4th Grade- Abstract Still Life

4th grade studies abstract still life. We start the project by discussing how abstract means you can still tell what the artwork is, but it does not look realistic because the image has been distorted or exaggerated. For example, you can change the size, color, or shape. We also discussed how a still life is a artwork of something that does not move on its own and made a list of possible examples on the board.

Next we looked at artwork by Romero Britto. I just love his use of colors, patterns, and designs. I also thought he would be a good tie in to this project because we studied Zentangles in our last project.

Students drew 3 simple still life thumb nail sketches and then selected their best one for the final project. They drew their final project on a 9 x 12 inch paper starting with pencil and then went over the pencil lines with sharpie. We added lines in the background to break up the drawing more and to allow the students to use more patterns.

During our second day of this lesson, students added colors and patterns using markers. i reminded them to color nice and neat. I also told them not to use black because our outlines were in black. Here are a few of the results.

1st Grade- Organic Shapes and Different Lines

1st grade students need to know organic shapes and thick, thin, straight, and curved lines. So I thought, why not combine all of these into one project?

We started this project by using 6 x 6 inch pieces of tag board. Students had to draw an organic shape on their tag board. I instructed them to draw it pretty big and told them to not make it super funky because we don't want it to be hard to cut out. After the organic shape was drawn in pencil, they cut it out.

Next I gave students a 12 x 6 inch piece of paper and told them to trace their organic shape on it 3 times. We also want the shapes to overlap. After they were finished tracing their shapes with pencil, they went back over all of their shapes with a marker. Then in each space they added straight, curved, thick, or thin lines. I informed them that a line can be both straight and thick, straight and thin, curved and think, and curved and thin.

Finally, they glued the 12 x 6 inch paper to the middle of a 12 x 18 inch colored paper. And for the last step, they cut the edges of the colored paper to make an organic shape. 

Kindergarten- ABC Butterfly

I wanted to do a basic watercolor project for kindergarten and this was the result. Most of the students have not used watercolor before, so I had to teach them about wetting your brush beforehand, twirling it on the paint pallet gently (I"twirl your brush like a ballerina"), making sure the brush stays wet ("don't let your brush get crazy hair"), and how to rinse their brushes when switching colors ("bounce it in the water like a po-go stick 10 times").

To start the project, we read ABC Animal Jamboree as a class. The students loved this book especially the shark. We then drew the butterfly step by step with a crayon, staring with a circle head, adding the body, and then the wings. I reminded the students to draw big because the bigger they draw, the more they get to paint. After the butterfly was draw students wrote all the letters they knew inside the wings.

Students then painted using tempra cakes. The colors of paint I have consist of yellow, blue, green, and red. Some students realized that they could mix to make new colors. Here are the results.

2nd Grade- Still Life

Before we begin still lifes, I like to read the book Roberto the Insect Architect to my class. This is one of my favorite books because of all the puns that are included. It is also has great illustrations with lots of details. While I am reading, I ask the students to look for all the details. Their favorite page is the junk yard page because it has little details in it such as a toilet, bacon, basketball, etc.

After I read the book, I tell my students that we are going to create a still life, a drawing of objects that do not move, and just like the book, we will have to include lots of details to make our drawing look real. I give each table a aluminum can with 5 paint brushes of different shapes and sizes and one pencil in it. I give each table 20 seconds to re-arrange the brushes and pencil how they want them to be, and then remind them after the 20 seconds are over, they are not allowed to move the objects because it is a still life.

We then draw the still life together, I find that this project is more successful if I do it step by step and give them tips as we draw. We start with the can and then add the brushes. I remind them that their still life's will have the brushes going in different directions because they should be drawing from their still life. Here are some examples of student work.

I really like how this student created the shadow

2nd Grade- Organic Boogers

This lesson we focused on secondary colors and organic shapes.

We began this lesson by reading I am a Booger, Treat Me with Respect. The students thought this book was hilarious. It discusses how boogers are defenders, they help keep you safe and healthy by catching germs from entering your body. This is why boogers are gross, because they are covered in germs themselves.

After we read the book, students went to work and drew a booger. I taught them about organic shapes and their booger's body needed to be an organic shape as well. I also reminded them to make their booger big so we will have plenty of room to paint, and to add lots of details.After using pencil, we went over the lines with permanent marker.

The second day we painted. Students had to mix their own paint colors by using primary colors. Here are some of the results.

Kindergarten- Cutting Test and License

I wanted to test my kindergartners on cutting but wanted to make it fun at the same time. They all have heard of driver's licenses, so why not create a cutting license? To pass the cutting test they had to show me that they could hold scissors safely and correctly. They also had to cut on a straight, zig-zag type, and wavy line. Here is what the test looked like.

Once they passed they received their cutting license. They had to cut out the license, write their name on it, draw a picture of themselves, and glue the paper to construction paper.

Kindergarten- Lines and Designs

In kindergarten, we continued our lines unit. We started by using a 18 x 12 inch paper. I pre-cut 1 x 18 inch black strips and gave each student 3. We glued the lines on our paper in the following directions: horizontal, diagonal, and vertical. Since we didn't have a curved strip, we drew one on with a black crayon. We discussed that the curved line had to be think to match the other lines.

Then we added in details and lines in each sections. I taught them other lines such as wavy, zig-zag, loop-dee-loop, spiral, castle, and dotted lines. I also showed them that you can cross lines to create a checkerboard appearance. We added these lines with crayons. Here is the finished result.

1st Grade- Patterns, Shapes, and Sizes

This first grade project covered a lot of curriculum. The first day we talked about patterns and borders. Students used rulers to create a border and then drew a pattern in the border with construction paper crayons.

The second class, we talked about geometric shapes (shapes with names and rules) and made a list on the board. We also discussed organic shapes to understand that there are other types of shapes. We then talked about different sizes, particularly small, medium, and large. Each student received 3 pieces of paper (which were the primary colors). On each paper they had to draw three geometric shapes, one small, one medium, and one large. They then had to cut them out and glue them on their black paper. Some even make figures out of their shapes.

Adaptive Art- The Dot

Did you know that National Dot day was September 15th? For this reason, we read The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds. We then created artwork based on the book. I cut paper's 9" x 9" and squirted three dots of glue on them about 3 inches apart in a triangle shape. I then put the paper in a gallon size zip-lock bag and sealed it. Students were able to press on the bag and manipulate the paint. The mixed the colors to create new ones. We also learned that you can use a Q-tip to write letters in the paint. Here is the result.

I used yellow, turquoise, and magenta, because I realized that these mix prettier together than yellow, blue, and red. 

Adaptive Art- Flags

I wanted to continue the skill we did last class of tearing paper so we created a flag. This lesson fit in perfect because it was the same week as 9-11. We read the book The Art of Freedom, How Artist See America. But now as I look through my bookshelf, I wish I would've read September 12th, We Knew Everything Would Be All Right which is written and illustrated by first grade students in Kenneth, Missouri.

Here is our finished project. I already had the blue paper cut to size and put 4 horizontal lines on the red paper so the students would know where to put the torn white paper.

Adaptive Art- Butterflies

In adaptive art we created butterflies by gluing torn paper. Started the lesson by reading the book, A Book of Colors, Butterfly, Butterfly by Petr Horachek. The students really liked the pop up butterfly at the end.

We then tore paper together and glued it down with a glue stick. I already had the butterflies pre-drawn for them.

Adaptive Art

This year I am teaching an adaptive art class to students with special needs.  Most of the students are 6-7 years old, but their performance level is well below level. My plan for this year, is to help them work on their fine motor skills. Although it might be challenging for me to create lessons that adapt to their needs, I believe this will be my favorite and most rewarding class this year. The first day of class we  did a crayon rubbing. I glued the crayon rubbing to the front of a composition note book and wrote their name on it. We begin each class by doing a simple drawing in our sketch books such as draw a picture of your self, your favorite animal, a house, etc.

3rd Grade- Warm and Cool Weavings

Day 1- In class we focused on warm and cool colors. We took a 12 X 18 inch paper and folded it in half. Students were then instructed to paint one side warm and the other side cool colors. They could paint any design they wanted because it is going to be cut up later.

Day 2- Cut the paper into half. Took the cool color side and folded it in half hamburger style and cut slits in it (like you are creating a lantern). We then took the warm color side and cut strips the short way. We used the warm color strips to weave over and under through the cool color paper.

Kindergarten-Cutting and Gluing

I wanted to start with a basic cutting and gluing project. Students cut thin strips of bright color paper and glued then on black paper to make it pop.

When we cut we sing "open shut, open shut. This is the way we cut, cut, cut. Fingers on the bottom, thumb on the top. Don't let the paper drop."

When we glue we say "just a drop, not a lot." 

5th Grade-Op Art Value

This project is mainly used to practice using different values by pressing harder or lighter. Value is used in this project to create an optical illusion.

1st Grade-Mondrian Object

For this project we discussed how some people take famous paintings and use them in different settings. We looked at examples of how people use Mondrian's famous painting and incorporate it into clothes such as shoes and dresses and it has been painted on buildings. Students then created their own Mondrian inspired objects.

2nd Grade- Mondrian

We started this year with a project that would help us review things learned previous years. These include non-objective artwork, horizontal and vertical lines, primary colors, secondary colors, and painting (using a brush with control and washing brush between colors). This was a 2 day project.

Day 1:

We started with this worksheet 

And the glued black strips of paper on a white 12 x 18 inch paper

Day 2: We painted in the squares, but made sure to leave some spaces white like Mondrian. Here are some student examples. 

3rd Grade- Op Art

For 3rd grade we did a recap lesson of many things we learned in 2nd grade including non-objective artwork and organic shapes. The students were introduced to warm and cool colors. They cut 6 little pieces of paper (yellow, red, orange, blue, purple, and green) into organic shapes. We then folded a 12 x 18 inch paper in half, opened it, and glued the warm colors on one side, cool colors on the other.

Then starting in the middle, we used a sharpie an made a line the page. We then made a line right next to it and repeated this. If a line was about to hit a shape, you had to draw around it. I stressed the idea to keep the lines equally spaced apart and to constantly trace to the side of the next line (do not let the lines touch). Here is a picture of one in process.

Here are student examples

4th Grade- Zentangles

4th grade studied non-objective artwork through Zentangles. We discussed how non-objective art is art that is made up of lines, shapes and colors. For this project I made a Zentangle Basic cheat sheet that is full of different lines and elements students could use (they could invent their own designs as well).

We started our project with 2 wavy lines crossing through our paper and added 2 shapes to break up the paper even more.Here is one that is in the beginning stages.

Student Examples

1st Grade- Mondrian

In first grade we study Mondrian as well, focusing on horizontal, vertical, and diagonal lines. We add four of each of these lines to our paper with pencil. We traced the pencil with sharpie. After, we colored in all the triangles with the primary colors. The students had to be detectives and search thoroughly to find all the triangles.

Kindergarten- Mondrian

We looked at artwork by Piet Mondrian. We discussed different types of lines including horizontal, vertical, diagonal, and curve. We discussed how Mondrian only used horizontal and vertical; students drew both of these lines on their paper. We then colored in some squares using our favorite colors.

With this lesson I also teach a line song. The tune is to Frère Jacques:
Horizontal, horizontal, side to side, side to side,
Vertical is up and down, vertical is up and down,
diagonal, diagonal.