December Project: Silly Clay Faces

Project Title: SILLY CLAY FACES

Description:

• Introduction to the origin of clay.  Characteristics of clay were discussed and experienced.  Construction process involved fine motor skills by rolling out a slab, cutting out a silly face.  Adding clay and subtracting clay.  Painting and varnishing our final clay pieces.

Vocabulary:

• Greenware
• Bisqueware
• Kiln
• Evaporation
• Slab Construction
• Addition & subtraction (in clay)
• Clay Record
• Scoring

Resources:

• Teacher Demonstration

Materials:

• Clay
• Vinegar water
• Pencils
• Cutting tools
• Watercolors/varnish

Examples of Student Work:

November Project: Feature Artist - Andrew Wyeth

Christina's World, by Andrew Wyeth

Featured Artist: ANDREW WYETH

Description:

• Building on our existing knowledge of landscapes, we used VTS (Visual Thinking Strategy) to explore Christina's World, by Andrew Wyeth.  
• Students identified foreground, middle ground and background plus horizon line.
• Tricks that artist's use to create depth in a picture were discussed.
• Students had to use appropriate vocabulary to label each part of their landscape.

Vocabulary:

• Depth
• Color value
• Diminishing size
• Foreground
• Middle ground
• Background
• Horizon line
• Monochromatic colors

Resources:

• Painting: Christina's World, by Andrew Wyeth
• Power point presentation
• Book: Picturescape, by Elisa Guitienez

Materials:

• Tempera cakes
• Colored pencils

Examples of Student Work:

September Project: Courtyard Art Installation inspired by Andy Goldsworthy

Example of an installation by Andy Goldsworthy

Project title: Andy Goldsworthy Installation

Description: A K-5 collaborative project inspired by the natural art installations of Andy Goldsworthy.  Students learned about installation art and incorporating the environment into their work.  Nature objects were collected: pinecones, shells, stones, etc. and assembled collaboratively as a whole school event.

Vocabulary:

• Installation - Art that is constructed on a site where it is exhibited and incorates materials or physical features of the site.

Resources:

• Powerpoint Presentation Youtube - Andy Goldsworthy Installation,
• Book - Wall At Storm King by Kenneth Baker

Materials: Shells, stones, pinecones, pineneedles, sticks

Photos of installation at work in the SES courtyard:

Back to School: The Dot

The SES Art room kicked off the year with a "Dot" project based on the popular book, The Dot, by Peter Reynolds.

The Dot is the first book in a trilogy dedicated to creativity. In this story, we meet a girl named Vashti who has convinced herself she can not draw. Her teacher dares her to make a mark. Vashti makes one little dot on her sheet of paper... which turns out to be the beginning of her creative journey!

Teachers around the world have used this book as inspiration for teaching children about expressing themselves through art.  As a result, September 15th has become International Dot Day, when students make their "own mark and see where it goes".  

Second and third grade students made their own dots and explored the use of color symmetry and line shape.  See examples below.