First Day in the Art Room

This is the first installment of a recurring theme of Rerun Sundays (even though I missed the deadline by an hour or so here in AZ).

One of my most popular posts was back '12 concerning what I do on the first day of Art class for each of my many groups. Since this is what I'll be preparing for in the next week I thought I would post the link here for those who may have missed it the first time around.

I'm a firm believer in starting out the school year with structure, teaching routines from the get-go. That first day is packed full of routines that will be repeated every week. For returning students, it's a comfort - something familiar in the weeks/days ahead that are full of new experiences with new teachers, new classmates and new expectations.

The procedures start at the door with my greeting while students wait for permission to enter and end with line-up practice. In between these actions, my students learn my behavior expectations, safety rules (fire & lockdown) while I become familiar with their drawing skills through an assessment drawing. Of course while this busy period plays out I use my observational expertise to begin to formulate which students would work well together in the table groups that would be assigned in the following class period.

In the comment section, please share what your first day will look like in your artroom...