What's the Big Idea?

So here is my latest activity to have students explore artworks.  I display an artwork on the Smart Board and they get a post-it.  After observing the work for several minutes they speculate what the Big Idea is.  This may be as simple as the subject for younger students or theories about meaning for older students.  It is a quick snapshot of their overall thinking and observation skills. After they stick their post-it to the light bulb we discuss the results for a few minutes.  These discussions always link to the project at hand.

Textured Multi Media Scarecrows

 

I found this cute scarecrow on Pinterest (For the Fun of Art Blog) and thought it was cute, but it needed a few more of my curriculum objectives. So, along with my student teacher we created a 6 station rotation to create parts of the scarecrow with a variety of materials and textures. We started by reading The Little Scarecrow Boy by Margret Wise Brown.

Since I now have a Smart board, we created mini videos to explain each station. I wanted to post them, but I have been having lots of problems getting them to fully load.  So here are the basics...
Station 1- Moon print- make a circle stencil with tag board and use white paint and sponges to fill it in.
Station 2- Hat print- print the edge of a piece of matt board in vertical and horizontal patterns in yellow paint over brown paper.
Station 3- Curled paper hands and folded hair (for time we took out folding the hair)- cut and curl/fold 2 rectangles of butterscotch paper.
Station 4- Crumple head- trace and cut out a circle of brown bag paper and crumple.
Station 5- Crayon rubbed sleeves- crayon rubbings over texture plates on 2 white rectangles
Station 6- Fabric patches- cut 3-4 fabric shapes

For the next class we read The Scarecrow's Hat by Ken Brown, then assembled the sleeves, head and hat.  We focused a lot of proper use of glue and scissors.

 

                                            

For the last class, made the hat, assembled the parts and added details.  The final step was making the crow for his head.  They turned out great!

Teaching value

I saw a great picture on Pinterest which inspired me to try something this week with my second grade classes.  It worked amazingly well.  We learned about the concept of value.  We talked about how colors can have lighter and darker versions.  I asked them what one item everyone in the room had that was the same color, but each of us had a different value of.  Within a few guesses, someone always says, "Our Skin."  So we made a human value scale.  I had the kids do all of the problem solving themselves, trying to line up the class from dark to light.  We used their arms as the location to compare.  It was great seeing them test arms and them decide whether each person was in the right place of needed to move left of right to be in value order.  When it was all in order I photographed each class. Since the students took ownership of creating the scale and since they can remember this activity just by looking at their arms, they have retained the information so much better than activities I have done in the past.

           

The NEW old room!

The new (back in after being on a cart and stage for 2 years) art room is a work in progress.  But I wanted to post a few picks so everyone could see my vision. With the new common core we are trying to incorporate a lot more literacy, so I have a fair amount of vocabulary around the room, with lots more at the laminator on the way.

I themed my room for the book, The Dot.  So I have dots on the walls, for curtains and table signs. I used dots on the front boards (wrapping paper).  The table signs are the dots "framed in swirly gold" frames.  All of my chairs have colored electrical tape spirals on them, 4 colors per table.  These help me to select helpers during class, and a happy bonus, they don't come off or get picked at by little fingers.

I decide to keep my desk this year in the storage room to give me more space to move around.  Especially, since I have a SMARTBoard!!! I am using the row of milk crates under the board as step stools for the smaller folks to reach the top of the board. 

The valance over the window are paper covered cardboard pizza rounds from our local Imo's Pizza.  Parents can be a great source of materials, especially recycled items.  The lamp are IKEA, they are a great light source when I shut down the overheads for working at the SMARTBoard.

The back my room had a full wall bulletin board, until they turned the room into a 4th grade.  Then they put a coat rack in the middle of my board.  So to disguise it and stop head injuries from students running into it, I made a faux shelf from pink construction foam and covered it in butcher paper.  It is light weight, cheap and looks good.  The green tape seen on the floor is tape I get from the PE teacher for marking floors.  I use it to set up no go areas for students.  In this case we create a "pond" around the demo table, to stop crowding around the table.  This inevitably ends up as a shoving match and students shaking my table.  I create a line they cannot pass, which spreads them out and keeps them off my table.

Time to get to this

Well I have totally ignored this blog for some time, but I want to set a goal to post something at least once a week this school year. So a few of the things I want to tell you about in the weeks to come are...
     -my new classroom
     -my new ideas about teaching activities to enhance the art experience
     -fun project I have tried
I really need to do this, this year as a cathartic was to express my ideas, whether anyone likes them or agrees with them.  I think if I can get some of them out of my head and on the page, I may be able to focus better on the best ones.

So as my first pic of the year I wanted to post one of my 1st grade projects from last May.  This totally describes the feeling about my day, AAARRRGGGGHHHH!

 
 

American Gothic Redo

I really like how these came out, but wish I could have given them a few more class times to work. They could have done some really cool things with a little more time.  The idea was to create a 3D version of American Gothic with a twist.  The twist is they are the designer and a new client has come to you.  The task is the client has purchased the small home featured in the American Gothic painting near Stone City, Iowa and they want it remodelled to better match their taste.  Students had to decide, who the client was, what their style would be and who would stand with them in front of the house.  We used a basic pop up card design to get the basic house and then used marker and paper construction techniques to remodel the house.  Students were required to build at least one 3D item from paper. Finally they had to pose the client and one other character with them, holding something, similar to the American Gothic characters in front of the home.  Some are quite clever and others are just cute.

Square 1 Art Projects

I participate in the Square 1 Art program each year to raise money.  This year I have made almost $1800! I have tried to pick dynamic projects that not only fit my curriculum, but are big sellers for parents.  Here are some student samples of this years projects.

4th grade Loup Garou Paintings in tempera based on the Blue Dog series by George Rodrigue.

3rd grade cityscapes with intermediate colors in tempera.

5th grade- Background watercolor based on color field painters with a styrofoam print over the top made to appear to be Op art, printed in rotation.

1st grade owl drawings with simple patterns to create texture with construction paper crayons and marker.

Kindergarten tissue flowers painted on with watered down glue, outlined in permanent marker and finished with liquid watercolor.

2nd grade cats in permanent marker based on a study of ancient Egyptian cat art.