Trenton Board of Education Wood Scrap for Learning Professional Development with Triada Samaras

Welcome to:

Wood Scrap Art for Learning Professional Development Workshop 

Trenton Board of Education  12/10/2025

w/ Joanne Sung and Robert Keyes and Michelle Marigliano

Triada Samaras MA / MFA

Master Level Teaching Artist

Triada Samaras | Young Audiences

To Teachers: This reflection follows our three-part journey. It should take about 10–12 minutes—thank you for helping me document our process!

Google Forms Link

Day One:  Loose Parts:  Building growing structures/sculptures without glue.  Imagining/Thinking about trees and their natural growth patterns from the earth to upwards in the air and sky.  Finding ways to use the wood scrap to grow taller and higher. Critiquing creations using appropriate tools of words and analysis.  Writing poems.  Using the sculptures to evoke words and then creating free form poetry.  Drawing the structures/sculptures. From 3D to 2D.  Discussing classroom applications for various settings: the how and why.  Taking wood back to classroom to use with students. To be continued...

Many thanks to Laurie at Caseys Wood!

Day Two:  Theme:  A Sense of Place. Color Theory, Color Application, Attaching with Glue to Create Permanent Sculptures, Critique.  Building a place using paint sticks and glue.  Critiquing creations using appropriate tools of words and analysis.   Discussing practical classroom applications for various settings: the how and why.  Taking the wood and paint sticks back to classroom to use with students. 

For Teachers:  Learn Color Theory | Watercolor 101 with Sarah Cray of Let's Make Art 

Color Wheel was discovered Isaac Newton.

Primary Colors, Secondary Colors, Complimentary Colors, Tertiary Colors, Analogous Colors

Printing Colors:  Magenta Cyan and Yellow

To be continued...

Day Three:  Theme:  A Specific Place. Examples could include: A School. A Town, A Revival Spot.  Teachers Choose together.

Using floor plans and ideas about specific sites to inspire our use of wood scrap today working in self-selected teacher groups (2-3 people).

Additional materials used: colored paper, written labels, glue and

cardboard cut by teachers to create their site.

Critiquing creations using appropriate tools of words and analysis.   Discussing practical classroom applications for various settings: the how and why. Considering the overall framework for use with students. Final goodbyes and questionnaire time.

Goodbye for now! 

Professor Samaras

Hamilton Township Professional Development Workshops with Triada Samaras: AI for the Art Classroom

Professional Development Workshops

Hamilton Township Schools  11/4/2025

w/ Kerri Sullivan and Michelle Marigliano

and 

Triada Samaras MA / MFA

Master Level Teaching Artist

Triada Samaras | Young Audiences 

Email:  triadasamaras@gmail.com

Web:  Arts Educator - TRIADA SAMARAS

In this introduction to Google Gemini led by Professor Samaras for Hamilton Township Art Teachers Grades 6-12, teachers explored the combination of the use of handmade art together with the use of Gemini to first explore analysis and critique. Authentic human creativity and artmaking were stressed with Gemini envisioned for arts students as a "creative consultant."

In addition, teachers discussed copyright and ethical issues such as bias/discrimination and the concept of Gemini as "co-creator" implicit in the use of Gemini in the classroom or elsewhere. Teachers also learned the importance of prompt engineering as well as skillful conversating with Gemini to achieve desired results.

Teachers used Gemini to locate their original drawing within an art historical time frame and artist stylistic tradition as stimuli for more analysis and critique for their drawings. The Elements of Art and The Principles of Design were included in these discussions as well as the NJ Standards for Visual Arts as well as the ISTE Standards for Technology Teaching and Learning.

Finally, teachers had an opportunity to explore some of the ways Gemini can help them prepare art lessons, writing assignments, quizzes, vocabulary lists and more quickly to make teacher preparation easier in many art lessons.

Hamilton Township Professional Development Workshops with Triada Samaras: Wood Scrap Sculpture for Learning

Welcome to:

Professional Development Workshops

Hamilton Township Schools  11/4/2025

w/ Kerri Sullivan and Michelle Marigliano

and

Triada Samaras MA / MFA

Master Level Teaching Artist

Triada Samaras | Young Audiences 

Email:  triadasamaras@gmail.com

Web:  Arts Educator - TRIADA SAMARAS

Wood Scrap Sculpture for Learning

In this workshop we created structures, sculptures, drawings, poems, titles and held critiques. We discussed using the wood as a creative play material as well as using gluing techniques allowing young children to attach the wood pieces permanently.   We found many integrations between wood scrap play and other content areas especially literacy.  Each teacher left this workshop with a bag of wood for their classroom.

Many thanks to Laurie at Caseys Wood!