The 5th graders have been working on creating these majestic peacocks. To get them started I gave them a pattern of the peacock neck and head to trace. Although they started with this tracing tool, they were able to make many choices about their composition, the orientation of their paper, and the peacocks placement on the paper.
We discussed how the repetition of line and shape will create patterns and we can find patterns in nature, just like the patterns we see in the feathers of a peacock. We used radiating lines to create the effect of the open peacock tail and repeated the oval shape that is noticeable on the peacock's feathers.
This week we started adding metallic paint to our peacocks, adding a bit of elegance. The students like sharing their stories of peacock sightings at Brookfield Zoo and Phillips Park Zoo and how impressive the bird is when he opens his feathers. I'll post our finished paintings on our Artsonia gallery as the classes complete them.