MANCHESTER AND ORCHARD HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY TEXT FOR STUDENT DISPLAYS, 2012 FOCUS ON CONCEPTS AND STUDENT LEARNING TARGETS

MANCHESTER AND ORCHARD HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY TEXT FOR STUDENT DISPLAYS, 2012 FOCUS ON CONCEPTS AND STUDENT LEARNING TARGETS

ART BY SIDNEY GLEN IMA INTERMEDIATE MULTI-AGE CLASS: 4 TH AND 5 TH GRADES We completed a series of five one hour drawing sessions this spring. We began by observing and drawing plants. We used contour lines to show the edges of leaves and stems and added patterns of lines to show the details and textures we saw. Next we created small drawings where we enlarged a part of a flowering plant, and layered colors using watercolor pencils with wet brushes these drawings became Mother s Day cards. We experimented with vine charcoal and observed and drew shells and bones using line and value (light and dark areas that show light sources and the threedimensional form of objects). We studied photos of landscapes and worked on using foreground, middle ground and background in our landscapes. We also used thin and thick line, crosshatching (layered line to show value), and a variety of lines to suggest the textures of trees, clouds, mountains, grass, water We combined the skills and knowledge we gained by drawing color landscapes using fine-tipped black permanent marker and watercolor pencils with wet brushes. We layered and blended color, and worked on suggesting depth in space.

Third grade students created Contrast with Complementary Colors... We talked about complementary colors and how complements have a special relationship on the color wheel. Complementary colors create more contrast when placed together than any other color combination. We looked at landscapes (art representing features of the environment): Marsden Hartley, New Mexico Landscape, Western Flame; Paul Gauguin, Sacred Mountain and Wasily Kandinsky, Blue Mountain. We found places where the artist combined complementary colors for contrast in each of the landscapes. We also identified foreground areas that are close, background areas that are far away, and the horizon line where the land meets the sky in each painting. We used a water-based paint called gouache (g-wash). We practiced brush techniques by making dabs and strokes first on practice paper, then went on to create an expressive landscape. We created foreground trees that overlapped a background and horizon line. We combined complementary colors to create contrast in our landscape. Understanding... Combining Complementary colors can create contrast.

IS THIS WHERE THE ELVES LIVE? Our 3 rd grade class... Looked at architecture and identified geometric shapes Invented an imaginary cityscape using overlapping geometric shapes Drew 5+ buildings that fill the paper using rulers, protractors and triangles Emphasized overlapping by outlining buildings and adding patterns in pen and crayon Painted a layer of colors using watercolor paint

My Art Portfolio... We have been learning artists all year long. A teaching artist, Ms. Essex, has been helping us. We have looked at art by many artists and cultures from all over the world to inspire us. October We drew the first letter of our name, a border around it, and added straight, curved, zigzag and interrupted lines to create a decorative label for our sketchbooks. We practiced drawing, developed ideas, and recorded visual information in our sketchbooks all year. We used thin and thick lines made with markers to create a line design using vertical, horizontal and diagonal lines. We then invented patterns made of lines for the shapes we created with our lines. November We organized and drew geometric shapes in symmetry (formal balance). We colored the shapes and the space around them with overlapping colors of oil pastel. We learned about radial symmetry that we see in nature (flowers), machines (wheels), and art forms throughout the world. We created radial symmetry relief prints by drawing into a Styrofoam printing plate, inking it up with a brayer, and transferring the image to paper. December We looked at shapes in architecture. We invented a building and made it by overlapping and gluing shapes of all different kinds of paper in a collage. We studied Adinkra cloth from Africa which has patterns of symbols on it. We created a symbolic stamp of wood with foam shapes adhered to it. We printed a stamped pattern (using acrylic paint) on cloth. These became Mother s Day pillows... January We looked at a color wheel. We used gouache paint (water-based opaque paint) to paint different kinds of lines in primary colors. Then we mixed secondary colors (green, orange and violet) and other colors on a palette and painted the shapes in our painting.

February We used watercolor to explore transparent paint and brush techniques. We made dabs and strokes using a variety of brushes, wet and dry, and organized our brush work in a radial design. We felt different kinds of textures on objects and described them. We found different textures in the school environment, and made crayon rubbings of them. We compared what we found. We even made rubbings of the bottom of our shoes! March We made clay tiles. We used different found objects (macaroni, fake plants, hair clips, etc) to create stamped textures on our tiles. We created a border with a garden in the middle. April May June We drew objects from nature (shells, sticks, feathers, bones) using organic shapes. We used light and dark graphite drawing pencils to describe the contours (edges) and details of the objects in our sketchbooks. We painted our ceramic tiles after they were fired in the kiln using watercolor. We used dabs and strokes to thoughtfully highlight the textures in our tiles. They became Mother s Day tiles... We looked at African masks and made our own African animal mask. We cut paper shapes with cut-out eyes, nose, and mouth for the animal s face, and then added symmetrical patterns using oil pastels. We applied a dark wash of paint for contrast and then stapled the mask together to change it from being 2-D (flat) to 3-D. We created 3-D imaginary animal sculptures using found objects, wire, and model magic--an air-drying clay. Our animals are 3-D since they have height, width, and depth. We built a paper sculpture using a variety of paper construction techniques: twisting, notching, cutting, folding, and curling.

Kindergarten made Plant Textures We learned that texture means the way something feels. We looked at and touched different kinds of plants. We noticed and talked about how some plants had smooth, rough, bumpy or prickly textures. We made rubbings of three different plants using three different colors of crayon blocks. After completing rubbings of three plant textures, we looked closely at the textures we transferred from plant to paper. We then found and traced/highlighted lines in the plant rubbings using colored pencils. We found straight, curved, zigzag and interrupted lines. Understanding... Texture is a surface quality perceived by touch. Textures can be transferred using crayon rubbings.