Where We’re Going in 2020
As the year comes to a close I’ve been reflecting on my business. Thinking about how it started 8 years ago, where it is now, and where I want it to go. I started The Unstandardized Standard while I was teaching 9-12 grade art in the public school system. I loved my students but was growing […]
How to Help Students Take Ownership of Their Work
When I first started teaching I would dread the end of each marking period. Suddenly student after student would be asking for extra credit and wanting to know why I gave them a ” C”. Then reports cards would go home, and I’d receive angry parent emails wondering how in the world their child got […]
What to do When Students Request a Recommendation Letter
The first time that a student comes to you and asks you to write a recommendation letter can feel a bit overwhelming. You know that writing a quality recommendation letter is important to the student, and you want to provide them with a good letter. As the requests for recommendation letters start pouring in, it […]
How to Help Students Take Ownership of Their Work
While I love teaching art for the sake of time spent creating, I love it even more because of the power that art has. When teaching art, one of my goals is to help students to learn how to communicate, helping them to understand that art is a language. The other thing that I want […]
Who is Amber Kane
When people ask me what do I do… my first thought is… it’s complicated… you won’t understand. I’m pretty sure that most people in my neighborhood think that I don’t work and instead think that I just wander around with my dogs all day, and occasionally sit in the backyard on my computer. Art Teacher: […]
Sketchbook Prompts form Portrait Artist of the Year
I started watching Portrait Artist of the Year 2018 on Youtube. As I’m watching, I’ve been writing a few questions/prompts related to each episode. This could be a great activity for days that you have a sub, or for students to work on when they finish early. I always recommend that you preview the videos […]
DIY Sketchbook
Most artists will agree that having a sketchbook is important. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on a fancy sketchbook. In fact, I often find the cheaper the better as you’re less worried about making mistakes and wasting money. One of the easiest ways to create your own is to […]
5 Art Lessons to Help Students Explore
The Art Assignment is a great tool to give your students some guidance while also allowing for a lot of choice and differentiation. Below are some of my favorite assignments to share with students. I usually share these 5 with a class and allow students to choose from them. Narrowing it down to 5 helps […]
How Art and Science Go Together
If you have a love for both science and art, learning about art conversation might interest you. Art conservation is a combination of Art History, Studio Art, and Chemistry. Art History: Works to understand where is the work from? Who made it and how was it made? Studio Art: Has the skills to work […]
Fun Ways to Teach Art History
One thing that I’ve always loved about teaching AP Art History is coming up with assignments that are fun for students to complete, that help them to remember information, and help them to see how things connect to each other. For the Art Tree of Influence assignment, students explore how artists influence each other throughout […]