African Sunsets: 3rd Grade

Third graders experimented with mixing colors on a paper rather than in a dish. I've seen similar projects online saying this project deals with value, but we did not emphasize this. Our focus was on contrast, shape, and painting techniques!

Here is my smaller example:

Below are the pieces created by some of my students! They did an excellent job!

Radial Symmetry: 6th Grade

Sorry about my awful photography on these next projects! I introduced my sixth graders to types of symmetry before tackling this project. To accomplish this project, I pre-cut paper into squares (12x12) and had my students fold them into eighths. I had a box of shapes on the counter for students to start out with. I encouraged students to add their own organic shapes as well.

A lot of students struggled with knowing where things repeated, but most of the students understood after the first day.

Pictured below is my own, unfinished example:

A few of my students are fellow Doctor Who fans!

These students did an EXCELLENT job on their pieces!

A display at one of my elementary schools.

2nd Grade - Formal Balance/Symmetry Butterflies

I used butterflies to teach symmetry/formal balance to my second graders!

Here are the steps! We did this over the course of 2-3 days:

1. Fold 12x18 white paper in half like a card.
2. Draw half of a butterfly.
3. Trace in oil pastel.
4. Fold so that the drawing is on the inside.
5. Rub over drawing with a craft stick - the oil pastel will transfer to the other side.
6. Open up and trace over the transferred oil pastel.
7. Watercolor - make sure students know to make it the same on both sides!
8. Cut out and glue to a piece of colored construction paper.

1st grade - Knowing Our Colors & Creating Peacocks

While this may not be the best picture, I think you can get the idea. I used peacocks to teach colors to my 1st graders. We had just finished watching a video series on colors (complete with color worksheets!) and I need a project to apply some of these concepts.

Day 1 - After handing out their completed worksheets, I gave students a 12x18 sheet of paper. I had students fold their papers in half like a card. I instructed students to color primary colors on one half and secondary colors on the other - front and back. Some students, like the one pictured above, just colored in blocks. Others opted for more complicated designs and pictures.

Day 2 - I printed out a peacock template on card-stock paper. I told students to color in their peacock body using ONLY cool colors (we reviewed what these are). After coloring, students cut out the peacock and did the other side. When they finished, I had them bring the peacock to me. I cut a slot in the body of each peacock.

Day 3 - I taught my first graders to fan-fold! The 12x18 papers are folded so that they are TALL. At first, I told students to put it through the slot themselves, but many had issues doing that. So I had students bring their peacock and fan-fold paper up to me. I put the fan fold through the slot and stapled it once at the top. Ta-Da!!

They LOVED these peacocks!!

3rd Grade - Laurel Burch Cats

This is my all time favorite lesson, and not just because I am definitely a cat lady. This lesson always produces BEAUTIFUL results. I split it up into four days:

Day 1 - Introduce the artist - Laurel Burch! Students love her colorful cats.

This is the day I demonstrate how to draw the cat. The students draw along with me. Sometimes, I have papers with the different steps on them that I will put up on the board in case students fall behind.

Students also are to add a lot of patterns to their kitties!! They then trace their pencil lines with permanent marker.

Students may use CRAYON to color the kitties in. I emphasize that they need to color darkly in order for the crayon to show up later. Oil pastel would work to, but my students always end up smearing them all over the place!

**It is important to remind students not to color in their entire cat, JUST the patterns!

Day 2 -

This day I have students start on their frames. Many students are not quite done with the patterns on their cats, so I don't want to force them to paint yet. I tell students to pick a color of paper and make a frame/border using more patterns and a lot of colors! Students that are behind start on their frame after they finish color their cat.

Day 3 - TIME TO PAINT! I go through the first "rainbow" of watercolor with my students, then allow them to paint it on their own, continuing the pattern. Students can paint over the lines of their cats since we will cut them out later.

When students finish, they bring them to the drying rack and work some more on their frames (if they need to).

Day 4 - This day creates a TON of paper scraps. Students have three things to make or cut: a rug, a mouse, and their cat. I cut small rectangles of paper OR put the scrap paper box at the front of the room for students to use as rugs. I also cut small squares for mice. A lot of students don't know how to draw a mouse, so I put a step-by-step on the board for them.

Students glue down in this order:

1. Rug - towards the bottom of the paper
2. Cat - sitting on the rug
3. Mouse - at the cat's feet

My students love their final products and are always antsy to take them home!!

2nd Grade - Cubist Autumn Leaves

Wow, I definitely forgot to post this lesson! Although, I suppose this lesson could also be done with flowers. Here is my example:

Here are my basic steps:

1. Introduce Cubism (Picasso)

2. Have students draw different kinds of leaves - I project a picture of leaves on the screen for students to look off of.

3. As a class, split up the paper into sections using a ruler. We split ours into EIGHT sections. 

4. Have students go over their pencil lines in permanent marker.

5. Talk about Warm Colors vs. Cool Colors.

6.  Demonstrate how to color in the leaves using warm colors.

And that's pretty much it. I should have posted this months ago!

4th Grade Sunflowers in the style of Van Gogh

I attempted to teach a really awesome lesson on Vincent Van Gogh's sunflowers. I even showed a clip of Doctor Who's "Vincent and the Doctor" (which is pretty awesome, by the way). My students seemed really into it!!

...but...well, this lesson kind of flopped. I think my students got too bored with it. I was REALLY discouraged, but then a few students really pulled through! I mean, these sunflowers are gorgeous!!

I had asked the students to color in their pictures using dots only. I realized a little too late that the papers were a little big for that. It would have been easier (maybe) to use paint, but I only have this class for 25 minutes!! At my other school, I tried using paint and oil pastels, but the classes that used crayons honestly turned out much better than the other ones. Trial and error. I really like this first one (^) and how the white spaces make it look even more like Van Gogh's style!

Another one that turned out well! This student colored in, then added dots on top. A great approach really.

Many of my students decided to stop doing dots after the petals were done. I ended up having to grade these differently than I had originally planned. This lesson definitely needs some adjustment. Feel free to post any suggestions for future reference!