1st Quarter Down, 3 More to Go!

Hi friends,

Well, I did it. I survived my 1st quarter teaching. Was it stressful at times? Yes. Did it take some getting used to? You bet. Was it the best decision I ever made? Abso-freaking-lutely!

I wake up every day excited to get to work, the kids are fantastic, and it the best creative outlet I could’ve asked for. The art program has definitely changed since I came on staff, but the students have really enjoyed the projects and what they’re learning about.

Even though this blog is mostly DIYs, it’s still a creative space for me. And with the first quarter under my belt, I thought I’d share some of the amazing work my students are creating!

Kindergarten

In elementary we’re focusing on the elements of art and the principles of design. Kindergarten loves coming to art class and learning about something new. One of their favorite projects was when we learned about shapes. I read them the book The Dot and they created their own “dots” and “not dots”.

1^st Grade

After we went over the elements of line, shape, color, and texture in 1^st Grade we had a review project. They created “Magic Abstract Art” using white crayons and watercolors. They were absolutely amazed with how the project turned out!

2^nd Grade

When we learned about color in 2^nd Grade, they learned the difference between primary and secondary colors. They created “Hot Air Balloon Color Wheels” where they mixed their own colors to create the secondary colors of orange, green, and purple.

3^rd Grade

When we learned about line in 3^rd Grade, they created “Moving Lines”. They started out by drawing straight, diagonal lines with alternating colors and they cut them out to change them from straight lines to curved.

4^th Grade

This was by far 4^th Grade’s favorite project they did. We learned about shape and texture to create a “Textured Owl Mural” using chalk pastels. They loved this because 1. They were really excited to learn how to draw an owl (it’s super, duper easy using basic shapes and different textures). 2. They loved chalk pastels. It was definitely a messier project, but every week they worked on it they were soooo excited to come to art class! And 3. When you put all of their projects together, it forms 1 giant art piece!

5^th Grade

After we did a review of the elements and principles, we started learning about the Renaissance. They learned about Leonardo da Vinci (whom they thought was a Mutant Ninja Turtle) and his famous Mona Lisa. They created their own “Modern Mona Lisa” where she could be anything! We had everything from Mona Lisa as a rap artist, a hunter, a soccer player, a pop star, and a role reversal where she was the artist drawing da Vinci!

6^th Grade

Middle school art is completely different this year. In middle school they have Cultural Art where they still focus on the art history timeline but learn about the different cultures included. In 6^th Grade they learned about Pre-Historic art and focused on the Caves of Lascaux. They created their own cave drawings on rock canvases.

7^th Grade

7^th Grade’s project almost took the entire quarter. They learned about Greek Art and they created their own Greek vases using paper mache.

8^th Grade

8^th Grade also started out with Pre-Historic art, learning about the Venus of Willendorf. They created their own small animal figures using clay.

High School

I have two High School art electives offered this year. The first is Art Studio where, because this is an elective, these students have chosen to be in this class so art is obviously something they’re passionate about and possibly something they’re thinking about career wise. I wanted to be sure they got to work with a bunch of different mediums but also really understood what the Elements and Principles were and why they’re important in art. The first project they did was create their own unique color wheel. They were to understand the difference between primary, secondary, and tertiary, as well as what hues, tints, shades, and tones are.

When we learned about pattern they created animal tessellations. I wanted them to think ahead to what kind of animal they wanted to create and how that would come about.

When we learned about balance they created cut paper collages showing symmetrical, asymmetrical, and radial balance. They first drew their idea in their sketchbooks and then created it out of paper.

I also have a Film Media elective where the students learn about photography and film. The first quarter is dedicated to photography and the different genres as well as some notable photographers who have influenced the field. An extra credit project they had the opportunity to complete was to print one of their final photos and one of my students submitted this landscape photo.

So those are just a few of the projects my students have worked on this first quarter and there are so many more to come. Can’t wait to show you what they create next quarter!

Did you ever take an art class either in high school, college, or even your free time? What was your favorite project?