We are always in need of the following supplies:
cardboard tubes
small boxes
glue sticks
ticonderoga pencils (easiest to sharpen)
crayola markers
tissues (for cold and allergy season)
bandaids
Q-tips
Students will work with a variety of materials in art this year. The curriculum includes the role of artists in society, recognizing art as a form of communication, and using the elements of art like line, shape, color, texture and space. Most artwork is saved during the year for displays and shows and will be sent home in June. We currently have two art teachers at Thurston, Mrs. Wyse and Mrs. Becker. We are always in need of the following supplies: cardboard tubes small boxes glue sticks ticonderoga pencils (easiest to sharpen) crayola markers tissues (for cold and allergy season) bandaids Q-tips
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Preschool students created a collage from cardboard, paint, and paper. Many students made skyscrapers, buildings and roads. Kindergarten students learned that everybody makes art all around the world. We looked at Aboriginal Dot Paintings and got ideas from the lines, dots, shapes and animals in Australian art. First Grade students learned that artists get ideas from the world around them. We talked about the things that you can see in a city. They painted the background with sponges for an Impressionistic looking sky. Next, they cut and glued a road, skyscrapers and cars. They learned the words cityscape, collage, foreground, midground and background. Every collage is unique! Second Graders just finished their color theory unit. Students learned that the primary colors red, blue and yellow can be mixed to make the secondary colors orange, green and purple. Each student created a heart inspired from the artist Jim Dine showing warm and cool colors. Third Grade students are creating a seascape collage. Each student drew their own ship complete with sails, masts and flags. Next they created water with light, medium and dark values of paper. Finally they added watercolor paint for their stormy sky. Fourth Graders learned about a group of painters called the Fauves. These painters were called "wild beasts" by their critics because they chose to paint landscapes with imaginary colors instead of realistic colors. Each student created a landscape with a lighthouse using bright, imaginary colors. Fifth Graders are busy creating set designs for the 5th grade musical. Students are working in groups to create large paintings on banner paper. Their designs need to be simple enough to paint and big enough to be easily seen from the audience. Preschool students learned about concentric circles. They created a collage with tissue paper and a painting. Kindergarten students looked at art by Jasper Johns. We talked about using the alphabet in a painting and how the primary colors (red, yellow, and blue) can be mixed to make secondary colors (orange, green, and purple). First grade students looked at the brush marks of Impressionist and Post Impressionist painters. They experimented using sponges, cardboard, and cotton swabs in paint. Next we looked at Van Gogh's Starry Night painting and they selected different tools to create the effects of wind, stars, ground, and sky. Second grade students celebrated March is Reading Month by looking at Eric Carle's illustrations for picture books. They created unique painted paper and then cut and glued the paper to make a collage showing an animal. Students even crafted a title for their finished piece. Third grade students finished their treasure maps and started planning their clay project. Each treasure map has a legend, distance scale, compass, symbols and names of places. Fourth graders are creating clay coil pots. They spent a week practicing with modeling clay (plastic based clay). They learned that real clay (clay from soil) needs to be scored, slipped, and smoothed in order for one piece to attach to another piece. Students will glaze their coil pots and bring them home to share soon! Fifth grade students are creating plaster masks. Students looked at masks from around the world and planned out an idea for how they want their final mask to look. Next they cut strips of plaster to prepare for mask making day. Each student has a chance to create a mask and have a mask made of their own face. It is a very fun (and messy) project! Preschool students are learning how to create collage inspired by winter weather. Students used their finger muscles to tear paper to create these penguins. In kindergarten, students were texture detectives. They discovered a different texture using a different color of crayon for each of their spaces. Next they painted with watercolor paint over the textures to see how crayons resist watercolor paint. We talked about the words texture (the way something feels), texture rubbing (using a crayon to get the texture to show up), composition (the arrangements of shapes on a page) and making sure there were no empty "lonely spots" on their paper. First grade, preschool and second grade students are working on their clay projects. First graders created a clay sun. We talked about pinching clay to make the sun's rays, carving the clay with a tooth pick to make eyes, and scoring and slipping clay to add a nose. Second grade students are creating an owl sculpture out of an upside down pinch pot. Preschool students pressed different textures into clay. In second grade, we read a book about the artist Georgia Okeeffe. Students noticed that O'Keeffe got her inspiration from nature. They drew a larger than real life flower and learned how to mix and blend oil pastels. This lesson helped them to understand the difference between warm and cool colors and how to make colors lighter (making a tint) by adding white. Third grade students just completed their printmaking project inspired by the Pop artist Andy Warhol. Students drew a self portrait by looking at their own unique details in a mirror. They created a printing plate with a piece of styrofoam. They learned how to use ink and a brayer (a special rolling tool to spread ink). Students were encouraged to make many prints and then select four of their favorites for the final framed piece. We spent a lot of time talking about glue craftsmanship (not too much and not too little). Fourth grade students are continuing to weave. They created a loom out of cardboard and have spent many art classes seletcting just the right colors of yarn to weave over and under from top to bottom. We talked about the words warp, weft, loom, and pattern. In fifth grade, students are learning about the artist M.C. Escher. They are creating a cardboard template which can be traced to fill a page without gaps or overlaps. Once the template is made, students can create different creatures out of their shape. Students created four ideas and then selected their favorite for their final draft. We are talking about, pattern, tessellation, and optical illusion. Leaf rubbings provided Kindergarten students with a great way to learn about texture and pattern while enjoying the change in the season. Students placed the leaves under their paper and used the side of a crayon to find the texture. Next, they drew on top of the leaf rubbing to emphasize the lines in the leaf. They used watercolor paint to add color. Finally, they drew a pattern repeating two different lines around the frame. First grade students used their warm and cool color paintings to create a fall collage. The cool colors (blue, green and purple) became the sky and the warm colors (red, yellow and orange) turned into fall leaves. We talked about branching lines, cutting vs. ripping paper, and creating a frame. Some students even tried to create an illusion of space by making the trees smaller in the background and larger in the foreground. In second grade, students looked at the book, Sky Tree, by Thomas Locker. This book shows how trees change with each season. Students painted stripes of color for their sunset background. Black paint created a silhouette look for the trees. We talked about how artists are inspired by the world around them, the word landscape to describe a picture of the outdoors, strategies for controlling brushes while painting lines, and creating a balanced composition. Students in 3rd grade are learning how to create multiple images through printmaking. We talked about the Pop artist, Andy Warhol, drew a pencil self portrait while looking in a mirror, learned how to transfer a drawing to a styrofoam printing plate, used a brayer to roll ink onto the printing plate, and created many prints so that the best ones could be used in the final framed collage. 4th grade students are creating their own looms from cardboard. We talked about the words loom, weaving, warp, weft, pattern, and color. Many students find this to be a very rewarding and relaxing project (once they get the hang of it)! In 5th grade, students created paintings inspired by the Amate bark paintings of Mexico. Students noticed that many traditional bark paintings use bird, flower, tree or sun motifs. They brainstormed and planned their ideas in their sketchbooks. Next they carefully drew a simplified design onto a brown paper bag. After the drawing was finished, they traced over the pencil with sharpie marker for a bold waterproof outline. The bags were soaked in water, squeezed out, and flattened to create a bark-like texture. Students selected bright colors for their pieces. Finally, they added more lines and details on top of the dried paint. Preschool students are learning about lines, shapes and colors. We made a stamped circle painting with the primary colors of red, yellow and blue. Some students experimented with mixing the primary colors to make secondary colors, orange, green and purple. Kindergarten students created a collage inspired by the artist Mondrian. This was a great lesson to teach color, shape, line and printmaking. First they glued squares and rectangles of primary colored paper to a white background. We talked about how to use just the right amount of glue, how to use the drying rack and how to use the sink. Next they dipped cardboard into black paint and stamped horizontal and vertical lines. During centers, students are learning about color mixing, shapes, texture, sketchbooks, modeling clay and constructions. First Grade students learned the difference between warm and cool colors. Warm colors like red, orange and yellow were painted on one half of the paper. Cool colors like blue, green and purple were painted on the other half. This paper will be used for their fall landscape collage. Second Grade students are painting horizontal stripes for their sunset sky. Next we will paint trees with branches on top of this colorful background. We talked about fall weather and how trees change and lose their leaves. Fourth Graders are still working hard on their Michigan Mosaics. They are carefully cutting and gluing paper to make a symbol to represent Michigan. Next they will make a loom from cardboard and learn how to weave with yarn. Fifth Grade students finished their Heraldic Shields and will next create a painting inspired by the Amate Bark paintings of Mexico. Students started this project by placing textured objects under a piece of white paper. Then they rubbed the top of the paper with the side of a black crayon and filled their paper with the textured images. During the next art class, each student created a vase or bowl with cut paper. They filled the vase with stems, leaves and then flowers. Notice the different shapes which make each piece unique. This project started as a review of lines and shapes. Students created a vase from their line painting and painted stems, leaves and flowers. The pieces are filled with patterns which reminded us of the artist Matisse! Notice the different ways each artist has created a still life in their own individual way. Students are busy creating and learning great things. Here's a sample of what we are doing in each grade at the beginning of the year: Preschool: How to use centers in the art room including drawing, modeling clay, and blocks for sculpture. Students rotate through the three centers and can experiment with the materials at each station. We are talking about lines, shapes and colors. Students learned about the artist Mondrian and created a collage inspired by his paintings. Kindergarten: How to use centers in the art room including sketch books, modeling clay, and structure blocks for sculpture. We talked about the many different kinds of lines artists use (straight, curvy, zig zag etc.) and created a crayon resist painting. First Grade: Each student made their own sketch book to practice drawing and to collect ideas. We reviewed the line family by painting different lines with water color paint. These paintings will become the vase for their fall still life collage. Second grade: Students started the year designing their sketch book cover and then practiced texture rubbing. Texture is the way something feels. They will use their texture pieces to create a cut paper collage. Third grade: Students learned that artists keep sketch books for may reasons. The books become a great place to collect ideas to use in other art projects, a place to share drawings and a way to practice drawing, because the more you draw the better you get! Each sketch book needed to have the student's name, teacher code, and a starburst design. Students could select their own colors and art materials. Fourth grade: These students are working on their Michigan Themed Mosaic. Students will select a symbol important to our state (apple blossom, painted turtle, Mackinac Bridge, etc.) and create their design out of small paper squares. They will simplify their idea, use many values of color and glue things down with just the right amount of glue. Fifth Grade: We are talking about the importance of a unique identity; something that makes you special and different. Students cut a symmetrical shape in the style of a medieval heraldic shield from a folded piece of paper. They will create four symbols to represent their interests like their favorite sport, animal, food, or book character. Parent Volunteers: Parent helpers are always welcome. I especially need kindergarten volunteers. Please visit the sign up genius links below if you would like to help with kindergarten. If you are interested in helping with any other grades, please e-mail me at [email protected].
www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C0D44A4AB2DA1F85-preschool www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C0D44a4AB2DA1F85-stewart www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C0D44A4AB2DA1F85-anderson www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C0D44A4AB2DA1F85-dorsey |
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