Art Concepts

"My children will sit for hours working on a lesson, or they'll use something from the books as a starting point and take off on their own creations." -- parent...See more » "My children will sit for hours working on a lesson, or they'll use something from the books as a starting point and take off on their own creations." -- parent I kept the subject in my drawings simple and presented the material as part of a unit study. The background drawings my students made and their discussion reflected an understanding of the material. Handwriting practice came next with three to four short, easy sentences. Many of my students needed to learn the basics of letter formation and sentence structure -- and for some, English was a new language. I copied the four sentences onto the chalkboard, describing and modeling each letter, punctuation, or space. The children who were already competent writers worked at their own pace and focused on neatly copying the sentences. The consistent practice improved writing speed and legibility, while giving everyone the confidence to write. It made a huge difference in the other assignments I gave throughout the day. I found that starting the day with a drawing lesson and handwriting practice gave everyone a feeling of success and a good start to the day. -- Marie Hablitzel Coauthor, Draw Write Now, Books 1-8See less »