Flickr Account!

I have created a Flickr account so that I can upload pictures of student work in real time. Check back periodically to see what is new! No student names or faces will be used, this is just student work. http://www.flickr.com/photos/105746165@N04/

Pre-Assessment Tests

During the week of October 15-18, the students will each be taking a pre-assessment test on art. These tests are not counting towards the students' grade, but are used to see what type of background knowledge the students already have in the subject.

Halloween Projects

As we finish up bigger projects, the students have had an opportunity to do one or more Halloween projects. Some of the projects we have done: Decorate a Pumpkin: I create a pumpkin stencil and had the students decorate their pumpkin, then put it somewhere around my room! Flying Ghosts: Using a Styrofoam cup as the body, and toilet paper as the tail, students made a flying ghost. They used a sharpie to make a scary face! Hanging Spiders : The students used their newfound knowledge on different lines (vertical, horizontal, curved, etc), the students used a white chalk pastel to create a spider web. Then they drew a colorful spider, and hung it off their web using white yarn. Pattern Witch: The students used construction paper to make a witch's profile. To decorate the witch's hat, the students used glitter and a white chalk pastel to create a stylish pattern.

4: Silly Sentences

I started this lesson off by reading Thomas Locke's The Mare on the Hill and we reviewed what illustrations, nouns, and adjectives are. We then went through the text again and the students identified nouns and adjectives in the text, and talked about the characteristics of the illustrations. I then had students choose two random nouns and one adjective out of a bucket. They were to use these nouns and adjective to create a sentence. From there, they were to illustrate that sentence- no matter how silly it was! Locke creates very soft, poetic paintings for his illustrations- so the students used watercolors to paint their illustrations.

5: Making Your Stories Pop

The fifth graders worked in small groups to create short stories of their choosing. In their groups, they had to come up with a main character, a plot, and a resolution. Then, each student created their own pop-up page that illustrated part of their story. We discussed the characteristics of an illustration, and the students had access to all sorts of craft materials to really make their illustrations pop!

4: Mission Possible

The fourth graders spent some time learning about different job occupations that require art and creative problem solving. Each table was given a "secret" envelope which included an artistic career, information on their career, and a mission. In small groups, the students had to answer four questions (What is your career? What does that career do? Who are some famous people who have that career? What is a fun fact about that career?) on a piece of paper. Then individually the students had to fulfill their mission (example for the career "Fashion Designer": Lady Gaga has hired you to design her new dress. She wants something unique, long, and colorful.). Then each group presented their career, information, and missions.

3: Roaring Colors

The third graders started to learn about value and tints. We practiced these skills by making a value scale, and identifying different tints of specific colors. Then I walked the students through how to draw a realistic lion head. The students then used chalk pastels to color their lion heads and to use different tints and shades. We set aside the realistic lion heads for a class period, and the students got to express themselves by painting an abstract painting. This painting was then cut into strips and applied to the realistic lion head to make an abstract lion mane!

2: Fluttering Into Second Grade

The second graders have begun by learning about illustration and texture. The students took turns reading out-loud Eric Carle's The Hungry Caterpillar. As a class, we discussed the characteristics of an illustration and how even though we can't feel the characters, they have a perceived texture (soft, furry, rough, smooth, etc). The students then made their own butterflies inspired by Carle's. They then used tissue paper to add some texture to their butterfly. Once their butterflies had some googly eyes, we attached them to a paper strip to make their very own butterfly hats!

1: You're a Poet, and I Know It!

The first graders have begun learning about illustration, specifically with poetry. I started by reading the students several poems from Shel Silverstein's Every Thing On It. As a class, we discussed how the illustrations aided the poetry and what they showed. We also talked about the qualities of a poem. Then, as a class we wrote a short poem about their homeroom teacher. The students then illustrated their poem and presented their poem and illustrations to their teacher!

K: Where Are The Wild Things?

With this project, the kindergartners were learning about illustrations. We started by reading the book Where The Wild Things Are. We discussed the characteristics of a wild thing (claws, beak, fur, paws, etc) and that wild things can look very different from one to another. The students were given a wild thing template. The students were to use their imagination to create hands, feet, and a head for their very own wild thing. Then they colored it in, added some googly eyes, and named it!

5: How (Chuck) Close Can You Get?

I'm really challenging the fifth graders this year. Now that they have a good basic understanding of art, I want to focus on their creative thinking and problem solving skills. The first project we started working on dealt with the artist Chuck Close. Close uses a grid technique, meaning he breaks his canvas down into small squares, when he paints. I took pictures of celebrities (Barak Obama, Taylor Swift, etc) and cut the image into 20 equal squares. Each student got a square without knowing who their celebrity was. Then they had a square piece of paper. They had to use enlargement techniques to draw their square the size of the paper. We then created a value scale and practiced our shades and shadowing. These techniques were then applied to their drawings. Finally, I collected all their drawings and put their image together so we could figure out who each class had as their celebrity!

4: Inspire Me!

The fourth graders started by learning by what inspiration is and why it's important to artists. As a class, we made a list of things that inspire us. We then made an inspiration chain that is hanging outside of the classroom. The students then chose one of these things and drew and colored it. Finally, they labeled what inspired them.

3: Draw The Line

The third graders are going to be learning all about the elements of art, so we started with the first and most basic of the elements: line. The students learned about different types of lines (zig zag, curvy, vertical, horizontal, dotted, etc). We discussed some of the different uses for such lines and practiced them a number of times. Then, the students used a ruler to create a composition made of only lines. Then these compositions were cut into slips (more lines!) and glued onto black paper.

2: Paint Me Beautiful

The second graders began with a project that combined realism and abstraction. The students used watercolors to paint an abstract composition. Then, using a transfer technique, the students referenced a photograph of themselves to place a self-portrait on top of their painting using sharpie.

1: Art is a Hoot!

The first graders started the year off with owls that required them to use their imagination quite a bit. I showed them step-by-step how to draw an owl, but then the students had to use their imagination to create interesting designs for their owl feathers. Next, the students learned about warm and cool colors and the mood they can evoke. The students then used either warm or cool colors to make their owls really pop.

K: What is Art?

Since this is the kindergartners' first experience with art class, we are starting at the beginning with discussing what art is, what it means, and how it can be used. We started with a pretty basic project where the students were to draw and color their favorite person, place, or thing (one topic was given to each different class).

School-Wide Quilts

The first thing that the students worked on was a school-wide project. On the first day of classes, the students received a long strip of paper that they were to cover with visual descriptions of themselves. This included family, friends, favorite books, food, hobbies, etc. These strips were then quilted together. This project was meant to symbolize the Boulevard community: we are a diverse bunch that fill in each other's "white spots".