Making Sketchbooks: Simplified

This poster provides students with a summary of what our standards wish them to learn.

One of the visual arts standards established in 2009 in Georgia mandates a need for all third, fourth, and fifth grade students maintain a sketchbook. In a time when budgets are so tight that many school systems struggle to keep the arts funded, spending a minimum of three dollars per sketchbook per child adds up quickly!

• I've punched holes into 4 reams of 9"x12" of sulphite drawing paper for my students' journals. I am allotting 10 pages to each of my 3-5 graders.
• They are getting 5 pages of notebook paper as well.
•  My fifth graders are getting 5 pages of graph paper to be used in an upcoming perspective lesson.

I've learned much from last year's endeavor. We tried to use cereal boxes and painted paper to make our own book covers. Many were successful, yet it was very costly as far as time and space go. Copious amounts of glue left the Art room very smelly for most of August.

This year we are skipping the glue and cardboard for this project. I hope to focus on the journaling and art on the pages within our books instead.



Teacher Demo with Rubric



Our first project was focused on trying different painting techniques on 12"x18" paper. This was cut in half once dry, and students are creating their book covers with these.

Work of Fifth Grade Boy

Sample Journal Covers
Student and Teacher Created

Next week we will begin using these journals in class as we continue with new standards. I might eventually allow students to take these with them for independent use. We will keep the journals in the Art room for now.