Week of 12/12/22 - Birch Aquarium visit

 We had Birch Aquarium visit Zamorano to present and share their "Fish Diversity" program with all 6 3rd grade classes. 

The staff from Birch aquarium did a great job engaging the students, answering questions and sharing their material. Students learned about the different fish adaptations, fish teeth, body shape, and coloration in small groups. They were able to compare and contrast the same by observing an actual mackerel and Rex Sole and document their observations.

I am looking forward to using this information to use in an art lesson in the New Year integrating science and art.

Below are a few photos from this awesome experience!

 

 

 

Week of 12/05/22 - 2nd and 3rd grade

 2nd and 3rd grade returned this week - 2nd grade created Koinobori fish while 3rd graders worked on creating a relief sculpture on paper.

 Art teachers  in my district received a large donation of canvases and paint brushes that came in plastic containers. I saved those containers and had been looking for a way to reuse them. The Japanese inspired Koinobori fish was the perfect way to reuse the containers.

Koi means fish and Nobori means a flag - May 5th is celebrated as children's day in Japan when families make flags representing a carp out of fabric to  represent the children in the family. They are hung outside their homes and are colorful and vibrant.

After discussing as a class what we saw in Koinobori photos, I gave each student a plastic container that they covered with strips of paper. I pre- cut so they would fit around the container. Once done, students glued fabric along the base to represent the tail fin. They added scales using paint sticks - can I just say how much I love these? The colors are rich, bold and bright and the students love them as well!! After this students drew and cut large eyes and glued the on either side on the opening which was the mouth. Using black and white for the eyes provided a nice I hot glued a piece of yarn and that way students could take their works home the same day! I 

 

3rd grade students created a relief sculpture with paper inspired by the art of sculptor Halima Cassell. We looked at her sculptures and discussed what kind of balance we observed - symmetrical, asymmetrical and radial. I showed students 3 different kinds of folds after which they created more folds of the ones they liked, arranged them on the card stock paper and glued them to create symmetry. I love how unique each work is!

 

Week of 11/28/22 - UTK, K and 1st grade

 Is this really the last week of November!!? I can't believe how fast the weeks are going by!

 Inspired by the book"Not a Stick" by Antoinette Portis, UTK students changed a paint stick into something new by adding paper, yarn and fabric! This book is great in sparking kids imagination and having them really think! I showed students several examples of what the stick could be changed into and encouraged them to come up with something unique!

Kinder students created Dhurries inspired by rugs handwoven in India and Pakistan. We looked at examples of Dhurries, talked about how they are created by an actual person on a loom and not by machines. We looked at the book "The Goat in the Rug" by Geraldine which talks about the process of weaving a rug from scratch to finish. Students first created lines with pencil, traced them with paint sticks, added shape patterns and glued yarn strips after measuring and cutting them. Here are some examples!

1st grade students used yarn to create Huichol art inspired by the art from Mexico. We looked at several examples and had a class discussion about what we notice and wonder. We looked at the book "The Journey of Tunuri and the Blue Deer" by James Endredy where all the illustrations are created Huichol style. I have 6 1st grade classes - each class created a different image that they filled with yarn. I love how bright and colorful the works are!

 

CAEA conference 2022 - 11/11/22-11/12/22

 I had the opportunity to attend the California Art Education Association conference at CSU Long Beach from November 11th-12th. It was so wonderful attending workshops hosted by other art teachers and bring back fresh ideas to my classroom!

I also hosted 2 workshops - Kolam Art and Contemporary artists in the Elementary classroom. I loved demonstrating, engaging with other art teachers and having them create and take their works.

I was also honored to receive the Outstanding Elementary Visual Art Educator 2022 and the Exemplary Program Award 2022!

Earlier this week, I was invited to be part of a panel to talk about Prop 28 overwhelmingly being passed by CA voters. What an honor to share the stage with Russ Sperling (SDUSD VAPA Director), Morgan Appell (Assistant Dean UCSD Extension), Tim Benson (Project Manager, Arts Education Project, VAPA, SDUSD), Pauline Crooks (Arts Coordinator, San Diego County Office of Education) Andrew Rodriguez (Music Teacher, Bell Middle School) and Adrienne Valencia (Executive Director, Arts Reach, San Diego).

Week of 11/14/22 - UTK, K and 1st grade

 UTK, kinders and 1st graders started another rotation this week. We focused on shapes across all grades.

UTK created overlapping shapes and filled them with patterns.

Kinders had a class discussion about the painting Basic Shapes by Steve Heriot. They noticed the different shapes, their sizes and colors. Students drew shapes incorporating overlapping using pencil first and then used daubers filled with black watercolors to create a variety of shapes. They then added tempera paint of different colors inside. My emphasis was on having them use the space on the paper effectively and draw the shapes big. Students that finished painting had the option to create dots around their shapes as an extension.

 

1st graders created 3 houses using geometric and organic shapes inspired by the story The Big Orange Splot. They also added "snow" using white paint because when it is less than 65 degrees in San Diego, it is officially winter!! I had students use handmade paper for this lesson and each house had to be at least 3 stories high. I enjoyed seeing the variety of shapes in each student's works! 

 

Week of 11/7/2022- 4th and 5th grade sculpture Part 2

4th graders returned to paint their Alebrijes - we used black Sharpie markers first to add patterns depending upon what animal the students chose to combine. Once done, they used tempera paint to paint the different parts. I had students think about contrasting colors as they painted their works. Once done, students used their Chromebooks to take photos of their works from front, rear and side and post it on my art Google classroom. They also have the opportunity to talk about their work on Flipgrid.

 

5th graders came back to finish work on their donuts. I also had them take at least 3 photos of their donuts using their Chromebooks and create a flyer for their donut shop. They each came up with a name, address and slogan for their shop and incorporate the photo(s) they took. Teaching them real world skills and the opportunity to experiment with digital design is valuable -  here are examples of their works. Once done, students posted their works on my art Google Classroom and had the opportunity to talk about their work on Flipgrid.

 

Week of 10/31/22 - 4th and 5th grade sculpture Part 1

 4th and 5th grade students started on their sculpture this week!

4th grade students created wooden sculptures inspired by Mexican Alebrijes - I gave each student a planning sheet where they could plan the different parts of their creature. Once done, they each started with a base, added legs, body, neck, head and ears. We used regular school glue to attach the wooden pieces together although I will use wood glue the next time to make sure the pieces are attached more securely.

We will paint our works next class.

5th grade students started work on their sculptures too - giant donuts! We looked at the works of Korean artist Jae Yong Kim who creates the most stunning assortment of ceramic donuts with beautiful patterns. He even has square shaped donuts and mouse shaped ones!!

Students traced circles on 2 paper plates, cut it out and attached them with tape and glued cotton balls to give it volume. They then used sheets of tissue paper to wind around the opening. Some students were able to start adding "frosting" and "sprinkles" to their works.