Week of 10/14/2024 and 10/21/2024 - 4th and 5th grades - 2nd rotation

 4th and 5th graders returned for their 2nd art rotation with me!

4th grade students looked at works by Op artists and we had a class discussion about how the artists used lines, shapes and colors to "trick the eye into believing something that they see was actually not there" in the words of students. Students loved looking at the works by Bridget Riley, Victor Vasarely and Joseph Albers and took their time seeing how the artists created movement using simple techniques like changing the spaces between lines, varying the size of shapes and changing the lightness of the colors to create interesting works.

On a white piece of paper with six squares, we created 6 different Op art designs using a pencil as a warm up. Each student was then given a 6" cube (box). They traced 4 designs on the 4 different sides of the box and the last 2 on 2 white paper squares.

  

The next class students traced their 6 designs with a black Sharpie and added color to the different designs using paint sticks and/ or crayons. We put the boxes to together by taping the flaps and used double sided tape to add the 2 squares to complete our Op art cubes!

5th graders looked at Amphorae from the Greek and Roman era and we had a class discussion about how these were used to store grains, water, oils and fish and how they were made from clay. We compared this information with how food is stored these days - in plastic bags, containers and jars that are readily available for purchase in the stores. We looked at the geometric line designs and patterns on the Amphoras as well.

As a warm up, we created 15 different lines on a piece of paper to combine and use on our Amphora when done. I gave each students 2 32 oz. paper soup containers, 2 paper bowls with the option to use small plastic bowls and cups if they wanted to.I showed students 2 ways to arrange and combine the 2 soup containers and lids with different ways to also use the plastic bowls and cups. We first used small pieces of white masking tape to keep the pieces in place and then used long pieces to cover the Amphora. 

 

During our 2nd class students covered their work in long pieces of masking tape and also added 2 handles by crushing 2 pieces of paper towels lengthwise, covering them with masking tape and adding them to their Amphora symmetrically. 

During the 3rd class students added the base color(s) to their Amphora using acrylic paint. I gave each table 2 colors with thick, flat paintbrushes and showed them how to take their time to spread the paint so it wouldn't pool in one spot.

During the final class, I gave students white and black acrylic paint with narrow, flat paintbrushes to use and add line patterns by looking at lines from the first class.

This was a long project and I was happy to see the engagement from students. It was great t see the stamina they are building, risks they are taking, the problem solving skills they are developing, the perseverance and not to mention the beautiful works they created!!

 

Weeks of 9/30/24 and 10/7/24 - 2nd and 3rd grades

 2nd and 3rd graders returned to create Hojolata art! 

Hojalata is a Mexican folk art form that involves shaping, cutting and painting tin into decorative and functional objects. The word "Hojalata" translates to "tin art".

We looked at the below example and had a class discussion about what we saw - bumps on the work, bright colors and students guessed what material was used to create this. Some guessed plastic, metal, and some guessed clay. Once done, we looked at several other examples of Hojalata art. 

2nd graders cut slits into an 8" X 10" piece of cardboard. They used yarn to go inside the slits and taped the ends. They then pressed a piece of tin foil on top of the yarn to create an embossed effect, folded the sides and taped them to the back. They then used paint sticks to color between the embossed areas and created line patterns to complete their work. This took us 2 1 hour classes.

3rd graders each got a piece of white copy paper with a 5" square already drawn. On the blank side of their paper, they drew 2 squares and created a symmetrical design inside each using lines and shapes as a warm up. They then created their actual design inside the 5" square. They then taped their 5" foil with the silver side facing the back of their 5" square. They put their work on a piece of cardboard and pressed their pencil into their design to create an embossed effect. 

During the next class students peeled off the tape and used their pencil to again press into their foil to create a more embossed effect. They used Sharpie markers to fill in spaces. They centered their foil on a 12" cardboard, drew the outline with a pencil. They used paint sticks to create more lines and shapes incorporating symmetry. They used double sided tape to fix their foil inside the outline in the center of the cardboard and finish their work. This also took us 2 1 hour classes.

Week of 9/23/2024 - UTK, K and 1st Grade

 This week UTK, K and 1st grade students returned to works on creating patterns with lines.

UTK and kinder students looked at the book Fall leaves fall by Zoe Hall and we discussed how some trees have leaves change colors in the fall!

I gave UTK students a piece on poster board that already had a fall leaf traced on it. Students created patterns by combining lines to fill their leaf. They then traced all pencil lines with black Sharpie, erased pencil lines and used fall water colors to fill their leaves. I reminded students to wash their paint brushes and dry them before dipping it in another color.

I gave kinder students  the templates of leaves and acorns. They picked one of their choice and traced it using a pencil. They too added line patterns with pencil and traced them using a black Sharpie marker. After erasing pencil lines, I had them color on a piece of tin foil with washable markers in fall colors. I sprayed the foil with water after which students pressed it on to their leaf/ acorn and saw the beautiful colors get transferred!!! It was a big "wow" moment for all and I love this lesson every year!

1st graders looked at the works of artist Ben Eine and we noticed how he uses letters and changes them using patterns, bright colors and organic shapes. I had traced the first letter of every student's name on a large piece of poster board using a pencil. Each student  erased the base of their letter and added an organic shape in the style of the artist. Once done, they each added line patterns using Sharpie markers in various colors and used twistable color pencils to  color the background.

Week of 9/16/2024 - UTK, K and 1st Grade

 This week UTK, kinder and 1st grade students had their 1ts art rotation with me!

We talked about class expectations and created works with lines.

UTK students looked at the book "The Dot" by Peter H Reynolds we discussed how everybody is an artist and that the mark that you make on paper is unique and special because "you" made it!!

After helping them write their name and room # on their paper, we used a pencil to draw a vertical, horizontal, diagonal, zig-zag, wavy and broken line and traced them using a black Sharpie marker. We erased pencil lines and used circular sponge brushes to create dots in different colors by dipping them in tempera paint. I reminded students to press and lift the brushes and not drag them.

Kinder students also looked at the the book "The Dot". I had traced a large dot on a piece of 9" X 12" poster board for each student.  We used a pencil to draw a vertical, horizontal, diagonal, zig-zag, curved, wavy, dotted and broken line inside and outside the dot and traced the dot and lines with a black Sharpie marker. Once done students erased the pencil lines and used glitter water colors to paint inside their dot.

1st graders looked at the book "Lines that wiggle" by Candice Whitman and and drew lines similar to kinder students. We noticed how the different lines created spaces between them. We used different glitter water colors to paint these spaces to complete our work.

Weeks 9/2/2024 and 9/9/2024 - 4th and 5th grades

 4th and 5th grades had their 1st art rotation this week!

4th graders looked at the works of artist Jaume Plensa and engaged in a turn and talk and class discussion. We noticed how he uses text and symbols in his works and combines them interesting ways to create his sculptures.

We created a mind map of words based on prompts I gave students - 3 adjectives to describe yourself, favorite hobby, place etc.

Once done, students were given a piece on 9" X 12" cardboard. They drew vertical and horizontal lines using a ruler and wrote words from their mind map inside the spaces using a variety of fonts with a pencil. Some students even made up their own fonts!

They traced their words with a black chisel tip Sharpie and erased pencil lines.

Students then wrote their name on a piece of construction paper using block letters, cut them out, arranged them in an interesting way like the artist and glued them to complete their work.

5th graders created "All about me" explosion books!!

Students were given multiple prompts and answered them by creating an illustration or text using a variety of fonts in 12 boxes/ triangles on white paper. For example - 4 adjectives to describe yourself, favorite food, favorite sport, hobby etc.

Once done, they outlined their work and added color using color pencils.

We then used 4 pieces of 6” squares in complementary colors to fold and connect them to make explosion books. 

Students then cut out their squares and triangles and glued them inside their books to complete their work!

Weeks of 9/19/24 and 9/16/24 - 2nd and 3rd grades

 2nd graders looked at the front cover of the book “That’s Not My Name” by Anoosha Syed and engaged in a class discussion during our 1st class of what the book was about by looking for clues. 

The main character in the book is Mirha. Her teacher and friends mispronounce her name at school which leads to Mirha wanting to change her name. A conversation with her mom leads Mirha to learn the meaning of her name which is "happiness" in Arabic. She goes back to school the next day with excitement to teach her friends about her name and how to deal with situations where students pronounce her name differently!

After reading the story, students shared an interesting fact about their name - some shared they were named after their grandpa, after a movie or a friend. Some shared the meaning of their name - “the gifted one”, “the loved one” among many others.

Each student practiced writing their name in several ways using pencil, picked the one they liked the best and wrote their name on a white poster board. They used a chisel tip black Sharpie to trace the letters and then used warm and cool color markers to create repetitive lines around their name.

They completed their work during the 2nd class and wrote something special about their name.

3rd graders looked at the comic book inspired works of artist Roy Lichtenstein - we had a class discussion of how the artist used dots similar to how comic books were printed back in the 1950s/ 60s. 

We noticed how the words used were sound words and had an exclamation point at the end, the letters used overlapping and that the colors were bright! We also talked about the Pop art movement, the word "pop" stood for "popular" and looked at several examples by other Pop artists. I introduced the word onomatopoeia to students and let them know we will create an artwork using their name as an onomatopoeia. 

We spent 2 classes cutting and layering paper in different shapes, added dots, name and also mounted our works on black paper. Students also wrote something new they learned in this lesson by filling out an exit slip.

Week of 8/12/2024 - First week back

Welcome back!!

We are off to a great start with 2nd-5th graders creating their collaborative artwork the first week of school!

Students looked at the works of artist Charles McGee and we had a class discussion about how he used patterns, overlapping, organic shapes, and lines using just black-and-white to create contrast in his works.

Each class worked with a different color paper square, added black and white paper strips and patterns with black and silver markers. They arranged and organized their pieces, glued them to complete their work and added it to a large piece of paper.

Approximately 510 squares were put together and displayed in the auditorium to provide a beautiful backdrop for upcoming events.

There are several positives to starting the school year off with collaboration - it teaches students how to contribute ideas for a group and how to compromise. It builds a sense of community as students work towards a common goal. It also improves critical thinking skills by analyzing and synthesizing information from various sources.

Here are photos of the day to day progress and the final install!