Big, Bad Germs!

          The second grade students were also creating Big, Bad Germ paintings in art this past week.  I can’t take all of the credit here in the creation of this lesson however. This lesson was adapted from an art teacher by the name of John Post.  I adapted the lesson to fit my students’ needs.  The goal of this lesson was to introduce the idea that artists can have a career creating posters or designs for companies to advertise a product.  Since germs are everywhere, I decided to have the students create these germ paintings.  The paintings are posted around the school to remind students of the importance of washing their hands.   The objective for the students was to design a big, bad germ that had an angry facial expression and to use lots of detail in the design.  The students used tempera paints to create the poster.

          I showed the students various examples of ways that artists have designed logos, paintings, and other designs for companies.  One example was Andy Warhol’s Campbell Soup Can paintings. We discussed how art influences a lot of the things that we use everyday.

          To create the germ, first, the students had to brainstorm ways that a germ could look.  I even showed pictures of germs under a microscope to the students so that they could see how they really look. We talked about why the germ was going to have a mad face as well.  One student said that it was mad because people always want to get rid of them!  This sparked a big conversation on the importance of washing hands and cleaning the art tables.   Next, the students sketched out their designs and shared them with a partner for feedback.  Once the students were happy with their designs, the next step was to expand.  The students had to make their drawing bigger on the 12x18 sheet of paper.  When the final sketch was made, the students then began painting using colors of their choosing.

          I was very pleased with how the paintings turned for the lesson.  The students were so eager to get started!  The students were really motivated, expressive, and their own voice was heard in the assignment.  They really seemed to want to perfect their designs as they consistently asked peers for feedback on their work.  To expand on this lesson, I could have students study a few more artists that have designed things for companies.  Maybe, I could have students design their very own logo.  I could have the students create a new product and make advertisements for it.  Lastly, they could create this actual product to focus on making three-dimensional art.

Technology in the Art Studio

                The use of technology is becoming an essential part of learning about art this year. The students live in a world full of technology and advancements, and it shouldn’t be left out of the classroom.   I have been researching and learning about the many technology resources that I can use in the art studio. Technology can leverage some of our very best teaching. So far, the students have been using technology in the classroom in three different ways.  The students have used digital cameras to capture pictures of their work for their portfolios.  They have also used a computer program to create one-point perspective images.  Lastly, the students have just started using the computer to skype with their pen pals from Pennsylvania.

               The students use the digital cameras a lot in the art studio.  They have enjoyed being able to take pictures and then be able to pick and choose which images they want for their portfolios.  In Teaching the Best Practice Way,   it states that technology in the classroom can help students to advance their inquires (Bizar and Daniels, p. 194).  I want to use technology because it can play a supporting role in the classroom and not only will it engage students, it will build valuable real-life skills (p. 29).

               The use of computer for drawing has really helped the art experience in class.  The students created all sorts of different one-point perspective designs and it was a catapult to discussing a career in graphic arts and animation.  Next year I plan to implement digital stories into our lessons, where the students can create drawings and stories using the computer. 

               Lastly, the students have been very busy connecting with their pen pal friends.  At first we received letters in the mail where we were introduced to our friends.  The students were so excited to receive mail!The students and their pals have learned so much about each other’s cultures, ways of living, and art programs.  After being introduced to theidea of techn ology in the classroom, I had to find out if we had the capability to skype at school.  We did! We have just begun skyping each other and know the students can see each other directly and continue talking about their art lessons.   This has been one of the most memorable experiences for the students this year.  I take pride in what they are learning and will continue this for many years to come.

Works Cited

  Bizar, Marilyn and Harvey Daniels. (2005). Teaching the Best Practice Way.  Portland, Maine: Stenhouse Publishers.

Showcasing the Art

One of the best things that I can provide for my students is to be able to get their artwork into contests and other types of exhibits.  I want the artwork to be seen by others.  We are constantly referring back to professional artists and making connections to how they make a career out of creating artwork that speaks to people.  The goal for my students is to have an end of the year exhibit in our school where at least one piece of artwork from each student is represented.  The students have learned about the ways that professional artists showcase their art.  This would be a great way to have my students’ work be seen by the school community.  It would also be a fundraiser as we sell the artwork and use the money for our art program.  It will also be a great conclusion to a year full of hard work, dedication, and energy put into our art lessons.

I have entered the students’ artwork into several art contests and exhibits this year.  We have entered classes in a nutrition contest, the National Airport Art exhibit, and I currently working on sending a student’s artwork to the World Children’s Festival.  We will have one student and their work represented at the festival. It’s an amazing opportunity for the selected student to meet other student artists from different states and countries.   The students are working very hard on their projects and want the privilege of being that one representative. These are all opportunities to have our students’ art projects out in the community.  It makes these art lessons have meaning, and provides a motivating experience for the children.   We have also learned that sometimes a professional artist’s work is not selected as a winner in a contest.  The students are very much aware of this, but it does not prevent them from trying.  The students are enjoying the opportunity to create, being selected is another bonus.

Next year we are going to create even bigger exhibits and displays of the students’ work inside of our school.  I plan to have the students creating several permanent murals for the incoming school garden and new playground.  This would be another opportunity to show students how artists can create beautiful murals for schools and other organizations as a part of the artist career path.

Ancient Egyptian Self-Portraits

               The second grade classes began studying the artifacts of Ancient Egypt in the art studio.  We took a trip to Egypt by looking at different slides of the famous pyramids, the Sphinx, and mummies.  For this lesson, the students had to create a self-portrait in the Ancient Egyptian art style.  The standard for the lesson was to use tempera paints in their artwork. 

               Getting started, I had the students compare and contrast their faces with the pictures of King Tut’s burial mask.  The students worked in groups to create a Venn diagram of their comparisons.  Venn diagrams are excellent graphic organizers that allow students to organize their comparisons and contrasts on paper.  The students have a chance to doodle ideas with this type of organization.  The Venn diagram definetely helps fit the visual learners' learning style.   Here, the students use two interlocking circles to display the contrasts and similarities. (Bizar and Daniels, p. 107).

               The students realized that the face was made of gold, it had on make-up, it had lots of jewelry, and that the mask had a hair wrap and beard wrap.  I had the students sketch out drawings of themselves as they are, then we added details to make them look like Ancient Egyptian king and queens by adding jewelry and crowns.  From there, the students sketched their final designs on the bigger paper.  The students had to write their name with the hieroglyphic alphabet as well. The final step was to paint their self-portraits with tempera paints.  The students used yellow tempera paints to make their faces look golden, like King Tut’s mask.

               The students overall had a lot of success with their designs.  The students have to remember to draw big and fill the page.  The students learned different ways to embellish their designs with details.  The students seemed to enjoy writing their short stories about what kind of king or queen they would be.  The students really were excited with drawing themselves in a different way.  The Ancient Egyptian art and artifacts captured their attention from the beginning and kept them motivated.   One thing that I could add next time is to expand the study and draw full figured self-portraits like in most Ancient Egyptian art work (face, hands , and feet would be profile). Perhaps next time I could find out if there are any museum exhibits of Egyptian art and plan a field trip for the students to compliment the lesson.  This could make the lesson more meaningful and could but more experiences for the students.


Works Cited

Bizar, Marilyn and Harvey Daniels. (2005). Teaching the Best Practice     Way.  Portland, Maine: Stenhouse Publishers.

Moon-lit Cityscapes

Fourth Grade Lesson:  Moon-lit Cityscapes

               The objective of this lesson was for the students to be able to (SWBAT) create a cityscape design showing light and dark in the moonlight.  The students have had lots of practice this year with painting and this lesson required the students to be able to lighten and darken a color by mixing white and black to create different values of a color. 

How did the students do it? Day 1-2 (Background work) First, they were shown a teacher-created model of the finished assignment.  Then, they were shown how to mix white with their chosen color, blue or purple, to make the color lighter with each section.  The students created a ring of circles on their paper.  Next, the students chose their colors and began mixing and painting.  Each ring slowly became darker as the rings went out of the center.  Students painted the whole page with the moonlight rings.  On Day 3-4, foreground work, the students sketched out their building shapes and started painting them black with white windows.  The black buildings with the valued background create contrast and gives emphasis to the moonlight. 

               The students were challenged with the idea of making a color get lighter or darker at least five times in this lesson.  However, they did not give up and were very pleased at how their projects turned out.  I was amazed to see the students helping each other in class, whether it was giving each other mixing tips or complimenting each others’ work.  Also, the students were able to make connections to the lesson.  When I introduce this lesson again in the future, I will add a few more objects to be with the buildings, such as trees, cars, or people.  I could have them use warm colors (red, yellow, and orange) to create a sunset or sunrise cityscape.  Also, I will add a writing component where the students will use poetry to compliment their designs.

For the Parents!

Here's what is happening inside the Art Studio!

from Mr. Clay

Hello Parents,

The scholars have been hard at work here in the art studio.  We have been creative very exciting projects and the students are learning more and more about the wonderful world of art everyday.
Where we've been....
*PS, PK, and Kindergarten have been experimenting with using everday tools as art tools!  We used drinking straws, cups, popsicle sticks, yarn, and so much more to paint with.
*First grade have been working on their Goody, Goody Gumball machine paintings, learning about the works and styles of Wayne Theibald.
*Second grade has just wrapped exploring ancient Egypt, studying the mask of King Tut, and finally created their very own ancient Egyptian self-portrait!
*Third graders are finishing painting their seacape designs, they learned how to create a realistic palm tree, overlapping, and creating backgrounds.
*Fourth grade is putting their finishing touches to their Tessellation designs.  We explored the works of MC Escher.

Where we are going...
Upcoming lessons include seascapes, desertscapes, paintings of germs, Goody, Goody Gumball machines (second and third graders), and exploring the concepts of mixing paints to create tints and shades!

Let's remember to keep up the hard work and take pride in our artwork!

What we've been up to!

Third and fourth graders have been working on tessellation designs.  They really seemed to enjoy using the idea of reflections that they learned in the classroom and creating art with it. 

Art on a Cart.... for a week! Yikes!

It's that lovely time of year where students are taking standardized testing!  So that means that the art room is officially closed.  It is used for testing all this week, so that means that I'm on a cart all week.  It can be hard to change from your own space to using another teacher's space for art.  To paint or not to paint, that is the question! I have to choose my art lessons wisely this week! Any suggestions out there?  It definetely makes me feel grateful for having my own classroom, my own space.  I must take my hat off to all the art teachers out there that are on a cart 24/7!  It's not easy!

What's this all about?

This is my blog for sharing experiences, activities, ideas, lesson plans, pictures, successes, and yes, the failures that happen in my art classroom. This blog also meant to be a place for my students' parents to be able to see and know what is going in the art studio. I absolutely loving teaching art to my students. Being an art teacher is such a rewarding job! My job is to help students learn about art through creative expression, hands on experiences, and most importantly, help them have fun while learning.  In a world where testing is everything, art teachers, classes, and funding are being cut, art is more important than ever.  Art gives students a chance to "think outside of the box," and get back to being creative and using imaginations.

So for starters,  I found out that my third grade students were working on flips, slides, and reflections in math.  I told the students that this could be done in art as well.  The same reflections in math can be used in art.  I really like when I can bring in concepts that students are learning in their classes into my art lessons.  But at the same time, it's nice to be able to come up with new ideas and concepts that are just..... art!  Hopefully, this blog will be a place where art teachers can help each other and communicate with each other!