3 Quarters Down, 1 More to Go!

Hi friends,

Oh. My. Goodness. I have 1 quarter left in my first year of teaching! I can’t believe it. These next weeks are just gonna fly by and before I know it I’m gonna be sharing the 4th quarter projects with you! Even though this blog is mostly DIYs, it’s still a creative space for me and I thought I’d share some of the amazing work my students created in the 3rd quarter!

Kindergarten

Kindergarten spent a lot of time this quarter learning about different artists. One of the artists we learned about was Dale Chihuly. I’ve loved Chihuly sculptures for years and I knew that my students would as well. We spent some time looking at different projects of his but really focused on his ceiling installation at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. We used markers to create shapes, lines, and patterns on coffee filters and then lightly sprayed them with water to create the tie-dye effect. Right now they’re hanging on a wall in the art room but next month we have a  spring art show and I’m planning on hanging them from the ceiling like Chihuly! My Kindergarteners will be so excited!

1^st Grade

In 1st grad we learned about the artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser. But if you were one of my 1st graders you’ll know that his full name is Friedensreich Regentag Dunkelbunt Hundertwasser. They thought his name was hilarious and had the word “butt” in it. Oh, to be that young and easily entertained. Anyways, we took a look at pictures of Hundertwasserhaus in Austria and they worked on creating their own Hundertwasser villages!

2^nd Grade

2nd Grade learned about the artist Wayne Thiebaud and how he painted “commonplace objects”. My students noticed that a lot of his work featured dessert foods so we decided ours should as well. They made GIANT cupcakes using markers and created their toppings with glitter, pastels, yarn, paint, or anything else they felt would help tie their project together.

3^rd Grade

One of the artists that 3rd grade learned about was Laurel Burch. We looked at different projects of hers and compared them. My students noticed that she continually used the principle of pattern and the element of color in her artwork. We designed our own “Fantastic Felines” by creating patterns of line and shapes and coloring them with either warm or cool colors. Also, I just wanted an excuse to make cute cats. ;)

4^th Grade

In 4th grade they learned about the artist Winold Reiss. They thought his first name was really weird and, let’s be honest, it is. But it’s memorable! They viewed pictures of his mosaic murals and decided to create their own mosaic pictures. They first sketched and colored their animal of choice on a separate piece of paper to understand colors, shapes, and proportions they’ll need for their final project. They then looked through magazines for the colors they needed and began cutting small pieces out to glue to their black piece of paper. The final product? Amazingness! And no. This student didn’t get any bonus points for designing a fox. But I definitely thought about it! ;)

5^th Grade

5th Grade learned about the artist Grant Wood and his famous painting “American Gothic”. They were all very shocked to learn that the word “gothic” has another meaning other than dressing in all black at all times. We went over all of the characteristics of American Gothic and they created their own parodies inspired by it!

6^th Grade

One of the cultures that 6th grade learned about this quarter was Native American. We talked about different types of their art but focused on their tapestries. Using small looms my students created their own mini wall hung tapestries. This ended up being such a cool project. They worked on weaving the whole thing and then had the option to embroider a design on it if they chose. The student on the left stitched a Harry Potter inspired design and the student on the right stitched a gymnast doing a backhand walkover on a balance beam. Super creative!

7^th Grade

During the 3rd quarter, 7th grade learned about Polynesian art and focused on tiki statues. Their assignment was to create a tiki face and fill in the separate sections with zentangle designs. They turned out so well and each one had a different facial expression!

8^th Grade

8th grade learned about Japanese culture this quarter and it was my personal favorite. (If you don’t get why, check out this post here!) They focused on woodblock prints and the process on how they’re made. For their projects, they were given a sheet of rubber and carving tools to create their designs. It was difficult for some of them to think in reverse and carve out the pieces that they didn’t want ink but they all turned out so well!

Set Design

If you follow me on Instagram then you probably saw this project sneak peek a couple weeks ago. This is a new class for the school, for the students, and for me. But I love teaching it! Each year the school puts on a play in the spring and a musical in the fall. The responsibility of this class is to create the sets for each production. This past quarter we worked on the set for the spring play “Number the Stars” that was put on a couple weeks ago. It was a long road getting to where it needed to be, but the whole set turned out so well! I’m so incredibly proud of them and the hard work they put in!

 

So those are just a few of the projects my students have worked on during their 3rd quarter and there are so many more to come. Can’t wait to show you what they create in their final quarter! If you missed what my students made last quarter, check it out here!

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