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Students can create their own animal letter to help with letter sound awareness. Write each letter in marker and then have the students illustrate the card with a corresponding animal (e.g., A is Alligator).

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6 Strategies for Fast and Formative Assessment

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6 Strategies for Fast and Formative Assessment

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1. Observation: You can watch them think about their ideas, explore new techniques and processes, create things that inspire them, and make mistakes into happy accidents.

2. Think-Pair-Share: This allows your students to share information with a peer. This can be done during or after a demonstration, artist presentation, or discussion.

3. Exit Tickets: A quick way to grasp what they have learned is to give them an exit ticket. You can use a sticky note, note card, blank sheet of paper, or even create an exit ticket digitally.

4. Thumbs up/Thumbs down: You can get a feel for your students’ comfort level with the process by asking them to give a thumbs up if they feel they are ready to try it out or a thumbs down if they need more instruction.

5. Interviews: Having a discussion is powerful. As students explore centres, pull one student at a time aside to talk with them.

6. Critiques: Do them with works in progress. This way, students can get peer feedback that may help push them to explore new ideas.

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While assessments are not the most exciting thing to do in the art room, many districts require them. Finding assessments that fit your teaching style is key, so they are meaningful to you and your students.

However, honing in on the perfect assessment system can be tricky. I personally teach from a Teaching for Artistic Behavior (TAB) point of view. The TAB website describes the learning environment by stating, "TAB classrooms are highly structured environments. Students scaffold their own learning, sometimes going deeply into specific subjects or media. They work at their own pace, following their own lines of inquiry, and develop skills as they need them." In other words, the students are treated as artists.

At the same time, the teacher is there to teach skills, art vocabulary, art history, and any other information or techniques students need to successfully carry out their ideas. Finding the proper ways to assess is important so as not to disrupt the creative flow of this type of classroom. My personal go-to? Quick, formative assessments.

Check out these six strategies for fast and formative assessments you can begin using today.

1. Observation

One of the best things about being in the art room is watching your students create. You can watch them think about their ideas, explore new techniques and processes, create things that inspire them, and make mistakes into happy accidents. A great way to assess students and check for understanding is to look at the art your students are creating.

This includes any sketches and planning students do before they work on their final piece or as they work on a final piece. Observations are quick and informal. Often, your students will willingly share what they are creating giving you more insight into their artistic process.

One simple way to record what you see is with a notebook or checklist.

2. Think-Pair-Share

Another fun way to see what your students know is through the Think-Pair-Share routine. This allows your students to share information with a peer. This can be done during or after a demonstration, artist presentation, or discussion.

For instance, if you started class with an artist presentation or mini-lesson about how artists stretch and explore, you could pose the question, "Why do artists stretch and explore?" or, "Why is it important to stretch and explore as an artist?" You can easily pace the room to listen to your students as they discuss to check for understanding.

3. Exit Tickets

In a TAB classroom, you will see students in a variety of centers exploring and creating. A quick way to grasp what they have learned is to give them an exit ticket. You can use a sticky note, note card, blank sheet of paper, or even create an exit ticket digitally.

You can have students share something they learned during their studio time or have them answer a particular question about the skill builder taught that day.

What did you learn today?

How did you problem-solve in art?

What inspired your work today?

How did the skill-builder inspire your work?

How did the artist inspiration inspire your work?

Which studio habit of mind did you focus on? How?

What was your favorite part of class today?

4. Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down

Having students do a show of hands on a particular topic or questions allows you to quickly see if the students grasped the information. Let's say you decide to do a mini-lesson about weaving. You can get a feel for your students' comfort level with the process by asking them to give a thumbs up if they feel they are ready to try it out or a thumbs down if they need more instruction.

Then, when students disperse to centers, you can pull anyone at the weaving center who said they wanted more instruction aside for another short lesson.

5. Interviews

Interviews can also be referred to as student conferences. Having a discussion is powerful. As students explore centers, pull one student at a time aside to talk with them. During this time you can find out more about what they are learning and how you can better support their art goals. It's also a nice time to find out what they enjoy or are not enjoying about your classroom. In this way, you also get to learn how to better support your students in all areas of their development.

6. Critiques

While many may think critiques are just for finished work, I often do them with works in progress. This way, students can get peer feedback that may help push them to explore new ideas. Critiques can take place during a Think-Pair-Share activity, within table groups, or in a whole group discussion.

In short, assessing in a TAB environment doesn't have to be stressful. Use the collaborative nature of your classroom and the stellar relationships you have with your students to your advantage.
To learn more about TAB, check out these amazing resources: What are some other quick formative assessments that work well for your students? Does your district require you to have a certain number of assessments?

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6 Strategies for Fast and Formative Assessments - The Art of Education University

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While assessments are not the most exciting thing to do in the art room, many districts require them. Finding assessments that fit your teaching style is key, so they are meaningful to you and your students. However, honing in on the perfect assessment system can be tricky.

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Through an ongoing process involving clear criteria, feedback, and revision, students learn to work and think like artists. Teachers lead them to ask three questions:

1. Where am I going? Students are given, or in some cases create, clear criteria. This enables them to visualize success.

2. Where am I now? As they work, students receive timely, structured feedback from teachers, peers, and reflection on their own work.

3. How do I get there from here? Students decide whether and how to respond to feedback. Through revisions to their work, they deepen their learning and improve their performance.

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Arts Assessment for Learning supports arts teachers practice and student learning by creating a balance between assessment of and assessment for learning

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4 Myths about assessing art   (Pages 13-15)

1. Success in Arts is Subjective

2. It’s all about the end product

3. Teachers can just tack on assessment to their arts instruction

4. Assessment is contradictory to the artistic process

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In this book it encourages young students to open up and discuss how they feel, even when their thoughts are confusing. Following the book students can create their own colour monster based on their thoughts and feelings.

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Pete the Cat: I Love my White Shoes by Eric Litwin

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Pete the Cat: I Love my White Shoes by Eric Litwin

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Ella Sarah Gets Dressed by Margaret Chodos

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Ella Sarah Gets Dressed by Margaret Chodos

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Ella Sarah Gets Dressed - Read Aloud Books for Children - With Music - Margaret Chodos

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Start at 1:14

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Students can create their own book of emotions where they draw what each emotion looks like to them.

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Together, brainstorm a theme for your own mural. The mural could tie into whatever curriculum topic
you are currently studying or it could deliver critical messages that move beyond the curriculum
— social justice, anti-bullying, encouraging creativity, etc. Use a long roll of paper and divide the
class into groups and assign them various sections to work on. This activity not only allows students
to experience Sky Color’s story in a personally relevant way; it also encourages communication,
collaboration, critical thinking, and creatively.

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Pete the Cat: I Love my White Shoes by Eric Litwin

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Pete the Cat: I Love my White Shoes by Eric Litwin

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This book is about primary colours.  It can help introduce students to the primary and secondary colours, and could lead into an activity about the colour wheel. Learning can be extended by mixing primary colours to get secondary colours.

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The Big Orange Splot by Daniel Manus Pinkwater

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The Big Orange Splot by Daniel Manus Pinkwater

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Students use red paint and their fingerprint to create the characters of a scene, just as the illustrations do in I Am Henry Finch. Students then bring the scene to life by drawing scene details.

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Students will write simple procedures Example: how to build a snowman.
The will draw an illustration to accompany each step that they have in their procedure

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To inspire creative writing, have your students create a 3-D book. Students can then illustrate their story to bring it to life.

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Students will first draw, paint or colour a picture of interest to them. They will then write a story based on their picture. Students will then draw to more picture to match the backstory and the story moving forward from their original picture.

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In pairs, students sit back to back. Student A has a picture of a simple object or thing and has to orally instruct Student B how to draw it without telling them what is is. Students then switch who explains and how draws. This activity helps students develop their oral literacy and collaborative skills.

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Provide students with different every day objects that are not designated for art (i.e. fork, q-tip, popsicle stick, toothbrush) as well as paintbrushes. Have students experiment and see what each object will do when used to paint. Students can present their work to the class, explaining what they discovered throughout their exploration to practice their oral literacy. This activity can also be made more specific if students are tasked to explore the elements and/or principles of design.

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This activity asks students to use 2 or more different art medias to create their artwork. This activity can be open ended or more focused on a specific topic (which could be cross-curricular!)

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Students create a sculpture. The sculpture they create is then used as the main character in a short story they write, making this a cross-curricular activity that also brings life to the student's work!

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Go over different types of lines (curvy, wavy, straight, spirals, etc.) and how lines can be used to create shape and dimension on top of being fun. Provide them with an outline of a basic landscape. Students then use markers to fill in as much white space as possible only using lines. This activity focuses on visual literacy.

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Students can write or draw any of their anxieties or frustrations on a page, being as elaborate as they
wish. Then take your page and tear it up into small pieces and recycle it. The act of expressing your cares, seeing them in front of you and
washing them away can be very therapeutic and promotes social-emotional learning. This also allows students the opportunities to express themselves in various ways.

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Task students with creating a storyboard to retell a story they know or create their own. It's a great activity to practice visual and written literacy. It also allows students to practice their procedural writing and elements of a story!

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Create art collages using recycled materials, newspapers, magazines, and other craft supplies you have in your classroom. The collage can be open ended or you can task your students with a specific concept to depict either abstractly or literally. Pair this activity with an artist statement to incorporate a written component!

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Can be modified for any grade level - have students create self portraits portraying an emotion of their choice. Teach students how lines, colours, and other elements of design can aid in their expression. Pair this activity with an artist statement if you'd like to add a written component.

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Present students with a series of photographs, illustrations, and artwork. Have students discuss the art, what they think is happening in it, what they like, what they dislike, the emotions that are evoked from it, and share with their peers. Discussions can be held in small groups or as a class.

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Not a Box/Not a Stick by Antoinette Portis

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Not a Box/Not a Stick by Antoinette Portis

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Helps children to see beauty in things that otherwise might have been discarded
Also promotes environmental literacy and the importance of reusing and recycling
Not a Box encourages predicting what’s next and participation within each page as your students imagine “It’s not a box, it’s a …”. Students can create their own artwork by reusing materials and turning them into something new.

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Ishful Gallery: Start a gallery of art that is ishful. For example, have students draw abstract images (of trees, boats, flowers etc.), and add them to the gallery. Ask the class what each one is. Students will learn to see patterns, be more imaginative, be more generous in their interpretations, be less literal, and develop open minds. This can also be used to introduce new words or concepts to students or to help teach them about the spelling of different words

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5 Ways to Bring Literacy into the Art Classroom. (2018, November 30). Retrieved November 25, 2020, from https://theartofeducation.edu/2018/12/10/5-ways-to-bring-literacy-into-the-art-classroom/

Crafton L.K., Silvers P., Brennan M. (2009) Creating a Critical Multiliteracies Curriculum: Repositioning Art in the Early Childhood Classroom. In: Narey M. (eds) Making Meaning. Educating the Young Child, vol 2. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi-org.uproxy.library.dc-uoit.ca/10.1007/978-0-387-87539-2_3

Dehner, M. (2018, November 30). 5 Ways to Bring Literacy into the Art Classroom. Retrieved from https://theartofeducation.edu/2018/12/10/5-ways-to-bring-literacy-into-the-art-classroom/

Englert, C. S., Garmon, A., Mariage, T., Rozendal, M., Tarrant, K., & Urba, J. (1995). The Early Literacy Project: Connecting across the Literacy Curriculum. Learning Disability Quarterly, 18(4), 253–275. https://doi.org/10.2307/1511233

Gibson, J. (2019, October 3). 12 Art Activities to Build Literacy Skills. Retrieved November 30, 2020, from https://blog.education.com/2019/10/03/12-art-activities-to-build-literacy-skills/

Helping Your Child with Reading and Writing: A Guide for Parents. (2007) Ontario Ministry of Education. 19.  https://fn.schools.sd68.bc.ca/documents/2016/04/reading-and-writing.pdf/

Jester, J. (2003). Of Paint and Poetry: Strengthening Literacy Through Art. The Quarterly, 25(4), 32-39. Retrieved November 30, 2020, from https://archive.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/958.

Kendrick M.E., McKay R.A. (2009) Researching Literacy with Young Children's Drawings. In: Narey M. (eds) Making Meaning. Educating the Young Child, vol 2. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi-org.uproxy.library.dc-uoit.ca/10.1007/978-0-387-87539-2_4

Mandell, E. (2018). Three Art Teaching Strategies to Support Language Acquisition and Communication Skill Development in English Language Learners. Online Submission.

Rymanowicz, K. (2018, October 02). The art of creating: Why art is important for early childhood development. Retrieved November 25, 2020, from https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/the_art_of_creating_why_art_is_important_for_early_childhood_development

Sheridan K. (2009) Studio Thinking in Early Childhood. In: Narey M. (eds) Making Meaning. Educating the Young Child, vol 2. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi-org.uproxy.library.dc-uoit.ca/10.1007/978-0-387-87539-2_5

Sorensen, M. K. (2010, May). Integrating art and literacy in the elementary classroom. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uni.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1032&context=hpt

Tucker, S. D. (2017). The Effects of Arts Integration on Literacy Comprehension Achievement. Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5215&context=etd

Thomas, S., Fraita, M. “Help Your Child Develop Literacy Skills through the Arts: For Parents of Students in Junior and Middle Grades.” Peel District School Board, www.peelschools.org/parents/helpyourchild/Documents/6-8/Literacy/Help your child develop literacy skills through the arts.pdf.

Narey, M. (2009). Making Meaning Constructing Multimodal Perspectives of Language, Literacy, and Learning through Arts-based Early Childhood Education (1st ed. 2009.). Springer US. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-87539-2

Phillips, G. (2010). Promising Findings on Preschoolers’ Emergent Literacy and School Readiness In Arts-integrated Early Childhood Settings. Early Childhood Education Journal, 38(2), 111–122. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-010-0397-x

Zindler, R. (n.d.). How to Use Visual Art to Build Literacy. Retrieved November 30, 2020, from https://ww.greatminds.org/visual-art-literacy

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My Heart Fills With Happiness By Monique Gray Smith

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My Heart Fills With Happiness By Monique Gray Smith

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This book allows an opportunity to talk about emotions. It explores what makes people happy and how people express joy in different ways, this can lead to discussions and activities about what makes students happy and find joy in each day. This can have social-emotional learning connections because it can help students to put themselves in a better mood and also help to destress. The book also references Indigenous culture which can lead to conversations about their culture or histories, as well as the similarities children and families share.

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Students use cut outs of all different types of clothing pants, shirts, skirts, sweaters etc. and colour them and design them to be a representation of their favorite outfit or an outfit they would love to wear. Shows self expression and their own identity.

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Process of designing a learning story is thoughtful and complex.  Notice and name the learning that was made visible, think about your audience and respectfully share the learning in a way that invites new reflection and thinking.  It essentially makes the relationship of the learners and the educator (and our documenters!) visible as well.  How might this assessment tool that makes thinking visually visible have different advantages and who especially might appreciate stories of learning like this? Is the design of the Learning Story a creative process as well?

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Group Mural Painting with Read Aloud - Hey Wall!

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Group Mural Painting with Read Aloud - Hey Wall!

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Creating a group mural is easy. Simply find an old bed sheet to use as your large canvas. If you don’t have an old bed sheet, you can create a canvas by taping together brown paper bags or sheets of newspaper.

Before your children start creating their group mural, discuss with them what they would like to paint. Have them agree with each other on what the theme of the mural will be.

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Type: Projects Skills: Language & Literacy, Play & Creativity, Social & Emotional Skills

Most of us probably think that the ability to recognize letters and numbers is the key to being ready for kindergarten. But research shows that a child's ability to socialize with other children is just as important. There's a definite link between strong social skills and how a child adjusts to and performs in school. In this activity, you'll learn how a group mural can promote cooperative play.

Cooperation
Sharing
Communication

Old bed sheet
Paint
Brushes
Markers

Creating a group mural is easy. Simply find an old bed sheet to use as your large canvas. If you don't have an old bed sheet, you can create a canvas by taping together brown paper bags or sheets of newspaper.

Before your children start creating their group mural, discuss with them what they would like to paint. Have them agree with each other on what the theme of the mural will be.

On a separate poster board or sheet of paper, you can write down all of the children's ideas and who is responsible for drawing what.

Then provide your children with a variety of paints, brushes and markers and let them begin creating their work of art.

When they're done with their mural, be sure to hang it on a wall or someplace where all the children can see it. Ask the children open-ended questions about what their mural means and how each of them contributed to its creation.

As children are painting the mural, they are learning about working with others. They'll work together to come up with a theme, and then work together to have their mural reflect that theme. In coming up with a central theme for the mural as well as in negotiating the use of these materials, kids will be learning to communicate, which is an important social skill.

This activity is appropriate for kids of all ages, but only kids who are slightly older (four or five years of age) will be able to discuss and agree upon a theme.

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Type: Projects Skills: Language & Literacy, Play & Creativity, Social & Emotional Skills Most of us probably think that the ability to recognize letters and numbers is the key to being ready for kindergarten. But research shows that a child's ability to socialize with other children is just as important.

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Students can learn and practice letter writing in various artistic ways. They can use a bingo dabber to trace letters or words. Students can also trace sight words to help with word recognition.

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Beautiful Hands by Kathryn Otoshi and Bret Baumgarten

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Beautiful Hands by Kathryn Otoshi and Bret Baumgarten

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"Beautiful Hands" by Kathryn Otoshi and Bret Baumgarten

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The Wonders of the Colour Wheel: Easel Painting

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The Wonders of the Colour Wheel: Easel Painting

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A paint activity allows the students to explore their creative abilities and explore the countless options of creating colours using the three primary colours. Students will express their feelings and emotions, without the use of words on the canvas, while learning about secondary and tertiary colour creations.

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What A Waste: Trash, Recycling, and Protecting Our Planet  by Jess French

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What A Waste: Trash, Recycling, and Protecting Our Planet  by Jess French

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Students bring recyclable materials from home (or can be collected from other classrooms in the school) and use these materials to create artwork. This can also integrate environmental education because they are reusing materials and making sure nothing goes to waste. In the junior grades, students could keep a journal for a week about ways that they are going to minimize their environmental impact (turning off the water while brushing their teeth, making sure lights are off in a room, reusing and recycling materials etc.)

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Read Aloud of Hey Wall! By Susan Verde | Full Story Read Aloud by Bizzy Book Club

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The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds | Read aloud Book for kids

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What A Waste: Trash, Recycling, and Protecting Our Planet  by Jess French

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What A Waste: Trash, Recycling, and Protecting Our Planet  by Jess French

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Katie and the Starry Night by James Mayhew

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Katie and the Starry Night by James Mayhew

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My Heart Fills With Happiness By Monique Gray Smith

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My Heart Fills With Happiness By Monique Gray Smith

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MY HEART FILLS WITH HAPPINESS - Book - Read Aloud

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The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires 

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The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires 

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The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires

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The Good Egg by Jory John and Pete Oswald

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The Good Egg by Jory John and Pete Oswald

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Voices in the Park by Anthony Browne, read by Ruth Merttens | Storytelling from Hamilton Trust

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The Wonders of the Colour Wheel by Charles Ghigna

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The Wonders of the Colour Wheel by Charles Ghigna

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The Wonders of the Color Wheel: by Charles Ghigna, illustrated by  Ag Jatkowska.