Kindergarten Eric Carle Insects

The Kindergartners had a lot of fun with this unit, especially since most of them were already familiar with some of Eric Carle's books.  We talked about what a collage was and I showed them pictures of how Eric Carle creates his famous painted papers.  The students spent the first part of the unit making the painted papers (we needed enough different ones to share with the whole class) and then we worked on creating our larger than life insects using simple shapes.

 

5th Grade Tapa Cloth

This was another fun unit I did.  The unit focused on the Tongan Culture in the South Pacific Ocean.  We discussed how tapa cloth was made, creating patterns, how to make grids, and symbols of nature.  The first day we added texture to butcher paper and began painting the background for the tapa cloth.  Students also began creating their rubbing plates by drawing out the symbols and gluing thick yarn on top.  The next classes were a combination of drawing a grid for the tapa cloth and working on the rubbing plates.  Each group of students made at least two different plates and they shared them when it was time to start their rubbings using oil pastel.  Black paint was used when the rubbings were done to add detail.

 2nd Grade Asian Brush Paintings

This was a real fun unit I did with my second graders.  We talked about the Four Treasures of Asian Brush Painting and the different ways the Asian cultures obtain their painting materials.  Each class focused on a different theme for their paintings.  They practiced painting prior to completing their final pieces to get comfortable using the Bamboo Brushes and making the appropriate brushstrokes.  I had the students paint with black watercolor paint on construction paper.  

Bamboo Paintings

 

Chrysanthemum Paintings 

 

Fish and Water Lily Paintings

 

Plum Blossom Paintings

 

1st Grade Recyclable Tree Collages

In this unit our main focus was on recycling and how recycled items can be used to create a work of art.  Students examined the work of Lisa Lindgren, Mark Swindler, and ChinChih Yang and discussed what materials could have been used to create the artwork.  We used a variety of recycled materials such as newspaper, phone book pages, sponges, Styrofoam plates, scrap paper, etc in making our collages.  Students created a background by gluing together phone book pages followed by painting them to create a sky.   They painted newspaper brown so they could later tear it into strips and arrange them into a tree.  Before assembling the trees, we looked at trees and talked about how they come in different shapes and sizes.  Students in most of the classes made leaf stamps from the cut Styrofoam plates and sponges.  Each class focused on a different season, the spring trees used tissue paper to create flowers instead of leaf stamp.  Scrap paper was eventually used to add more details to the collages. Next time I do this I'm definitely going to experiment around with different materials :) 

 

  

 

3rd Grade Navajo Inspired Weavings

In this unit the students learned all about weavings and the Navajo Indians!  We discussed cultural differences such as how we obtain our materials for weavings, meanings for color, and what the weavings could be used for.  Students chose colors that had special meaning to them to create a pattern for their weaving.  We used the Tabby weave (over one, under one) technique, but the Basket weave (over two, under two) worked just as well for some who had some difficulties.  The students created some very lovely patterns and when the weavings were complete, they were strung on wooden dowels and fringe was added to the bottom.  The kids also had some amazing associations with the colors they chose when they wrote about their reasoning for choosing their colors.

 

 

 

 

 

4th Grade Rose Windows

For this unit I completed during my student teaching experience, I introduced Rose Windows and had students look at several pictures of them found around the world.  Throughout the unit we talked about symmetrical objects and how they can be used to create a design with radial symmetry. I also had student contemplate the possible ways they could create a radial design from a square sheet of paper.  I taught the students how to fold the paper to create a 6 repeat pattern and they used a variety of different cuts in order to create their final designs.  Prior to adding the tissue paper to the back, we discussed warm, cool, and complimentary color schemes.  The kids had a blast with this project and their final products look amazing!