pm

The two classes seem very useful for students’ growth, and the teacher is still pondering the next steps for the curriculum.

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rocket pult link
6/8/2025 05:40:26 pm

The teacher is considering different activities like Paint Around the Room or a more in - depth exploration of selected mediums after Draw Around the Room.

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6/8/2025 05:41:05 pm

The choice - based curriculum shows signs of success as the year starts well, with visible student engagement and improvement.

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n-gon link
6/8/2025 05:41:33 pm

The teacher’s approach of beginning with exploration sets a positive tone for the year and prompts thoughtful planning for future lessons.

Reply



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