Middle School Mania

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Middle School Mania Pacific Region Art Educator
of the Year Showcase NAEA Chicago 2006 Linda W.
Kieling Art Educator Rosemont Ridge Middle
School West Linn, Oregon
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Sometimes teaching middle school feels like
this!
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But I get by with a little help from my friends
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..and my family.
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I grew up in Florida, went to school at Auburn
University (its in Alabama!), taught in North
Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. I know
for some of you, all of this congers up thoughts
that the work on the left just might be my view
of great art ?
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I moved to Oregon almost 8 years ago and even a
southern gal can appreciate the pacific
Northwest.
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I started teaching at Rosemont Ridge Middle
School when it opened in 1999. It is located in
West Linn, Oregon just outside of Portland. Our
student population is right at 700.
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The corner of the art room has huge windows
that make for wonderful displays and allow for
light on gray days.
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The building is full of display opportunities.
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Variety of displays down the gym hallway.
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Chalkboards in the office welcome students,
staff and guests.
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The West Linn- Wilsonville school district has a
firm commitment to technology. At RRMS we have a
computer lab in the media center, two sets of lap
tops for check out and 10-12 computers in the
living rooms of each house. Classrooms are
set up with a computer, projector and document
camera. Additionally, we have a SmartBoard in
the art room.
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I asked my student intern what she would want out
of this kind of presentation. Well cover
projects, displays, etc, but she worries about
classroom management
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• So I say
• plan, plan, plan in three areas
• 1. Curriculum
• Sequence
• Age appropriate
• Build on prior learning
• Relevance to lives
• Creating meaning

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• 2. Organization
• Space- ease of safe movement, changeable for
  variety of activity needs
• Materials- accessible, labeled, in a location
  that makes sense
• Routines- established for passing out materials,
  clean up, etc

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• 3. Discipline
• Involve the students!
• Develop a community of learners
• Establish expectations
• Clear consequences
• Follow through consistently and fairly
• Use choices technique to refocus, end
  disruption, etc
• Find a way to reward positives
• Compliment specifically, not generally
• Address and label behaviors not students
• Reinforce safe, respectful and responsible
  behaviors
• Recognize that some students are beyond your
  ability (not your desire) to help/change ASK
  for help! Remember that you also have a
  responsibility to the other members of the class.
• Develop authentic and meaningful experiences that
  engage the students.

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• Classes are RRMS are 43 minutes in
• length and meet everyday.
• 6th grade classes are for 9 weeks (quarter)
• and offered on a wheel with drama, music
• and literature exploration.
• 7th and 8th classes are for 18 weeks (semester).
• Each student is required 18 weeks of a world
• language as well as 18 weeks of PE/Health.
• They may choose two other semester related
• arts classes from drama, journalism, leadership,
• percussion or visual art.
• OR they may choose a year long class of band
• or choir. (Yes that means I could have a 2nd
  semester 8th grader
• who hasnt had art since 1st quarter of 6th
  grade!)

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• 6th grade artists focus on the Elements and
  Principles. They work in a variety of media and
  are exposed to various cultures and artists.
• Why?
• No elementary instruction
• Come with varied experiences
• To lay foundations

students working with manipulatives for Elements
to create the Principles
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Looks of observational work. Here students
make progressive contour drawings of fruit as
they eat it. Watercolors are then added using
complementary colors.
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Students complete a photography lesson at home
that complements our in class study of the
Elements of Art.
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Exploring the Elements with a variety of media.
Styrofoam print, patterned hands in color scheme,
radial namedesign
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cut outs of gesture drawing on splattered backgrou
nd, tooled foil over glue plate from printing
project, scratchboard emphasizing texture, glue
line printed and oil pastels added with values in
mind
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Color wheels explored through interesting
subjects.
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Landscapes explored with tempera paint.
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7th grade art experiences chould probably be
aptly titled Its all about me! Self-portraits
are a major focus for them.
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Contour drawings from observation, on
mirrors, with white crayon on white paper
(revealed with water color!)
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In pencil realistically, expressive with
oil pastels, contour with Op Art
backgrounds, monotype prints (using acetate and
water soluble markers)
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Linoleum prints using their bedrooms and
themselves as subject matter.
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Contour with Op background foil relief (students
developed images of objects to represent
themselves and their interests to include)
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Plaster infused gauze over recycled objects to
create something off of their personal list
(likes, dislikes, annoyances, etc)
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Student bedroom in acrylic
Students laid the used acetate from monotypes
over drawing of their favorite place or activity
in these double self- portraits.
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At all grade levels we strive to think and work
as artists. 8th graders are pushed to think
beyond themselves (since their egocentric ways
are developmentally appropriate during
adolescence!!)
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Students viewing PowerPoint of Hurricane Katrina
sent from a school in Louisiana.
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Students responded visually to this disaster.
Color copies were sent to an elementary school in
Georgia to mat and embellish before being sent on
to an elementary school in Louisiana.
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Tribute Tins shameless plug session on this
is Thursday 730-755 pm
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Personal explorations are important. All Boxed
In is an assemblage work about themselves.
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Altered books explore a variety of themes
and media. Especially motivating when we use
old textbooks!
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Exploring their environment from observation
in pencil and watercolor.
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Ordinary objects in a variety of
media. Exploring perspective and color in a
surreal fashion.
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These self-portraits also explore
pattern, positive/negative space and value.
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These mixed media self-portraits started
with Xerox copy transfers from their original
pencil drawings.
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This self-portrait emphasizing pattern is
drawn on a student created scratchboard, then
cut apart and re-assembled to create a relief.
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Always fun and motivating are these Surreal montag
es using magazine images.
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Students working on gesture drawing in the gym
during the Physical Education classes.
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BIG IDEAS blatant plug session on this is
Saturday 700 -750 pm
Students generate art about what they think is
important.
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Students created this work to increase awareness
about skin cancer. They soldered a coffin shaped
tanning bed and added a burnt Barbie and even
installed lights under the Plexiglas that they
made opaque.
These students wanted to show that the music of
Indy (Independent) groups- represented by the
clay radio on the bottom- was being squelched
by corporate radio represented by the one on
top - which they actually had playing Elvis
Costellos Radio Radio.
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• As artists we strive to use our
• work to connect with the community
• Arts in Action
• Collaborative Sculptures
• Interdisciplinary activities
• school mascot
• on going displays at
• City Hall, Portland Airport,
• local Starbucks, Oregon
• Department of Education
• and other venues

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Art Club has two sessions. One meets on Tuesday
afternoons for 1 ½ hours and the other on
Wednesday mornings for 1 hour. Students can
work on personal projects or collaborative works.
They have been painting 4 coyotes (mascot) as
well as boards to be mounted on our new driveway
fence.
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ARTS IN ACTION is an annual community
participation event. Each year the activities
change and encourage getting involved rather than
being a passive viewer.

• Cultural food
• Art scavenger hunt

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One of 4 art making centers, color copies of
student work in clear pockets, creators were
encouraged to add to the display.
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• Badminton in the gym
• Rosemont Idol karaoke
• competition
• long line for this event

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9 wooden coyotes were painted in the style of
artists and sold. All monies benefit all of the
Related Arts classes offered at RRMS.
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• Art making station
• student work on display
• mine in the Café Coyote

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The chairity auction is always a popular event
at Arts in Action. Each grade level
participates in a unique way.
Local artist and furniture creator shares his
work and process with the classes.
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6th graders create miniature artist inspired
chairs in clay.
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Small papier mache creations by 7th graders
utilizing a pun, idiom or play on words.
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8th grade artists transform actual chairs into
works of art. Some are functional, many are not.
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In celebration of International Peace Day,
students create awareness by participating in the
Pinwheels for Peace project. Connections were
also made in the classrooms with discussions
regarding peaceful resolution with classmates,
etc. Many other classes in the building
also joined in and participated.
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Each year 8th grade artists create a sculpture to
install at the school and leave as a
legacy. Using donated sine wood (it is too hard
to nail), students each painted one with a
pattern using complementary colors on one side
and a quote on the other. They decided how to
stack them for display.
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Using plastic medical slide holders from the
local recycling store, students painted personal
symbols on acetate, then strung them together
with wire and beads.
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Students each created a piece of this metal
quilt. Subjects included stylized animals,
landscapes or non-objective. It was shown at the
Mary S. Young Park Arts Festival before being
installed. A smaller version is installed
at West Linn City Hall as a thank you to the WL
Arts Commission who helped fund the project.
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Above being an example of what a middle schooler
produces when asked to create a relief tile
? Left tiles representing words of character
installed over the water drinking fountains
around school.
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• In my free time I
• am on the Oregon Art Education Association board
  as Youth Art Month Chair for 6 years and now as
  Middle Level Representative
• work as a visiting artist
• attend my kids sporting
• events
• create my own work
• With thanks for your time
• Please visit our web site www.rrms.wlwv.k12.or.us/
  kielingl/artindex.htm
• Feel free to contact me anytime
  kielingl_at_wlwv.k12.or.us