5th Grade - Watercolor Animals

5th grade students learned about wax resist art. They created a drawing of an animal of their choice, then colored some details with oil pastels. Finally, they painted the rest of their fabulous pictures with watercolor.

Objectives:

• Identify animals in works of art
• Understand how to create a wax resist
• Create an animal in it's habitat using oil pastels and watercolor

Vocabulary: habitat, composition, wax resist

Lesson:

• Draw an animal in it's habitat
• Color some details with oil pastels
• Paint the rest with watercolor

4th Grade - Half Self-Portraits

4th grade students learned about self-portraits and how to make block or bubble letters. They also learned about proportion and composition. They created amazing self-portraits using colored pencils, crayons, and/or markers.

Objectives:

• Identify a self-portrait
• Understand proportion
• Learn how to draw block/bubble letters
• Create a self-portrait using correct proportion

Vocabulary: self-portrait, proportion, block letters, bubble letters, skin tones, pattern, background

Lesson:

• Draw half or two-thirds of a self-portrait on either side of the paper
• Draw name/nickname on the opposite side using block or bubble letters    (Tips for drawing block or bubble letters: have students very lightly write their name in print first, so that they are sure it will fit on their paper; then have them draw the block or bubble letters around the printed name.)
• Outline with Sharpie
• Color with colored pencils, crayons, and/or markers. (Remind students to use realistic color for their skin, eyes, and hair.)

3rd Grade - Close-Up Insects

3rd grade students learned about close-up works of art. Using oil pastels and watercolors, they created fantastic insect drawings.

Objectives:

• Identify a close-up view
• Understand how to create a wax resist
• Create an artwork of a close-up view of an insect using oil pastels and watercolor

Vocabulary: close-up view, wax resist, habitat

Lesson:

• Draw an insect almost as large as the paper
• Add the insect's habitat around it. Remind the students that the insect is large, because it's close to the viewer. This means the habitat has to be large too.
• Color some details with oil pastels
• Paint with watercolor

2nd Grade - Aztec Suns

2nd grade students learned about the Aztec sun. They also learned about warm colors, cool colors, and pattern. With this knowledge, they created amazing Aztec suns of their own.

Objectives:

• Identify the Aztec Sun and it's purpose
• Identify warm and cool colors
• Create a composition using a variety of tools (ruler, circle stencil, and markers)

Vocabulary: Aztec Sun, warm colors, cool colors, pattern

Lesson:

• Using the circle stencil, draw a sun in the center of the paper.
• Draw the rays of the sun. Students may use a ruler if they would like.
• Design a pattern in the background
• Outline with Sharpie
• Color with markers

1st Grade - Kandinsky Inspired Trees

1st Grade students learned about the artist Wassily Kandinsky and abstract art. They created beautiful, abstract trees with mixed media.

Objectives:

• Identify artwork from the artist Wassily Kandinsky
• Identify abstract art
• Create an abstract tree inspired by Kandinsky

Vocabulary: abstract, horizon line, mixed media, pattern

Lesson:

• Day 1: Paint sky and ground
• Day 2: Using small cups, paint circles in the background. (I used a small art utility cups for the large circles and a medicine cup for the small circles.)
• Day 3: Create tree
• Cut and glue the tree onto the background
• Using circle stencils, students draw, cut, and glue circles (2-3 sizes) onto the tree branches. (For the sake of time, you may have some older students trace circles onto various colored paper ahead of time.)

Kindergarten - Handprint Seascapes

Kindergarten students learned about seascapes that included seaweed and coral. They used tempera paint to create an underwater habitat for their fish.

Objectives:

• Identify a seascape
• Identify elements of an underwater habitat

Vocabulary: seascape, habitat, seaweed, coral

Lesson:

• Day 1: Paint water and sand
• Day 2: Paint seaweed and coral
• (Tips for painting seaweed and coral with kindergarten: Seaweed - have them paint a straight line from the sand, then add short lines coming off of the line. Coral - have them paint a straight line from the sand, then add small y's coming off of the line.)
• Day 3: Paint their hands with a contrasting color for the fish. (I use a brayer for this.) Finally, they will make their bubbles with one finger. (Suggestion: use a different blue than the water.)
• I used a paint marker to draw the eye, mouth, student name, and date.

Clay Letters

The 3rd graders have been working on their clay letters. They have been very creative turning a simple clay letter into a work of art.

Vocabulary: slab, score, blend, kiln, fire, glaze

Lesson:
Using a slab of clay, students cut out a letter of their choice. (Remind students to make their letters at least 5 inches tall or taller. The larger the letter, the more details they may add.)
Add details, such as; flowers, shapes, textures, symbols of interests: sports, ballet slippers, theater masks, etc.
Poke hole in the top center or corner of the letter, so that it may be hung upon completion.
Once clay is fired, students may glaze. (I chose Mayco Stroke and Coat glaze.)