Weeks of 9/1/25 and 9/8/25 - First rotation with 4th and 5th grades

 

4th and 5th graders had their first rotation!

4th grade students created Cubism inspired self-portraits.

We looked at the below artworks and students engaged in a partner talk followed by a class discussion about Picasso’s art. We discussed how different each self portrait of the artist was, and students shared how work #3 was created using "several shapes", "it looks creepy" and "there are too many eyes" among other things. We talked about Cubism and how this style of creating art does not show people or objects in a realistic way. Instead, the subjects are broken apart into several flat shapes such that several sides of the same subject are shown at once. 

Students used a template for the head shape, sketched how their features would look on paper with examples provided during the first class.

They used cardboard, paint sticks and markers to complete their work during the second class. We used 2 1 hour 20-minute classes for this lesson.

5th graders created their "All about Me" explosion books! Students first created a mind map based on the prompts I gave them such as favorite food, sport, hobby, favorite places, people etc. They then created illustration for some of those prompts and created an explosion book with warm and cool color 6-inch paper squares during the first class.

During the second class, they added illustrations and text in different fonts for the prompts from their mind map into boxes as shown below. 

They also and cut and glued the different boxes into their explosion book to complete their work. This lesson took students 2 one hour 20-minute classes and one 45-minute class.

5th graders also created mugs on black card stock with white prismacolor pencils. Students learned how to use 3 different techniques - hatching, cross hatching and scribble. They selected one technique of their choice to use in their final artwork. We looked at how to change a shape into a form by seeing where light falls and by creating shadows.

Weeks of 8/18/25 and 8/25/25 - First rotation with 2nd and 3rd grade

 2nd and 3rd graders had their first art rotation - this year we are able to have both grades twice a week during their rotation!

I read the book "That's not my name" by Anoosha Syed - I love this story for its simple yet powerful message. In this story, the main character Mirha is so excited for her first day of school! She can't wait to learn, play, and make new friends. But when her classmates mispronounce her name, she goes home wondering if she should find a new one. Maybe then she'd be able to find a monogrammed keychain at the gas station or order a hot chocolate at the cafe more easily. Mama helps Mirha to see how special her name is, and she returns to school the next day determined to help her classmates say it correctly--even if it takes a hundred tries. We had a great conversation after the story where a few students shared how their name gets mispronounced as well. 

Each student received a 9"X12" watercolor paper on which I had pre drawn 12 boxes with pencil. Students arranged the letters of their first name or nickname - one in each box using a pencil. They traced it with a chisel tip black Sharpie and used warm and cool color markers to echo the lines. We used the markers sideways to create thick lines. In the blank boxes, they created line patterns again using warm and cool colors.

When done, each student wrote something unique about their name on a piece of white paper as an exit ticket.

My name is Valentina - I was named after a hot sauce!

                                    My name is Maverick - I was named after a movie!

2nd graders also worked on a book cover design that they started and will finish next rotation. We discussed the purpose of a front cover, spine and back cover in a book. We looked at how the title is written the biggest on the front cover as this is what we first see when we pick up a book. We also discussed how the summary on the back cover tells us what the book is about that helps us make the decision to check out/ buy a book!

We read the story "The big orange splot" by Daniel Manus Pinkwater and filled out a planning sheet with sketches for the front cover and a summary students wrote using a sentence frame I created.

3rd grade students created works inspired by the Pop art movement using their name as an onomatopoeia! We looked at pop artist works, discussed what we noticed/ wondered. We used organic shapes with triangles in different colors incorporating overlapping to create these.

Students also had the opportunity to present their work in front of the class and answer questions on the new presentation stool - something new that I’m trying this year!

Students also worked on a digital art lesson using Chrome Canvas website on their chrome books. 

Students learned how to - 

1. Add a class code and join my art Google classroom 

2. Get familiar with the tools on Chrome canvas

 3. Create a pattern using different lines, tools, and colors and 

4. Submit their works on Google classroom.

Here are a few examples.

Inspired by artist Jae Yong Kim, 3rd grade students had a class discussion about the donuts the artist creates - the different shapes, patterns, and colors.

We then turned a chunk of clay into a sphere, created an opening, shaped it into a circle/ square/ heart or like a mochi donut. Students added details by slipping and scoring clay coils to their donuts. I will let the pieces dry for a month before firing them since they are THICK!

Whew! We got a lot done in two weeks!!!