Halloween!

The students thought it was so cool that we all happened to be dressed as Wizard of Oz characters. How did that happen?!

Paper Mache Masks

6th graders have just started the process of creating their masks. We looked at masks from around the world and discussed the different uses- protection, entertainment, celebration, religious etc.

FINALLY FINISHED!!!

Paper Sculptures

I had one 6th grade class that was ahead of the rest, so I experimented with a new lesson I've been wanting to try. We looked at the artwork of several different paper artists (check out Peter Callesen's work) and then I showed the students how to create origami hats and fish. After they had made several hats/fish, they were asked to arrange the origami into a pattern of some sort. They were allowed to stack, rotate, and manipulate the origami in any way. After they had come up with a plan, they glued down their creations. It was a wonderful collaborative lesson that required students to use problem solving skills.

Secondary Colors

I swiped this great idea from mrspicassosartroom.blogspot.com except I had the kindergartners use all paint instead of construction paper. We first mixed yellow and red to see what color we would get. Then we painted one pumpkin. To introduce value, the students mixed white with the orange they created and painted the second pumpkin. I asked them, "what happened when you added white to the orange?"

Op Art

4th Graders learned about Optical Illusions and the artist Bridget Riley. Then they created their own Op Art.  We discussed movement, pattern, and contrasting colors.

Kindergarten Sculptures

 Aren't these cute?! We discussed form in Kindergarten. We talked about how sculptures are different from drawing or painting on flat paper because they "pop out" and sometimes they can stand by themselves! The next class period one of the Kindergartners asked "Do we get to take home our 3D sculptures today?" Yay! I taught them something :)

Search, Find and Color!

Anyone remember the Where's Waldo books? This weekend I was doing a little shopping and ran across this "Search, Find and Color" book. I thought it would be the perfect thing for my students to do as they finished their projects! Usually, I have them work on "practice drawing" where they can draw anything they like. This works great for some students; however, most students need more direction. I think the search and find will hold their attention longer.

This is an example of what the search and find pages look like

I was so excited about this whole search and find idea, that my wheels really started turning. I could  help students review art content as they worked on their search and finds. So, I created my own. 

Here are the things I'm asking my students to look for

- Color wheel (and color it correctly)

-Abstract Sculpture

-Paintbrushes (5)

-Easel

-Symmetrical Pattern

-Sphere

-Top Hat

-Still Life (2)

-Landscape

-Optical Illusion (color it to show movement)

I'll let you know how it goes!

Can anyone tell me how to post a word document? 

Identity Collages

This year I wanted to start the year off by getting to know my students better. I found this wonderful lesson in School Arts so I adapted it slightly to meet my objectives. The assignment was to create a collage that told about the student artist. We looked at the work of Romare Bearden and discussed how his work is sometimes humorous because of the unrealistic proportions he uses. It was fun to see the creativity the students used in piecing a figure together.

Perspective

In 4th Grade, I introduce the students to one-point perspective and we create street scenes. In 5th grade, we review one-point perspective with a "bird's eye" view of a city. I got this lesson from the amazing teacher I worked with when I student taught. If you'd like the step-by-step guide I use with my students, let me know!