Art Room Updates
September 7th, 2023
Jumping into the new school year.
Dear Families,
Welcome to the new school year with Art classes taught by Mr. Woodward. If you are new to the district my name is Ryan Woodward and I will be the teacher for most of the art classes at Upton and Addams Elementary Schools. Some of the DK and Kindergaten classes will be taught by another instructor that we will be welcoming to our staff soon. This is my seventh year at the elementary schools where I was able to watch my first cohort of kindergarten students grow and graduate into middle school last year.
New families and students starting kindergarten this year should be receiving an email from Artsonia soon. This is the program we use to document all of the student work throughout the year. Some projects may not come home right away if I am displaying them, so this is an excellent way to see current work and also keep a portfolio that will show artistic growth. The program will also have fun ways that you can order items with your child’s artwork printed on them. A portion of the proceeds also come back to the program helping to ensure we have quality materials for our lessons.
My goal is always on process over the final product, so understand that not every project will look beautifully refined, but will be an expression of your childs imagination. I try to avoid projects that have students follow step by step where everyone ends up with the same thing. I strive to create an environment where students feel comfortable and safe to express themselves and be creative.
I will send out updates as we progress, but many projects take weeks, maybe even months as I only see the students once a week. Below is a quick list of what each grade will be starting the year with. Please reach out with any questions.
ryan.woodward@royaloakschools.org
Sincerely,
Ryan
Kindergarten = Line shape and color paintings in a modern style
1st Grade = Memory paintings inspired by Faith Ringgolds’ Tar Beach
2nd Grade = Gesture drawings inspired by Keith Haring
3rd Grade = Clay Sculptures
4th Grade = Photography with Ipads broken down People-Places-Things
5th Grade = 1 point perspective drawings of the front of the school