Boosting Student Confidence and Behavior with the Soft Serve Ice Cream Drawing
Using a simple soft serve ice cream drawing as a tool to improve student behavior might sound too good to be true, but it works wonders. By building drawing skills, we foster confidence in students, which leads to greater investment in their work. This buy-in results in focused, engaged, and well-behaved students in middle and high school art classrooms.
The Power of High Contrast Drawing: Soft Serve Ice Cream
One of my favorite lessons for teaching high contrast drawing is the Soft Serve Ice Cream Drawing. It’s a hit with students because it’s fun, simple, and uses affordable materials—just a white colored pencil and black construction paper. This exercise doesn’t just teach drawing; it builds skills and confidence that ripple throughout the classroom.
Here’s what this lesson does:
- Builds Skills: Helps students master the basics of high contrast drawing.
- Boosts Confidence: Achieving success in small steps motivates students to tackle bigger challenges.
- Creates a Positive Atmosphere: When students feel confident, they’re more engaged and exhibit better behavior.
- Encourages Excellence: Students feel a sense of pride in their work and are willing to tackle anything you set before them.
For more scaffolded lesson plans and projects like this, visit Mrs. T Fox’s Resource Store on TPT.
Fox’s Scaffolded Philosophy: Sequential Learning for Drawing Skills
In my classroom, I follow a scaffolded teaching approach that spans the semester. Here’s how the progression works:
- Visual Autobiography
- Line Drawing
- Drawing with Shapes
- Drawing with Negative Space
- Drawing with Value
- High Contrast Drawing (Reverse Value)
- Drawing with Color
The Soft Serve Ice Cream Drawing fits into the High Contrast Drawing Unit, which comes around week 13. By this time, students have built a strong foundation in line drawing, shapes, negative space, and value drawing. This sets them up for success in reverse value projects like the Soft Serve Ice Cream Drawing.
For step-by-step lessons and additional tools, check out Mrs. T Fox’s Online Courses.
Why High Contrast Drawing Works for Behavior Management
By the time we reach the high contrast unit, students are confident. They’ve developed strong observational skills and know how to add value with graphite pencils. Now, they’re ready to reverse the process and work with white pencils on black paper.
When I introduce this lesson, students are excited—no complaining, no sighs, and no hesitation. This level of confidence keeps them engaged and on task, which directly leads to better behavior in the classroom.
Pro tip: Confident students are less likely to act out. When they believe in their abilities, they’re more willing to focus and complete the task.
Starting with the Sphere
We begin the high contrast drawing unit with a sphere. This allows students to get familiar with the materials and understand how to build smooth transitions and crisp edges without erasing.
The sphere exercise is vital because it teaches students how to:
- Layer and blend values without overworking the paper.
- Master smooth transitions and edges.
This foundational exercise prepares them for more advanced projects like the Soft Serve Ice Cream Drawing.
Paper Size Matters
To ensure success, we start small. A 5×5-inch paper is far less intimidating than a larger piece, allowing students to focus on mastering the technique before tackling more significant projects.
Small, manageable exercises help students feel accomplished and ready to take on larger challenges. It’s about success, not perfection.
The Soft Serve Ice Cream Drawing
After completing the sphere, we move on to the Origami Fox Drawing as a mid-level practice exercise. Once students have mastered this, we dive into the final project: the Soft Serve Ice Cream Drawing.
This project is fun, visually appealing, and reinforces everything students have learned about smooth transitions, value, and reverse contrast. By the time we reach this project, students have built up their skills and confidence, making it a natural culmination of everything they’ve learned.
The Result: A Positive Classroom Environment
By using this scaffolded approach to teaching drawing, students are set up for success from the start. This leads to fewer behavioral issues, as students are fully engaged in their work and feel empowered by their progress.
Explore More Resources and Stay Connected
1. Shop Mrs. T Fox’s Resource Store on TPT
Looking for ready-to-use high contrast drawing lessons like the Soft Serve Ice Cream Drawing? Visit Mrs. T Fox’s Resource Store on TPT for step-by-step guides, project templates, and scaffolded curriculums.
2. Learn with Mrs. T Fox’s Online Courses
Want to master scaffolded teaching techniques? Explore Mrs. T Fox’s Online Courses for expert guidance, classroom-tested strategies, and professional development workshops.
3. Follow Mrs. T Fox on Social Media
Stay inspired and up-to-date with teaching tips, behind-the-scenes content, and fresh classroom ideas by following @mrs_tfoxresources on Instagram.
Interested in Teaching High Contrast Drawing?
If you’re looking to implement these techniques in your classroom, I offer several resources to guide you step by step:
Wrapping It Up
The Soft Serve Ice Cream Drawing is more than just a fun project—it’s a confidence booster and a powerful tool for improving classroom behavior. By combining scaffolded learning with engaging, manageable projects, you can create a classroom environment where students thrive artistically and behaviorally.
Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful and creative school year!
Tiff 🙂
