Fourth Grade has been working hard at creating some really awesome stuff! They created a Gustav Klimt inspired tree by painting in their background with neon colors, drawing their tree in pencil overtop, painting in the tree with black tempera paint, and then adding fun details with oil pastels. Some students even added sequence pieces on their paintings.
Because we have such an amazing winter here in Iowa (HA! Snow, snow, snow, oh and COLD!) We decided to create mug still life paintings! Each table got a different mug and the students had to really concentrate on drawing that mug exactly as they see it (not how they think they see it). We talked about how the top and bottom of the mug curve because you are looking at it from an angle, so they made sure to get the curve of their mugs just right. Once their mugs were drawn, they could add whatever they wanted to to their drink (marshmallows, candy canes, whip cream, sprinkles, you name it!). Then they colored in their pictures. The mug was one color, the table was another color, and the background was a third color. Then we talked about patterns and how they could add a different pattern to each new section of their picture. They painted their patterns with neon paints.
Because we have such an amazing winter here in Iowa (HA! Snow, snow, snow, oh and COLD!) We decided to create mug still life paintings! Each table got a different mug and the students had to really concentrate on drawing that mug exactly as they see it (not how they think they see it). We talked about how the top and bottom of the mug curve because you are looking at it from an angle, so they made sure to get the curve of their mugs just right. Once their mugs were drawn, they could add whatever they wanted to to their drink (marshmallows, candy canes, whip cream, sprinkles, you name it!). Then they colored in their pictures. The mug was one color, the table was another color, and the background was a third color. Then we talked about patterns and how they could add a different pattern to each new section of their picture. They painted their patterns with neon paints.
First grade classes created these AWESOME abstract sculptures! The students learned about sculptures and how they are 3D, which means you can see them from every angle, walk around them, and sometimes even interact with them! We talked about how sculptures used to really be used to show important people or tell important stories. Then we discussed how sculptures can be abstract, which means it doesn't really represent anything specific and uses lines, shapes, and colors. So we looked at pictures of abstract sculptures and picked out the colors and shapes that the students saw. We then started to assemble our own abstract sculptures! They used small pieces of randomly cut cardboard and glues the pieces in anyway they desired. Once they were glued the students decided to paint their sculpture one base color. We then added fun patterns over top.
Second grade students created these beautiful snowflakes! This has become a FAVORITE project of mine. I did it for the first time last year and it was a huge success, so why not repeat?! We talked about how snowflakes form and the shapes that they have. We watched a video of a scientist who goes out snowflake hunting in order to photograph these beautiful flakes and we also watched a short video of snowflakes forming. Looking at different pictures of snowflakes, we noticed that they have radial symmetry (when something has the same images, shapes, designs or parts that rotate around a center point. Ex: a kaleidoscope). So the challenge for the students was to create a snowflake that had radial symmetry.
How we did this: We first took a 6x6 inch square sheet of white paper and folded so there were two creases that made a plus and two creases that went from corner to corner making an X. Those folds will be where the arms of the snowflakes are drawn. So each student traced the fold lines and then started designing their snowflakes so that they were unique but still showed radial symmetry. We then painted over our pencil marks with blue paint. To add a little more to these snowflakes, we added two larger blue squares as a boarder. The students picked up their darker blue paper which was slightly bigger than the snowflake (7x7 inch). They placed the snowflake down and traced it so they knew where to draw their boarder. They were instructed to create patterns in their boarder and we talked about different patterns they could do. Once the boarder was complete they glued the snowflake to the dark blue boarder. Then they were ready for the light blue boarder (8x8 inch) and they followed the same process as before.
How we did this: We first took a 6x6 inch square sheet of white paper and folded so there were two creases that made a plus and two creases that went from corner to corner making an X. Those folds will be where the arms of the snowflakes are drawn. So each student traced the fold lines and then started designing their snowflakes so that they were unique but still showed radial symmetry. We then painted over our pencil marks with blue paint. To add a little more to these snowflakes, we added two larger blue squares as a boarder. The students picked up their darker blue paper which was slightly bigger than the snowflake (7x7 inch). They placed the snowflake down and traced it so they knew where to draw their boarder. They were instructed to create patterns in their boarder and we talked about different patterns they could do. Once the boarder was complete they glued the snowflake to the dark blue boarder. Then they were ready for the light blue boarder (8x8 inch) and they followed the same process as before.
Kindergarten classes read the book The Mitten by Jan Brett. Each student designed their own mitten by adding fun patterns. We discussed how a pattern is made when shapes, lines, and colors are used repeatedly (circle, square, circle, square). They were very quick to point out that A-B-C-A-B-C was a pattern :) They cut out their mittens and glued them down to blue paper and finally added snowflakes with a small piece of cardboard and white paint.
Here is the display case where I got to put up some student work for the month. And also the infamous Mona Lisa who keeps changing her disguise. For the month of December she was a Christmas tree and this past month she has been bundled up for winter. I have a few nifty elves at school that like to add things to my Mona Lisa....so she ended up getting some Patriots garb in honor of the super bowl.