March 23rd-27th

Hi everyone,

The students are back from spring break and have been busy in the art room-- even making March Madness masterpieces. The one below was made prior to the Jayhawk's defeat. :(

Here's what each grade is up to!

K- Kindergarten students are learning about the artist Hanoch Piven, who creates portraits of famous artists using found objects. We're using things around the classroom to assemble our self-portraits, such as paper clips, foam, beads, pipe cleaners, string, etc. The kids are really loving creating these colorful and silly portraits.

1st- First graders are either finishing up the Paul Klee Building Blocks lesson or making their headbands for the 1st grade music program. Mrs. Szeleywcz's class made their brown bat headbands yesterday, complete with insects on the band-- adorable!

2nd- Second grade students are learning about art from the past and present. We have been having discussions about what clues tell us when an artwork was made. 2nd graders also compared and contrasted works of art to learn more about art from the past and present.

3rd- Third grade students are finishing up their cubist animals and getting ready for their field trip on April 9th to the Spencer Art Museum. A docent from the Spencer will be visiting the third grade classes to talk about the museum and the exhibits we'll be seeing. This trip is the day after MAP testing, so this is a great reward for students after their hard work.

4th- Fourth graders are finishing up their Jasper Johns Pop Art Collagraphs. We have finished printing and are now completing a self-assessment rubric and doing a scavenger hunt! The scavenger hunt is great because it allows the students to study each other's works.

5th- Fifth graders are creating their Fantasy Exploration Maps. Students looked at the work of Allison Murray Whittingston for inspiration. Maps need to have a compass rose, labels, a border, a theme, and small pictures. The students have been very excited about this project and love having total creative power. We are learning about watercolors and how to create value with water/paint proportions. Can't wait to see how the Maps look with color!

March 2nd-6th

Hello!

I missed last week's post due to conferences, but here's what we're working on this week in the Art room.

K- Kindergarteners have finally finished their party hats that focused on their knowledge of functional art vs. art for art's sake. This project reviewed so many things we've learned over the past month or two-- cutting, gluing, stamping, oil pastels, patterns, and types of art. I just love how the kids made every aspect of the hat except the paper.

1st- First graders are finishing up their tree houses. This project is so adorable and also so lengthy. Here's a preview of our next project, Paul Klee Building Block Cityscapes. One class took a break and started this project and their so colorful and really brighten up the hallway.

2nd- Second Graders are continuing to work on their warm color monsters and cool/neutral color robots. We read a book called "I Need My Monster" and they all really enjoyed that while drawing their monsters. I am emphasizing to them the importance of craftsmanship and filling the space.

3rd- Third grade is learning about different portrait viewpoints (frontal, profile, and 3/4 view). This is an extension of our knowledge of landscape viewpoints (bird's eye, worm's eye, and eye level). To practice our understanding, we've been learning about Pablo Picasso and Cubism. He used multiple viewpoints in his portraits. The students are making Cubist Animals using multiple perspectives. This is a really hard concept and the kids impressed me with how quickly they picked it up!

4th- Fourth graders are in the printing stage of their collagraphs. Collagraphs are a form of printmaking in which a printing plate is made from cardboard, string, foam, or other found objects. The printing is a messy experience, but teaches the importance of following directions and listening--that's for sure.

5th- Fifth graders just finished adding sprinkles to their ceramic Wayne Thiebaud-inspired donuts and enjoyed donuts in class. Now we are beginning to plan our Fantasy Exploration Maps based on the artwork of Allison Murray Whittington. Everyone is getting very creative with their map themes! While their maps are in progress, here are some photos of the finished donuts.