TIP: Set up the artist station with pride.
We want the artist and the class as a whole to know this is a sacred position, and we treat it that way!  Position your artist in a top-secret location (usually at the back of the room) so that they can see the board and what is happening, but no one can see what they're working on.  A great artist station usually requires a bit of an investment - I highly recommend using a large easel with a flip chart pad or white butcher paper.  This encourages the artist to create large and dynamic artwork visible to the entire class.

TIP: ONLY provide markers.
Crayons are okay, but makers seem to result in the most dynamic pictures while still remaining simple and straightforward.  Colored pencils are a no-no!  They break, need to be sharpened creating noise and shavings, and tend to result in students adding more details/shading/finesse than is effective for simultaneous creation/drawing.  They also don't cover large areas quickly and boldly (note that crayons also have many of these same issues).  Markers avoid these drawbacks and send a message that we're really not here for the details or finesse of fine artistry.

Choose artists that can listen and draw at the same time.
You'll be trusting your students to let you know if they can do this.  For the first story, use your intuition to choose an engaged and responsible student.  When something has to give, it's going to be the input that's lost because students REALLY want to make a great image for the class (see the tips about having an assistant and putting the scribe next to your artist).  You'll get a better feel for who your effective artists are as you go - they will likely be quick processors that don't need to hear the input as often in order to keep up with the class and who are confident readers, making up for some of the input they miss when everyone else is listening.  They may also be students who are better processors when they're drawing anyway and can quickly and effectively add details from the class and then go back to listening.  I would avoid putting artists in an uncomfortable position during the process - if they're not getting the input anymore but creating great work, one story isn't a huge loss - especially if you wrap it up with discussing the artwork and writing an accompanying text.  However, MANY stories over time or even two in a row would be a huge loss, so be sure to pay special attention to new artists during your formative assessment of comprehension for that story.

TIP: Give your artist an assistant.
I do like to designate the "lead" artist in order to make final decisions, but a second artist working on the main artwork can be very helpful in generating ideas quickly, listening for when the story moves on and new details/adjustments, checking to make sure the artist isn't adding any details that haven't been discussed, getting the teacher's attention or checking with the scribe (see the next tip) to clarify what the artwork should show, grabbing markers, keeping the artist on track to finish the art along with the story, and simultaneously adding details so that the artwork comes together faster.  You may want to put a list of these suggested jobs at the art station so your assistant knows how to best support the lead artist.

TIP: Position your class scribe(s) next to your artist(s).
There will inevitably be times that the artist needs to double check that their art is accurately representing what is being discussed with the class.  By putting the scribe (A person who writes down notes in English about the character/story) next to the artist, they can quickly check in with each other to make sure the art is accurate on track to be completed when the class is done creating it.

TIP: Start with One Word Images.
One Word Images can be very simple yet very engaging - meaning they are a great place to start norming your class.  Since we all have new students each year who have not experienced Comprehensible Input and story creation, this is a great opportunity to teach students "the game" and set the tone for the class.  They are also a launchpad for future stories, so I take time to create at least a few characters at the beginning of the year with each level.  For higher level classes, you can subtlety refresh their memory of vocabulary and grammar before moving into new content, especially if students aren't used to CI instruction.  When it comes to artists, OWI's are perfect because students are only responsible for one image and one subject in that image: the character.  Background information might get mentioned, but that's exactly where it belongs - in the background, perhaps as a symbol or maybe not even at all.  Simplicity is key when first teaching students how to create these images.

TIP: Provide Instructions and exemplars, select the artist, and give tips
There are many ways to provide examples.  One of the best ways is to simply have them around the room as decor - this creates an inviting place where students are already generating questions in their heads about these characters on the walls - "What are they?  What is going on with them?  Why are they here?  Is our teacher crazy?  Let's find out!".  Tina Hargaden has a great script for introducing characters/creating.  Once you've given the students the idea of what will be happening, it's time to select an artist.  Before doing so, be sure they knew the particular details of this job - you might say something like this:

Once you've done that, you're ready to choose a main artist for your story and perhaps a 1-2 secondary artists for later stories.  Give them the following tips in front of the class so that other prospective artists know the criteria:

• Only draw what the class adds - Our character is going to be very special and not like normal objects or characters.
• Fill the space!  The character should be the center of attention in the foreground and be big and bold.
• Draw quickly and skillfully - you have to keep up with the story so that we can show the class the character when we're done.
• Represent size with comparisons - The character should be large, front, and center.  If the character is not normal sized, you can draw a magnifying glass around it or a ruler next to it to show that it's small or another item next to it like a house or elephant to show that it's bigger than those objects.  We might even say what object to put next to it.
• Use color! - but only after we decide what colors and patterns.
• Use symbolism - we know what the picture is about, so don't worry about communicating every detail.  Just help reminds us about the details by adding a basic detail or symbol into the picture
• If you're not sure how to proceed, ask a question (see next tip).  However, don't add new details - just clarify items that have been discussed (What color...?  How big...? etc.)
• If you have time, add details that enhance, but don't change the ones provided by the class.  Make the picture fun!

TIP: Allow your artist to ask clarifying details, but not add new details
Sometimes we will have a great artist that knows when clarifying a detail further will greatly enhance the image.  These also provide for additional input with the same detail.  However, artists can quickly take control over and derail a story if they're asking about new details that you either haven't asked about yet OR you simply cannot ask about those details for whatever reason.  Be sure to invite clarifying questions (how many spots, how big are the spots, what color are the eyes, etc.) but also know when curb these questions with either your own answer, telling the artist it's their decision, or sending the subtle message that those aren't details that need to be added at this time with a simple "I don't know".  If your artist doesn't get the message after one or two of those questions, you may consider meeting with them privately after class or choosing another artist.

TIP: Create your character IN ORDER and coach your artist the first few times in English
Called "Question Group A" by Tina Hargaden and Ben Slavic, asking for these basic details in every story isn't optional and doing so in this order helps set the artist up for success.  Each is also aligned with what the artist should draw.  During the first few stories, I establish each detail and then tell the artist in English (remember, you are also "coaching" prospective artists) what should go on the paper.  This also provides students a quick formative evaluation as the confirm that they understood what you were creating when you tell the artist to draw - you may even have the class fill in the details in English:

1. Object - "Artist, please draw an outline of our ______, but don't add anything else until I tell you."
2. Size - "Artist, please show that our [object] is [size] by..."
3. Color - "Artist, please color our [object] [color description]."
4. Emotion - "Artist, please draw a face on our [object] that shows it is [emotion]."
5. Name - "Artist, please add the name [name] to our character."
6. "Artist, we're going to finish talking about one more thing while you finish drawing [name].  You don't have to add any more details except for the ones we just talked about." In English, establish why the object is feeling the way it is and then review the entire character in the target language.

TIP: Give your artists a cheat sheet.
This one is entirely optional, but I'm planning on trying it out this year.  If I give my artist a basic list of the details I plan on asking then they can anticipate what should/shouldn't be drawn.  When we move to stories (including super mini stories), I can also use the cheat sheet to show artists how to lay out the stories and what goes in each box.  Here are the cheat sheets I plan on using this year.

TIP: Make a big deal out of the reveal.
This is the magical moment!  Don't let anyone see the art until you show it to the entire class at once.  Ham it up.  Then, once you unveil it, ooh and aww.  Take this moment to talk about the art and admire it - lots of opportunities for repeating the details you discussed!  Let the art guide the discussion.

TIP: Display artwork on the wall.
Once you're done with your art, display it proudly!  There's not a lot of room for these, but I hope to have 1-2 images displayed per class each year.  I'm thinking I'll simply layer new images over the old, allowing me to flip back to old images at my convenience.

TIP: After the first story, try out multiple artists at once
I steer away from doing this the first time as I want to really focus attention on the input and the process rather than having a lot of different students more excited about getting to do art than the actual input/creation process.  However, once I'm confident that the class is in on the "game", I audition an additional 1-2 artists each story in order to find my best class artists quickly.  You'll want to limit the number of artists you are auditioning at once - having a small number allows you to pay more attention to whether your artists are still with you while you are providing input (not all artists can do this) as well as gives you a chance to process all of the art with the class afterward.  If there is anyone who really insists they would be a great artist, I let them know I can only keep track of a few people at a time, but I would love to see their art - why don't you draw a picture outside of class to show me?  I'll also make sure to invite them to be the main or secondary artist during class time next in an upcoming story.  I ensure that my main artist with the butcher paper is one I can count on to create dynamic pictures, but it doesn't really matter how "good" the secondary artists are.  Sometimes there's a lot of fun in processing what can sometimes be "abstract" art with pride!  As long as I have great class buy in, this can also be an opportunity to send a powerful message about celebrating and valuing everyone's contributions while still ensuring that the main artwork fits the particular "style" you need ass a teacher. (I do have two mini-easels to make these artists feel special as well, although not really necessary.)

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How do you prepare your class artists and use their work?  Which of these tips do you find most helpful?  Are there any you disagree with?  I would love to hear your thoughts!

Also, don't forget to check out CI Liftoff and ask Tina Hargaden about The Bite Size Book of Student Artists for more information!

I got a new toy this year when I learned that my new district provides us unlimited Google Drive space and access to Google Classroom (note: Google Classroom is something your "organization" must provide access to, both for you and your students).  Prior to this year, I'd never used Google Classroom.  To be honest, it really wasn't on my radar.  However, the district's new teacher orientation put it front and center when they used it to teach use, and I knew I could use it in my own classroom.  I'm feeling pretty happy about it now and I've barely even scratched the surface!  Here's how I'm using it thus far:

If you've never used Google Classroom before, the best way I had it explained to me is that you have all of your files in your Google Drive (like your "My Documents" folder on your computer).  Google Classroom is how you share those files with your students and how they interact with them.  You can make announcements, create assignments, distribute handouts, host discussions, complete quizzes, and a host of other activities in your classroom.

If you're new to Google Classroom, I recommend creating a "test" classroom and playing around with it before you launch it with your students.  Click buttons, create things, delete and edit them, etc.  That's the best way to get to know the lay-of-the-land.

Your "Stream" is like your home page.  This is where new posts appear (assignments, questions you pose to the class, and announcements).  While you cannot create an announcement and instantly post it to all of your classes (I have separate classrooms for each class), you can "re-use" a post from another class.  You create these posts by clicking the "+" sign on the bottom right-hand corner.  Other things that appear here are Topics that you've assigned to various posts (like blog post categories), items that are due soon, and any comments that people make on the posts.  Remember that the "Stream" tab organizes posts by date - old information will move down while new information will appear at the top.  Anything that you want to "park" in one location for the entire course should go under the "About" tab.

The second tab is "Students".  Here, you can get the class code for students to join your classroom (they do so by going to classroom.google.com, logging in, and clicking the "+" sign, then entering your code).  You can see the students who have "joined" your class and send them an email (click the three dots on the row with their name).  You can also set posting and commenting permissions for the entire class (drop down arrow at the top-right) as well as remove, email, and "mute" selected students (check the names you want, then click the "Actions" button near the top).  I haven't played around much with the "invite guardians" button, but I've been told that the email has to be exact - if you're copying and pasting, be sure not to include any spaces before or after the email

Finally, there's the "About" tab.  This is for anything you want to have in one place during the entire course.  Edit your course description, see where the folder is with any class-specific documents (this is automatically created for you), and you can see the calendar of due dates (I need to play around with the calendar more).  For me, the most important item is the "Add class materials" box.  Here, I can park any information that I want my students to be able to access at any time.  Like the "Stream", new boxes are added at the top of the screen, so if you want your sections of materials to appear in a specific order, be sure to add the sections you want to appear on the bottom first and create the sections you want to appear at the top last (I would love it if Google made it so you can re-organize this page without deleting and re-posting).  Each section can have multiple items added to it, but these are added to the bottom of the list - so add individual items in the order you want them to appear.  These can be file attachments (uploaded or linked from Google Drive), media, or links.  My About tab currently has the following materials:

• Course Information (section)
  • Link to lesson plan outlines (link)
  • Grading rubrics (Google Drive file)
  • Course expectations and Syllabus (Google Drive file)
• Make up and extra credit
  • Link to Make Up Work form (created via Google Forms)
  • Link to Extra Credit form (created via Google Forms)
• Study Resources
  • Class Stories (I link to blog, but you could use a Google Drive document that you update with each story - I recommend typing the story at the top so the most recent story appears first)
  • Quizlet Flashcards (link to the class's personalized set with their vocabulary)
  • Handouts and Notes (link to a page on my external student website, although you could create a section with links directly to the files OR to a shared Google Drive folder, which is what I will likely do in the future)
  • Songs in Spanish (link to a page on my external student website with music videos for Spanish class)
• Señor Wooly Website with the class code
  • Link to SeñorWooly.com

I'll finish with an explanation of how I use this every day with my students:

1. Any assignments students have to do outside of class are posted in the Stream.  They get notifications in their classroom (and on their device if they install the app!) about anything that is new as well as reminders about upcoming due dates.
2. I post any announcements in the classroom, such as when grades are updated or if I need to remind my students about something.  Again, students get these notifications in their Google Classroom dashboard as well as device notifications from the app.
3. Students who are absent or who want extra credit use the make-up form to submit the work (see my student website for more information).
4. Students communicate with me by posting comments on anything that they need help with.  There are public as well as private comments.
5. Students have instant access to their class stories, which I create embedded readings for as well as audio recordings and include the artist's drawing.  Our evolving class library is now in their hands!
6. When I assign something, students can submit work directly in the Google Classroom.  Perhaps you want them to do a free-write and submit it electronically?  They can type it or write/take a picture of it, and then attach the document or photo to the assignment and turn it in.  You can create a Google Form that automatically grades the questions or simply organizes them for you to review their answers.  You can leave feedback on the assignments and it allows you to collaborate - you can set assignments so that students can only View the assignment, all students can collaborate on the same assignment, or each student gets their own copy of the assignment to work on and submit.  I'm very excited to experiment with more ways to use these options...

There are so many possibilities with this kind of technology.  I cannot wait to explore more, and I'm lucky to have a Google Classroom expert in my building.  I would love to hear your ideas as well and will continue to post more as they evolve!