Friday, October 31, 2014

November/December 2014

 
 

Primary Art Class:

Primary art students have been exploring color through paint. In addition to using watercolor paint to "Take a Dot for a Walk" and creating "Hidden Name Paintings", they have been mixing their own colors using only red, blue, yellow and white tempera paint. Color is MAGIC!

Exploring & Observing: How do you make pink?
Has anyone figured it out? I have! Will you show us?
We made pink!
 
Expressing: I'm following the
 dot who went for a walk with my paint brush.

Developing Skills & Craft: Now that the letters from my name are hidden, I am going to hide them even
more with watercolor paint!

 
Focusing is a big part of art making.
Helping out Another (exhibiting Empathy) :
Sometimes it helps to have a friend when
 time gets tight.
Stretching & Exploring: When mixing red
with a bit of yellow she created a beautiful coral color.

Kindergarten Art Class:

Kindergarten art students have been creating art related to their studies in the classroom. Their knowledge of the ocean and it's inhabitants is demonstrated in their beautiful Mixed-Media Collages. In addition, they have been exploring watercolor and created "Hidden Name Paintings". 


Envisioning & Developing Craft: Students
created a background for their ocean collage using
 hand made paper, hand painted paper, and tissue paper.
Concentrating & Applying Knowledge: This artist is concentrating on making his sky appear lighter when it is closer to the sand.
Engaging & Persisting: Piece by piece
the background is created.
Visualizing and Cutting
More Visualizing and Cutting
Visualizing the placement of his sea creatures,
 this artist is engaged in space and design decisions.


Making Final Design Decisions 

         

 
                                                 
 
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Developing Craft: Practicing  a new skill
Visualizing: Deciding on the final placement of letters




              
Expressing: This artist is adding his own choice of color after
carefully "dancing" the letters of his name around the painting.


 

First Grade Art Class:

For several weeks the first grade artists have been working on their Fall Trees: Mixed-Media Collages. In addition to creating a background and thinking about where to place the horizon line, the students "built" their trees with hand made paper and then added branches, leaves, and berries. The fall colors are spectacular!
 
Here are some examples of the process and their final projects:



Applying New Knowledge: After discussing
the concept of a horizon line, the students
place their mosaic background pieces to
show where the ground and sky meet.

Learning Craft: The final step was to seal the collage with Mod-Podge.






















First Graders have also experienced making Leaf Mono Prints:

Carefully painting the leaf:  Everything in
 this project was about being "gentle."
Developing Craft: Handling the materials with care...
Japanese Rice Paper is delicate.


Engage and Persist: The prints needed to be "pulled"
carefully with two hands, or the print would curl up on itself.

Second Grade Art Class:

Second Grade artists have been enjoying several different mediums in art including observational drawing, mixed-media collage, painting, and print-making. Throughout these experiences they have been building on their art skills, both practical and creative. Here are some examples of their work:

Engage & Persist: After creating a face only
self-portrait, the students used collage
materials to create an entire person and
completed their work with a painted
 background.


 Express: The background gave the students
 an opportunity to give their portrait personal meaning.
 
Stretch & Explore: The students created Hidden Name
Paintings similar to those discussed earlier.
 
Decisions, Decisions...In this photo students are
making artistic decisions about what they have visualized.
They are picking materials for the backgrounds of their "Oceanscapes".
 
Engage & Persist: Creating the background
 is the first step in this multi-step process.
Developing Craft: Using scissors and
other tools help students develop skills.
 
Explore & Experiment: When making a mono print,
the students explore and experiment with
different ways to make each print.
Understanding the Art World:
Artists often work in a series...

 

Third Grade Art Class:

The third graders have enjoyed many projects throughout the fall including experiences with observational drawing, painting, collage, and 3-D construction. The highlight for them was the creation of Haunted Houses for Halloween! Before starting the project the students discussed the organizational skills that go into multi-step projects. For example, they were challenged to think in advance about the planning process: How would they Plan, Organize, Prioritize, Self-Monitor, and maintain Sustained Focused Attention throughout several weeks. They completed a written plan and sketch before starting their house. Here are some photos from the project:
 
Making the plan and sketch
Using their Working Memory: Third graders
had recently participated in the Cardboard Challenge
and applied those newly acquired skills to this project while working with similar materials.
Envisioning and making that vision come to life

Developing Craft: Measuring distances

Stretch and Explore: Attaching pieces...
trial and error and success!
Visualization coming to life! Now the creator can
really begin to see the final product of his efforts!

Problem Solving: Tape is a wonderful invention
Concentration, problem solving,
and decision making move
the process along.
Persistence: Solving the problem of
attaching the tube took several attempts.

Express: Watch out, I'm sure she
has something quite scary in mind!


Having Fun: Not Allowed !!!
 
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All School News: We will be starting our School-Wide Project in November: Shadow Boxes. Please remember to discuss this project with your children and help them decide what to bring from home. There is more information about this in my last post.

For students interested in MOREART:

  • The Afterschool Winter & Spring Sessions for MOREART will be combined into one Registration Form this year. These forms will be sent home on Thursday, November 13th in student's backpacks. There will be extra forms in the main office. MOREART is offered to K-3rd grade students and meets on Monday after school from January 5- April 20th, with no class on 1/19.

  • MOREART Summer Sessions will meet for three sessions between June 22 and July 10. The registration forms will be available later in November. This program is for students entering grades 1-4 in the fall of 2015.