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!!!