Assessment Drawings

On the first and last days of the school year, I have my students draw a simple composition to gauge their 2D skills and creativity. For 2nd & 3rd grades, I use a lion as the main object. This lesson was adapted from the step-by-step directions in the book, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards.

On the first day of class, this drawing is used to assess the student’s drawing skill, fine motor control and ability to follow simple directions. These findings help guide my decision on where the student sits and whom they sit with at the classroom tables. I try to have a mix of abilities at each table, with those students who need extra help placed in strategic seats.

This same assignment at the end of the year, when compared to the first, shows the student’s growth. Thought you would enjoy seeing some examples from this year!

Work by Student A in August



Work by Student A in June



Work by Student B in August




Work by Student B in June





Work by Student C in August




Work by Student C in June

Potential Art Helper

One day during those last frantic weeks of school, I had an unexpected surprise when I opened a class drawer to look for wayward projects that I needed to grade.

This was one of my larger 3rd grade classes and the usual drawer is a mishmash of placecards, table folders, unfinished projects, and other assorted debris. This is a pix of what I expected to see:




Instead, in this one particular drawer, I saw THIS:



I meant to interrogate the class at our next meeting so I could sign this student up as my ‘helper’. Unfortunately, due to a field trip, the next class was canceled and by the next meeting, I had forgotten☹. I’ll have to keep my eye on next year’s 4th graders to see who this might be…Maybe I can sign him/her up as an art helper!