HIT:Elem/Mid working with Art teacher part 4

[Carol Ebel <CAE505@AOL.COM>]

We used to collaborate on an assignment that resulted in new jackets for
older books.  The student would have to at least skim the book to know
what elements to include in a book jacket design.  I'm a little vague on
what the art teacher did to elicit the finished product, but for the most
part they were wonderful.  We then put the plastic jacket cover on the new
jacket, along with the regular spine labels.  The books with new jackets
were checked out a more than they had been and the students who created
new jackets had more interest in the library and its books.  This kind of
assignment would also work in a graphic arts/computer design type class.


How about looking at the styles and art mediums in Caldecott Award winners
and letting the student try each themselves.  I would like to try this a
book at a time with our art teacher.


We did a wonderful project with an 8th grade art class. I had pulled oldies
but goodies off the shelf from the Jr. and YA sections. Books you want to
keep, but which had very plain covers, no jackets, etc. I put a summary of
the story in each book, and the kids (they worked in pairs) chose the books
they wanted. Then they made the most beautiful, original covers!! Another
part of their project involved learning Word skills, so all the titles, etc.
were done in different fonts and sizes as they chose. They put their own
names on the covers as Cover Illustration By, and put their pictures and a
brief bio. on the back cover or inside on the last page (some chose to do a
two-sided illus....really, you have no idea how creative these students
were). We made a big display, took their pictures holding the re-decorated
books, and those books have moved off the shelf more than ever!  Good luck!
You can modify this project in any number of ways, of course, but I'm sure it
will generate ! alot of interest and pride!


You might try Faith Ringgold stories, and make story quilts, or create
collage with Eric Carle (there is a great video about his collage technique
form one of the book clubs).


Our school studied Ancient Egypt in great detail one year and the art teacher
was invaluable in helping create the decorations for our pyramid.  We blocked
off one corner of the media center with a wall of boxes painted to look like
a pyramid; inside we had a mummy (papier mache and chicken wire!), canopic
jars, etc. and took tours in.  I worked with the kids on research and she
helped by supervising construction and using her class time to let the kids
make mini-sarcophagi, and all the neat stuff for inside the pyramid.  We did
hieroglyphics--you get the idea, I'm sure.
It was her first year at our school; I happened to catch her right after she
was hired in the summer so I was one of the first faculty members she met.
 She was also a first year teacher, so she was glad to have something to peg
her lessons on.  It worked great and forged a super rapport with her!


here's one I did last year with my art teacher that was very successful.  My
library has lots of old books, so I went through the picture book section
and pulled a lot of books that had no art work on the cover, sometimes had
just a blank cover.  I went over the information about the book that appears
on the cover with the fourth graders and we reviewed the info one can find on
the title page.  Then the art teacher helped them design covers for the books
they chose.  They worked in teams of two and signed their work on the inside
front flap.  I repositioned the bar codes and covered their new dust jackets
with plastic covers.  All the kids love those books.  And before most of them
had never circulated.

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