Ready to Create: Accessible Drawing Tools for Every Artist
Tiffany Shadden
ID-4075
School Name:Palmetto Elementary
Grant Request Grade:K-5
Grant Request Subject:Art
Additional Details
The goal of this project is to make drawing materials more accessible and ready to use for every student who comes into my art room. With approximately 600 K–5 students sharing supplies, pencils and colored pencils are some of our most-used materials. I want students to have reliable pencils, sharpening options throughout the room, and drawing tools that meet a variety of student needs. Most importantly, I want to reduce time spent waiting in line to sharpen pencils so that our limited art time can be spent actually creating.
Students will use graphite and colored pencils throughout the year for drawing, sketching, planning, shading, and completing finished artwork. These are basic tools that we use across nearly every grade level and art unit.
This project will also help me create multiple sharpening stations throughout the art room. Small electric sharpeners will be available at student tables so students can take care of their own materials without getting up and waiting in line at one classroom sharpener. Larger electric sharpeners will help handle the heavy daily use that comes with approximately 600 students sharing an art room.
An important part of my classroom is teaching students to take ownership of their supplies and workspaces. I like putting students in charge of their own table supplies and stations so they learn how to use materials responsibly, keep their area organized, and solve small problems independently. Having sharpening options available at their tables gives students another opportunity to practice that responsibility and autonomy while taking care of the tools they use every day.
Students will also have access to different types of drawing tools. The larger triangular colored pencils are easier to hold and will provide another option for students who benefit from a larger, more comfortable grip. Additional colored pencils, including pink pencils that are currently very limited in our shared classroom sets, will give students more choices when creating their artwork.
One of the biggest benefits of this project is protecting instructional time. Art classes are limited, and something as simple as a line of students waiting for the pencil sharpener can quickly take away from the time we have to create. Providing sharpening options at individual tables will allow students to take care of their materials independently and get back to work.
This project also supports one of my goals for the art room: teaching students to take ownership of their supplies and workspaces. Students are responsible for helping manage their table supplies and stations, which gives them opportunities to practice independence, organization, responsibility, and care for shared materials. Having the tools they need available at their stations allows them to solve small problems on their own instead of always relying on the teacher.
These materials will also make our classroom more accessible. Not every student is most successful using the same tool. The larger triangular colored pencils provide an alternative for students who benefit from a larger, more comfortable grip, while different sharpening options make materials easier for students to manage independently.
Finally, these supplies will help keep our most frequently used art materials functional. I have already had two pencil sharpeners break this school year, which has shown me just how much use this equipment receives in an art room serving approximately 600 students. Having several sharpening options will help distribute that daily use instead of relying on one machine for every student.
Grant funding will be used to purchase graphite pencils, colored pencils, easy-to-hold triangular colored pencils, and several types of pencil sharpeners for the K–5 art room.
Nine small electric sharpeners will provide a sharpening option at student tables. This will reduce unnecessary movement and lines during class while also supporting our classroom station system. Students are taught to take responsibility for the supplies at their tables, keep their stations organized, and care for the materials they share. Giving students access to the tools they need at their own stations helps them practice those skills and work more independently.
Larger electric sharpeners will help handle the amount of daily use that comes with approximately 600 students sharing an art room. I have already had two sharpeners break this school year, so having multiple durable sharpening options will help distribute the workload and keep students working when one sharpener is occupied or unavailable. Handheld dual-hole sharpeners will provide an additional flexible option for students and different pencil sizes.
Funding will also provide pre-sharpened #2 pencils and classroom sets of colored pencils that students will use directly for drawing, sketching, planning, shading, and finished artwork. The triangular colored pencils provide a larger, easier-to-hold option for students who benefit from additional grip support.
Together, these materials will help students take greater ownership of their classroom supplies, work more independently, and have access to drawing tools that meet different needs. Most importantly, they will help protect our limited instructional time so students can spend more of art class actually creating.
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AFMAT Fully Automatic Electric Pencil Sharpeners — Qty. 3
