Moving Back

During the month of October, I decided I wanted and found it in my best personal interest to move back to the Des Moines area.  At the end of the month, I packed up my things, said a sad farewell to my co-workers and students, and moved back.  I am currently applying and getting ready to start subbing around the area.  However, I still plan on updating my blog with lessons I have already used.  Plus, I would like to post new lessons I have yet to try but am fairly excited about.  Hopefully, with this extra free time, I will keep on top of blogging my lessons and maybe even blog about some of my own arts and crafts projects.

"Stained Glass" Windows

"Stained Glass" Windows

2nd Grade

Art lesson covering geometric shapes and primary vs. secondary colors.

Step 1.  Discuss and review geometric shapes.  I usually draw examples of the shapes as the students say them.  It can help students during their work time if they get stuck and can't think of different shapes to draw.

Step 2.  Discuss and review the different color groups.  (May use songs to help teach/review the color groups.  I was Greg Percy songs.  "Red and Yellow Blues" and "Secondary Samba".) I also write the two different color groups on the board and place the c correlating example next to the correct list.

Step 3.  Draw example on the board showing how the edges of the different sections touch.

Step 4.  Hand out black construction paper. (NAME - first & last AND TEACHER).  With pencils, have the students draw out their shapes.

Step 5.  Using a bottle of glue, have the students trace over their lines. Allow dry time.

Step 6.  Student choose whether they would like to use the primary or secondary colors and begin coloring their picture accordingly. 

Email me/comment below for a full lesson plan (including standards, list of supplies, assessment, etc.).

Pop Art Mittens

Pop Art Mittens

1st Grade

Simple art lessons about color.  Good review for primary, secondary, warm, and cool colors.

Step 1.  Discuss and review the different color groups.  (Like use songs to help teach these color groups.)

Step 2.  Fold the paper in half twice to create 4 spaces.

Step 3.  Using crayons or markers, create a mitten in each section.  On the board have example, and make write color lists for each section.  Make sure to fill each section full of colors.

Email me/comment below for a full lesson plan (including standards, list of supplies, assessment, etc.).

Monochromatic Ice Cream Cone

Monochromatic Ice Cream Cone

1st Grade

Value lesson simple enough for 1st graders.  Can even review a couple different types of shapes with this lesson: triangle and half circle.  

Value = lightness or darkness of a color.

Shades = color + black

Tints = color + white

Step 1.  Draw an upside-down triangle for the cone.

Step 2.  Draw 5 half circles on top of one another for the different scoops.

Step 3.  Paint the cone black.

Step 4.  Paint the middle scoop with a paint color of choice.

Step 5.  Paint the 4th scoop (one just below the middle scoop) by mixing the choice paint color with a tiny bit of black.

Step 6.  Paint the 5th scoop (one just above cone) by mixing the choice paint color with a bit more black paint.

Step 7.  Paint the 2nd scoop (one just above the middle scoop) by mixing the choice paint color with a tiny bit of white.

Step 8.  Paint the 1st scoop (one on top) by mixing the choice paint color with a bit more of white.

Email me/comment below for a full lesson plan (including standards, list of supplies, assessment, etc.).

Mondrian Fish

Mondrian Fish

Kindergarten

This lesson idea was yet again inspired by Pinterest.  The lesson began with a song by Greg Percy called "Mondrian".  I taught the kids the chorus line to the song before we started the project.  As they worked on the project, I had the song playing in the background, so they could sing along with it.

Step 1.  With a pencil, draw a large "C" shape on the paper for the fishes body.

Step 2.  Draw the number 3 connecting the tips of the "C".  The 3 will create the tail fin.

Step 3.  Using lines, split up the fish's body into different sizes of rectangles and squares.

Step 4.  Cover pencil lines with black marker.

Step 5.  Color the shapes either red, yellow, or blue or leave blank white.

Step 6.  Color the background blue for the water (my example doesn't have it colored... I changed my mind after I had taken the picture).

Step 7.  Paste drawing on a light blue sheet of construction paper.  It should create a 1" each border around the drawing.

Step 8.  Add red, yellow, and blue dots around the border to create a pattern.

Email me/comment below for a full lesson plan (including standards, list of supplies, assessment, etc.).

Dhurrie Rug

Dhurrie Rug

Kindergarten

This is another one of the line project I did with my kindergarten kids.  I had a powerpoint about the background/history of dhurrie rugs.  Now, this last year, the project didn't go that well for me. The kids were more excited about cutting the colored paper into pieces and shapes instead of lines to paste onto their black piece of paper.  However,  I think as long as I scissors with fun blades I'll be okay.  I also need to find a better way to do the yearn tassels without me having to make all of them.  I might even move this lesson up to a different grade.

Step 1.  Cut black sheets of construction paper to 9" x 6".

Step 2.  Have various colors of construction paper to cut up with scissors that have different designed blades.

Step 3.  Paste the colored stripes of cut paper to the black sheet.

Step 4.  Paper punch each of the short ends 4 times.

Step 5.  Attach strings of yearn as tassels.

Email me/comment below for a full lesson plan (including standards, list of supplies, assessment, etc.).

Line Lions

Line Lions

Kindergarten

I started out my year with the concept of line.  This was one of the kindergarten line projects I did.  We first brainstormed and thought of different lines we knew.  Next, I had the students practice drawing them on the tables with dry eraser markers (works out great by the way).  Finally it was time to paint.  I added one color of paint at a time for the students to use.  I find this easier because I do not have students using red to paint the face.

Step 1.  With a paintbrush and yellow paint, draw a big circle in the middle of your paper.  Paint in the entire circle.

Step 2.  Paint 5-6 different types of lines around the head using yellow paint.

Step 3.  Paint 5-6 different types of lines around the head using red paint.

Step 4.  Paint 5-6 different types of lines around the head using orange paint.

Step 5.  Allow for dry time.

Step 6.  When dry, draw a triangle for the nose.

Step 7.  Draw 1 line on each side of the triangle going up.

Step 8.  Draw 2 circles just underneath the nose (this is the mouth).

Step 9.  Draw 2 circles above the nose and mouth for the eyes.

Step 10.  Add eyebrows and the like if desired.

Email me/comment below for a full lesson plan (including standards, list of supplies, assessment, etc.).

3D Snowman

3D Snowman

3rd Grade

I found this lesson on Pinterest.  I wanted to teach my students about how value, which we had just learned about, could show form.  Before we started, we talked about why it looked 3D and not 2D.  Making this project was simple enough and the students really seemed to grasp the concept of form with it.

Step 1.  Draw snowman and ground on a 9" x 12" piece of light blue construction paper.

Step 2.  With oil pastel, color left side white and ground.

Step 3.  Color right side blue.  Add a shadow on the ground just to the right of the snowman.

Step 4.  Color the rest of the snowman and his accessories as desired.

Email me/comment below for a full lesson plan (including standards, list of supplies, assessment, etc.).

Clay Leaf Bowls

Clay Leaf Bowl

3rd Grade

I did this lesson after I had done the "Leaf Movement" lesson.  I did this lesson to show students how leaves can move in other ways like curling up as the dry.

Step 1.  Have leaf outlines printed off and hand out to students.

Step 2.  Hand out clay.

Step 3.  Roll out clay.

Step 4.  Use the leaf outline as a stencil on the clay.

Step 5.  Curl up edges (can place around the bottom of a bowl to help).

Step 6.  Allow dry time (about a week).

Step 7.  Fire in kiln.

Step 8.  Glaze with desired colors.

Step 9.  Fire in kiln, again.

Email me/comment below for a full lesson plan (including standards, list of supplies, assessment, etc.).

Leaf Movement

Leaf Movement

3rd Grade

I did this lesson after I had already taught my students about lines, shapes, and color. Before I had them stay drawing, we talked about movement.  I would walk around the room and ask students if they thought I was movement.  "How do you know I'm moving?" I would ask.  I would stand as still as I could.  "Am I moving now?"  "How do you know?" Next,  the students were asked to show movement of the leaf by creating lines in their paper.  For this lesson,  I brought in fallen leaves for students to look at well their were working.  This lesson was also a good review on not only line but color.  They had to color their leaves with the warm colors and was cool colors on the lines.  One more thing I think about this lesson would be using watercolor and crayons together.  I like how the students discover how the two materials react to one another.

Step 1.  With pencil, draw a leaf in one of the corners of the paper.

Step 2.  Draw the lines to show the movement of how the leaf was to have traveled throughout the paper.

Step 3.  With crayons, color in the leaf with warm colors.

Step 4.  Still with crayons, color the lines with cool colors.

Step 5.  Paint background with watercolor.

Email me/comment below for a full lesson plan (including standards, list of supplies, assessment, etc.).

Plant Outlines

Plant Outlines

3rd Grade

Randomly thought of this one when I had to think of another project for lines.  Some of the students seemed to struggle with painting inside the different lines.  (I like rainbow patterns if you haven't noticed already).  I had students brainstorm different types of plants as I wrote them down on the board.  Yes, it may take more time at the beginning of class, but it helps give students different options if they can't think of anything or the plant they were thinking of drawing doesn't work out.

Step 1.  Pick a plant and draw it.

Step 2.  Outline the plant until the entire page is full. 

Step 3.  Color in plant with oil pastels.

Step 4.  Color in each of the lines around it.

Email me/comment below for a full lesson plan (including standards, list of supplies, assessment, etc.).

Crazy Hair Portraits

Crazy Hair Portraits

3rd Grade

Another idea I found on Pinterest.  I made this during student teaching.  Not going to lie.  I really enjoyed this project.  I feel like the kids do, too.  They only time they seem to complain too much is when I tell them that besides the eyes I should see absolutely no white on their paper.

Step 1.  Draw oval for head at the bottom half of paper.

Step 2.  Draw eyes in the middle of the head.  

Step 3.  Draw nose half way between the eyes and chin.

Step 4.  Draw mouth half way between the nose and chin.  

Step 5.  Draw different types of lines and shapes to cover the rest of the paper.

Step 6.  Color with marker.

Email me/comment below for a full lesson plan (including standards, list of supplies, assessment, etc.).

"Gold" Medals

Gold Medals

3rd Grade

At my school, we have superheroes for each of the pillars of character (plus Pixie... superhero for our Purple Hands Pledge program).  The kids love them.  So when I did one of my latest projects, I asked the guidance teachers if I could include the superheroes.

See, I made "gold" metals out of clay and metallic paint with my 3rd graders. I thought the gold medals would be a good ideas with our character counts theme being the Olympics and the actual winter Olympics are coming up.  So, the kids had to partner up (with someone they don't usually work with), roll out their clay, cut out a circle, and design it for their partner.

I decided I could make a little contest out of it.  Each 3rd grade class has a designated superhero that they can design a medal for.  I will pick a winner from each class, and they will get to make their medal for the superhero and hopefully get a picture with them.  I'm super excited.  

Below is one example I made and give to one of the guidance counselor (don't worry I made another for the second counselor).

Geometric Pumpkins

Geometric Pumpkins

1st Grade

Randomly thought of this one around Halloween time.  A festive idea while reviewing shapes.  

Step 1.  Discuss the different types of shapes (squares, circles, triangles, etc.)

Step 2.  Discuss different shapes to use on jack o'lanterns.  

Step 3.  With a pencil, draw a jack o'lantern with different geometric shapes.

Step 4.  Color in everything on the page but the eyes, nose, mouth, and background.  

Step 5.  Paint the background with black watercolor.

Step 6.  Put glue on the eyes, nose, and mouth.

Step 7.  Sprinkle black glitter on the glue areas and shake off the extra.  

Email me/comment below for a full lesson plan (including standards, list of supplies, assessment, etc.).

Kandinsky Circles

Kandinsky Circles

1st Grade

Simple art lessons about shapes.  It is also a good lesson to follow up the Kandinsky Weaving lesson.  Show examples of Kandinsky's circle pieces.

Step 1.  Discuss the different types of shapes (square, circle, triangle, etc.)

Step 2.  Fold the paper in half twice to create 4 spaces.

Step 3.  Using oil pastels, create circles in each of the 4 spaces.  Use various colors.  Make sure to fill each section full of colors.

View my lesson plan with link below:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4wTaEoGrnE2XzdlRUJJNE1QXzQ/view?usp=sharing

Kandinsky Weaving

Kandinsky Weaving

1st Grade

I found this on another art teacher blog. This was a great lesson for the beginning of the year.  Since I started the year off with lines, Kandinsky works gave me great examples to share with my kiddos.  We went through a powerpoint I put together and talked about the different lines and colors he used.  His works also gave the students a great chance to look at abstract and decide their own meanings.

Step 1.  Discuss the different types of lines (zig-zag, curved, etc.)

Step 2.  Draw the different lines on the paper in ALL different directions.

Step 3.  Grab some different pieces from around the room that have a lot of texture.

Step 4.  Put the textured piece under the paper and grab some crayons.  

Step 5.  Crayon Rubbings!  Use the side of the crayon to rub across the paper to get the textured pattern from the underneath.

Step 6.  Watercolor time.  Fill the whole paper with different colors of watercolor. (Be sure not to a. have the kids mix it too much because then it will all turn brown and b. let the kids get the paper too wet or it will start ripping.

Step 7.  Allow dry time.  

Step 8.  Fold the paper in half hamburger style.

Step 9.  Cut 5 slits on the folded side of the paper (NOT the side with the edges... that will NOT work weaving).

Step 10.  Grab strips of colored paper. Weave them in and out of the slots. Alternate starting over or under the paper.

Step 11.  Glue on a sheet of black paper for a border.

Step 12.  With a white colored-pencil, draw different types of lines along the borders.

Email me/comment below for a full lesson plan (including standards, list of supplies, assessment, etc.).

Monochromatic Moonlight

Monochromatic Moonlight

3rd Grade

Tints and shades lesson for 3rd grade. 

Step 1.  Demo how to mix white in with the color to get tints.

Step 2.  Demo how to mix black in with the color to get shades.

Step 3.  Demo how to gradually go from the tints of the color to the shades.

Step 4:  Show what a silhouette is.  

Step 5:  Allow the kids to work.

Email me/comment below for a full lesson plan (including standards, list of supplies, assessment, etc.).

More Art Supplies

Guess what?!?  I got a small order of art supplies to hold me over for the rest of the year.  I felt like a little kid at Christmas opening up those boxes.  Why do art teachers get so excited about art supplies?  I feel so nerdy.

Warm and Cool Hands

Warm and Cool Hands.

3rd Grade

Found this lesson idea from Pinterest (you gotta love Pinterest).  Before I start the kids on this lesson, I like to talk about the different colors.  How does each color make us feel?  What does each color remind us of?  

Step 1.  Pick a shape and draw it in the top, right corner.  Keep outlining it until the entire page if full.

Step 2.  Trace your hand and part of your arm on the page.

Step 3.  Decide whether you want the hand warm or cool colors (with the background being the opposite one) and trace each section of the hand with the appropriate colors making sure you are following a pattern with the colors (i.e. red, orange, yellow, red, orange, yellow...)  I found outlining helps with the kids because then they remember to stay inside the space they outlined when coloring.  If they didn't, I saw a common mistake on coloring outside the hand outline.

Step 4:  Color the background with the opposite set of colors.

Email me/comment below for a full lesson plan (including standards, list of supplies, assessment, etc.).

Japanese Cherry Blossoms

Japanese Cherry Blossoms

3rd Grade

This lesson is simple enough.  I did this lesson during my student teaching.  My students thought it was so much fun.  Popcorn and straws... what kid wouldn't like making art with that?!?  It is different from "the norm" in the art room.  Plus, they turn out pretty cool if I do say so myself.  Plus, this lesson is the perfect opportunity to introduce historic art scrolls from Japan, talk about the significance of the cherry blossom in Japan, and the time of year the cherry blossoms bloom.  I couldn't believe how much of the little details and the fun facts my kids remembered at the end of the lesson. 

Step 1.  Paint the background with blue watercolor.  Let dry for a little bit.

Step 2.  Use watered down black tempera paint.  Use your paintbrush and put drops onto the paper. With a straw, blow the paint across the page.  Doing this will create the branches.

Step 3.  You'll popcorn and pink tempera paint.  Dip the popcorn into the paint and then press it down on the paper.  It will look like little cherry blossoms.

Step 4:  Either draw with a red pen or make a little stamper to create the little Japanese signature down at the bottom.

Email me/comment below for a full lesson plan (including standards, list of supplies, assessment, etc.).

AOE Winter Conference 2014

Yesterday, I attended an online conference for art teachers.  AOE (aka.  The Art of Education) did such a fantastic job.  They only did they introduce many speakers but they gave away some "digital swag"(as they like to call it), as well.  Super exciting, right?!?  I encourage you to visit the AOE website and check out all there online courses, blogs, etc.  You won't be sorry.  Anyway, after attending the conference, I have so many new ideas I don't even know where to start.  Honestly, it is a bit overwhelming.  I have started revisiting the each of the the presentations trying to pull out information/ideas that I can start implementing in my classroom right way.  Breaks are necessary though.  To help keep myself better on track and to share my experiences with it, I decided to blog about it.  Hopefully, I will have successful stories to share.  I sure know I will have failures, too.  Hey! If you aren't failing sometimes in the classroom, it probably means you aren't taking enough risks.

First few goals for myself:

1.  Add more songs into each of the grade levels. I have already been using a few art songs in the classroom for my lower levels kids, and it has gone well.  I need to introduce the songs to grades like 3rd-5th grade. Starting this week,  I am going to play two Greg Percy songs for each of my classes... "Red and Yellow Blues" and "Secondary Samba".

2. Add the Elements of Art and Principles of Art from the vocabulary wall to their own bigger bulletin board, so I can have more of them up.  I have just been putting these up as we are going (it's my first year... I don't have everything set up just right yet... need to experiment a little), but I want them ALL up for the kids too see.  I've also printed off posters that were not as wordy as the ones you buy from catalogs.  The ones I have now are more about pictures and fewer words.  Better for younger student understanding in my opinion.