WHAT IS GOOB CLUB?

"If your child mentions goob, don't fret. They are not just playing; they are having fun learning." - Miss Tracey Stewart 

Part I ~ The History of Goob:

One day, a student in Mrs. LeBlanc's multiage 1/2 class was experimenting with oil pastels on construction paper. In her attempt to do her best, she tried to erase what she felt was an error. Lo and behold, "goob" emerged on the end of her eraser. In her excitement over this discovery, she shared this new art medium with a classmate who was equally enticed by this strange and unique substance. In the few remaining moments, they worked very hard to get a pea-sized amount of what they had labeled "goob."

The next time goob emerged was during the abstract animal art project. Unfortunately, Miss Tracey did not know what goob was and threw it away. After being consoled, the child who had made the goob demonstrated the process of creating it. Miss Tracey immediately saw meaningful elements of art on the "goob working surface" and took advantage of this teachable moment. Miss Tracey and the student developed a plan that allowed the child to continue making goob, but with a more appropriate goal, one that focused on the elements of art.
  
The process of making goob meets the physical and emotional needs of diverse learners in many ways. Goob entices the tactile and kinesthetic learners, as students can feel the oily residue that collects on their fingertips as they work. This is still extremely important to most learners at the first and second grade level, as to many older students (and even many adults!) to help them stay engaged in learning. Goob-making has a visual asthetic appeal as the children discover how to compare and contrast colors through blending, layering, and pattern development. Although this is mainly an artistic view, there is some geometric and pre-algebra thought that can be incorporated into this manner of working. Additionally, discussions emerge between students during goob work that encourage analytical thinking, problem solving, and cooperative or collaborative modes of interaction. Student-driven and teacher-facilitated work engages children in the appropriate modes of sharing, listening, and compromising, as well as in stimulating critical and analytical inquiry techniques.

Students asked:

"What will happen if I do this with the oil pastel?"
"How will using the tip of the pencil instead of the eraser affect how much goob I can make?"
"What can we make with goob, and how can we make it look like more than it is?"
"Should we mix the goob colors or make colored patterns with them?"
"How can we decide which way is best?"


Part II ~ "The Goob Clubs":

Suddenly, a flock of students wanted to make goob whenever there was open art studio after a curriculum activity. The original student who discovered goob and the student she taught decided to start a "goob club," and a few more joined the circle. The founding ladies of the goob club explained, with Miss Tracey's encouragement, that it was a requirement that they had to make a big collage because this was art class.

Meanwhile, a few boys wanting their own club began to make goob working surfaces in their open sketchbooks as experimentation, but they did not collect the goob. They made many patterns, lines, and shapes with oil pastels but with no real focus. Although all involved enjoyed the process of goob art, they were only doing it for a few minutes at the end of art class, and the production was too small for the number of students involved. It was time to unite the world of goob and collaborate for purposeful art and collaborative student achievement. The focus was still the creation of a collaborative piece, but the equal contribution of work input and ideas needed more focus.
 

Part III ~ The Goob Saga continues:

The multiage 1/2 classes are deep into a painting project that requires one-on-one instruction from Miss Brooks. Therefore, an extended open-studio time, facilitated by Miss Tracey, engaged students not working directly with Miss Brooks. The choices were comic strips, watercolor painting, sketchbook, or a continuance of other unfinished work. Goob clubs took action and produced a lot of goob.

Our original clubs have grown from three girls in Goob Club #1 and three boys in Goob Club #2 to seven girls and two boys in #1 and four boys in #2! No longer is there gender segregation; now there are two separate collaborations of ideas. Goob Club  #1 drew their ideas on paper and still need to vote on a final collage layout, while Goob Club #2 has agreed that their theme is a skateboard park and have drawn a variety of extensive plans.
   
At the end of class, students were asked to share the "goob experience" and why making goob is an important lesson in art. The following is just a small portion of this closing dialog between Miss Brooks and the students.

Miss Brooks said, "Miss Tracey feels that making goob as a club is important. I noticed that many of you either joined one of the goob clubs or continued with your club. Why do you think that Miss Tracey feels it is such an important lesson?"

Student Responses:  

"It is important to work together to make something really nice."
"Art is not about playing. It needs a reason, or it is playing."
"Just making goob is playing, but using goob to make a collage is art."
"The collage is art made by all of us. The goob helps us make art."
"If only one person makes goob, there won't be enough goob for the collage. If we all work together, we can do it."

So there you have it, the history of goob and how it is progressing into a collaborative art piece by the hands of wonderful children who not only care about art and having fun but care about each other as well.
How far it will go is uncertain due to curriculum plans and time constraints, but the lessons learned are invaluable. Most importantly to Miss Tracey, it is student-created and teacher-guided for success. The self-esteem of all club members is at an all-time high because it is their project.

Surely, there will be one or two collages that come out of it, but more significant are the lessons in social etiquette and community contributing, working collaboratively towards a common goal, and voting democratically so that all voices are heard. So if your child mentions goob, don't fret. They are not just playing; they are having fun learning. Isn’t that just great? Only time will tell how far the original art form of goob will go!  Stay tuned for future developments from the LeBlanc Goob Clubs!

- Miss Tracey Stewart

Posted at 7:23 AM| Permalink

The 5th-Grade TOTEM PROJECT

Integrating Social Studies, Math, Science, Studio Art, Group Collaboration, and Community Contribution

The 5th graders are creating a ceramic totem structure in honor of MPI's "100 Years in Manoa" celebration.  Totems are symbols that represent traditional cultural ideas and beliefs.  The students have studied Native American totems and used what they learned from that study to create their own totems to represent MPI.  During classroom discussions, students explained why they felt their symbols should be included on the totem structure.
   
Miss Tracey offered her ceramics expertise to lead the project so that students can build on a large scale. It was decided that the totem structure would be made of clay and would stand about six feet. A tiered structure was agreed upon as the best way to allow the maximum number of the students' symbols to be included.
   
Further discussion led to the idea of a community space to hold the totem structure. Students viewed and discussed the spatial and weathering aspects of the triangular space adjacent to Mr. Black's classroom. They wrote down their ideas, and many drew pictures of how the space might look. It was clear that such a space would be very significant to the fifth graders, and this area is being considered as the permanent place of residence for the totem structure.  

The students used ratio, scale, circumference, and diameter as they explored on paper how to build the totem structure. A "blueprint" of the tiers and overall height of the structure were mapped.  Some students used string and rulers, while others used a roll of toilet paper, string, and a ruler. Using the toilet paper was such a hit that these students are looking forward to trying it out with the rest of the class to see how much more there is to discover. The main focus here was for students to use their math measurement skills to make a lifesized two-dimensional blueprint of the totem structure.

Next, the students were introduced to Big White, the clay that will be used for the structure. Big White is different from Terra Cotta, the clay they used to make their totems. After some hands-on work and some discussions, most students agreed that Big White was the better choice for a large sculpture because of its high moisture and particular grog (sand and other geologic substrates) content, as well as its seemingly lower cracking tendency when manipulated for a long period of time.

Finally, the students completed an assignment in which they voted for 1) a name for the totem structure, 2) the totems to be included on the structure, 3) the focal point, or "topper," for the structure, and 4) the theme order of the structure's tiers, with the overall theme being the fifth grade class's celebration of MPI's 100 years in Manoa.

Analysis of the preliminary choices indicated that the majority of the totems should be used because at least one, if not many, students provided well thought-out reasons for their inclusion. The students decided that the remaining totems should not be included because they did not have a significant enough link with MPI.

The students voted again, this time while looking at three samples of a finished totem structure. Structures A and B had a Hawaiian theme with variance in tier-order only, while Structure C had more of a global theme.
The final vote from the combined two fifth-grade classes resulted in a tie between the two Hawaiian-themed totem structures. The number of totems made for each theme will determine the final order of the themed tiers. The four themed tiers will be 1) Hawai‘i, 2) Education, 3) Sports and Health, and 4) Nature with Life-Cycle Processes. The structure's name will be Class of 2008, and the topper will be the Pueo.

The Wet Clay Work Begins!

The first week of February was used to review clay properties, proper handing of clay, and proper clay-wedging techniques, and to introduce new tools specific to large-clay sculpting. Clay slip was made. The students loved the feel of the clay slip as they squeezed it through their fingers to mix the semi-solid with a liquid. Good clay slip is essential for the work the students will be doing, so they will all have the opportunity to make slip before this project is complete. A mechanical clay slab roller was also used by many students.

The fifth-grade classes spent the second week of February wedging and rolling out clay, making measurment templates and double-checking their measurements with rulers as they worked though 100 pounds of clay in two days. Next week they will continue this work and begin to join pieces together. This is a long, labor- intensive endeavor, and the spirits of the children are enough to motivate anyone. It is very evident that they are completely focused and dedicated to completing this work to the best of their ability.

Students are working in shifts on this project. Instead of pieces being made individually, each piece is a continuation of another student's work. In this way, the finished structure will truly be a collaboration by all hands. The goal is to complete the wet work in unfired clay by spring break to allow for two weeks of drying time before bisque-firing right after spring break. Glazing of the fired bisque is scheduled for early April if all goes as planned.   

The fifth grade has come together as a community to achieve the common goal of successfully completing the totem structure project. 
Stay tuned for more news on the project! It is sure to be great!

Posted at 4:33 PM| Permalink

Self-Portraits on Display in Kahala Mall!

Please come and view the hard work of our Elementary students!
February 17th - 24th, 2008.

Posted at 3:35 PM| Permalink