I had previously posted about the sea animals and fish that we were working on in 5th grade. Each class created a different creature. Here are the jellyfish that one of the classes created, hanging in the hallway outside my classroom. Materials: tissue paper, balloons, paper mache paste, paintbrushes, scissors, and glue stick These were fun, simple, and colorful creations. We started with a balloon, pre-cut tissue paper squares, and paper mache paste. Using a Sharpie, draw a line around the balloon so you know where to stop adding tissue paper. Then, with the paintbrush, add a layer of paste to the top half of the balloon (the entire area above the line). Next add a layer of tissue paper squares to the paste and repeat the two layers again. 3-4 layers of tissue paper is probably good. The strength in the shape comes from the layers of tissue paper, not how much paste you put on. Finish with a layer of paste and then let it dry. They need a few hours to dray completely. The balloons in the pictures above were drying in my classroom. The following week, we added the tentacles. To create the tentacles, draw a spiral line and then just cut on the line. Glue sick was plenty strong enough to hold the tissue paper tentacles into place. One hanging alone is pretty, but hanging them in a group in a hallway really made them standout. Materials: disposable water bottle, newspaper, clear tape, pipe cleaner, Model Magic, glue stick, tissue paper, and paper mache paste. Next, add color to the sea horse, using tissue paper and paper mache paste. With the paintbrush, wet an area with the paste. Stick a tissue paper square onto the wet area and use the brush to make the tissue paper lay flat. This really works around even the most curved and bent areas. Unfortunately, I don't have a photo of the completely finished sea horse. Some students used more than one color of tissue paper and others just kept it one color. We stopped after the tissue paper. I thought about having the students add other details on top, but they all looked so colorful and beautiful as simple as they were so I had them stop. They look so nice hanging next to our group of jellyfish.
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We've been able to get a good start on our weaving projects in 5th grade. This is the first time I have ever taught this particular weaving lesson and I have learned a lot along the way, as well as the students. I'll post more about our process later, but I'm very proud of the progress they have made so far. It's never easy teaching something like this to a group, but they have been awesome students and many of them have become teachers as well.
The 5th Grade made some very beautiful drawings of tropical fish this quarter. I found pictures of tropical fish for them to draw from so that they could work on making them look realistic. The color did not have to be realistic. Instead, they could make creative choices with color however,they had to demonstrate smooth transitions in value changes with their colored pencils. The background of these fish drawings was done with liquid watercolor paint with salt sprinkled on top. You can see more of our fish on our Artsonia Gallery. While we wrapped up this drawing project we had some fun and made some 3 dimensional animals as well. Sea Turtles:Materials Used: Balloons for shape, tissue paper, paper mache paste, cardstock for the body, tempera cake paint, scissors, & glue stick
Grades will be available on Wednesday, March 25 at 4:00 pm. Information on Art grades is available here.
Below are the concepts and skills that we have that were evaluated this quarter. As we wrap up the second quarter of school, I like to take the time to talk with the students about the skills and abilities that I expect to improve and grow as we work our way through the school year. We have been talking about our fine motor skills and how the art room is a place to practice and strengthen those skills. I'm not sure if many of them had really thought about the projects that we do as muscle control exercises. I compared art class to gym, describing how they only get an accurate foul shot in basketball by practicing over and over, teaching their muscles what to do to be successful most of the time. The same thing happens in art class. Many of them can't believe that I draw a circle on the board that is pretty close to being perfectly round and even. They always ask me, "How'd you do that?" I've trained my muscles to know how to successfully draw a round and even circle by practicing the successful motion over and over, for many, many years now. We've started a lesson in both fourth and fifth grade that I think helps my students slow down and really think about the lines and shapes they are making, as well has strengthening their creative decision making. There is an art "movement" that seems to be spreading sometimes called Zentangles or Zen-doodles. Basically, it's the process of using line, shape, pattern, and contrast to develop interesting and complex designs. I have collected a few example packets for my students to look at for inspiration or even follow step by step as they develop their own "tangles" and designs. We spent one class period practicing our Zentangles inside the shape of circles throughout their drawing paper. The next class period we used a letter, and filled the negative space of the paper with their tangles. Below is my finished example that I showed them when I demonstrated this lesson. To create the outline of the letter the students traced a stencil. I have many bulletin board letters that I've collected. They are great for successful lettering in art projects. The students then filled the negative space around the letter with the tangle designs. Here's where the "Zen" part of the Zentangles came in. My students were so focused on what they were creating. Today I even handed out a "Character Counts" ticket to my fourth grade class, because the past two art classes have been amazing. Their entire mind and body is focused on what they were doing. I was able to turn on some instrumental music while they worked and not a single student broke from the focus they were giving their project. It was AWESOME! That's the kind of work environment I've been striving for all year!
We are finishing up our printed leaf project that we started a couple of weeks ago. Students chose either a warm or cool color scheme and then began to fill in the negative space with repeated lines, drawn with oil pastels. We discussed how a bold, smooth line has a greater visual effect than a thin line that is quickly drawn.
Last week in 5th grade art we started printing leaves onto black paper with white ink. We learned about the printmaking tools and what steps to follow to achieve the best prints. The 5th graders had to come up with their own interesting composition and could choose from a variety of leaf shapes. We will finish up our printing this week and add color to these prints, using oil pastels.
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.
As we begin the school year, it is important for me to communicate to the students what a good art student can do. On the first day of art class, I introduce the students to the "Art Targets," and stress that I want them to show me that they can achieve each of the targets. I use these targets to evaluate student projects and their progress throughout the year. They are posted in my classroom everyday so that students can remember them and I can refer to them while we are working. I am very excited to start off this school year as the art teacher at Grande Park Elementary. I am looking forward to meeting all my new students and begin making art. You can learn more about me, Mrs. Danno, here.
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Grande Park
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