Grade 4
Lesson 1: "What is art?"
Project: Colorized found object pattern prints
Students viewed a series of photos and decided whether or not the depictions were works of art. Each student shared their own opinion on their piece, in terms of design, giving reasons for considering it successful or unsuccessful. Some works were straight forward, such as a famous painting or sculpture. Others required deeper thought and consideration, such as Marcel Duchamp's "Fountain". Students really enjoyed listening to each others' opinions and were eager to participate in the discussion.
Students created prints by dipping found objects (assorted nuts, bolts, washers, keys, etc.) in black tempera paint and pressing them onto oak tag. They were required to arrange them in a pattern and then add color to strengthen their patterns. Other than following simple directions in order to complete the project, students were told not to put much thought into what the piece was about or why they were making it. After the prints were completed, we discussed whether or not we considered them art due to the fact that there truly was no intended meaning or emotion connected to the pieces. Most decided that they had created art because they included some of the most important elements/principles of art: shape, color, pattern, and some even displayed unity and rhythm.
Project: Colorized found object pattern prints
Students viewed a series of photos and decided whether or not the depictions were works of art. Each student shared their own opinion on their piece, in terms of design, giving reasons for considering it successful or unsuccessful. Some works were straight forward, such as a famous painting or sculpture. Others required deeper thought and consideration, such as Marcel Duchamp's "Fountain". Students really enjoyed listening to each others' opinions and were eager to participate in the discussion.
Students created prints by dipping found objects (assorted nuts, bolts, washers, keys, etc.) in black tempera paint and pressing them onto oak tag. They were required to arrange them in a pattern and then add color to strengthen their patterns. Other than following simple directions in order to complete the project, students were told not to put much thought into what the piece was about or why they were making it. After the prints were completed, we discussed whether or not we considered them art due to the fact that there truly was no intended meaning or emotion connected to the pieces. Most decided that they had created art because they included some of the most important elements/principles of art: shape, color, pattern, and some even displayed unity and rhythm.
Lesson 2: Fire Prevention
Project: Fire Prevention Poster Contest
Students designed posters for Connecticut's annual Fire Prevention Poster Contest. We discussed what makes posters and public announcements visually effective for communicating messages and also discussed methods of preventing fires. Posters are judged by the Sterling Fire Marshal and the winner is entered into a county wide competition.
Lesson 3: Zoom Abstract
Project: Making the Ordinary Extraordinary with Georgia O'Keefe
Georgia O'Keefe took ordinary things such as flowers and bones and made them into extraordinary masterpieces, in many cases by simply focusing on one part of the subject and enlarging it to highlight the beauty of its color and form. We took used this same concept when creating oil pastel drawings. Students used 1" view finders to search through magazine photos in an effort to find interesting compositions formed by portions of everyday objects. Once a student settled on a composition, their goal was to draw the contents of the 1" square onto a 6x6" piece of oak tag with the oil pastels, making it look as true to the photo as possible in order to achieve realism. An emphasis was put on creating form through the use of value and color blending. Students' spatial awareness grew dramatically during this process since they were required to keep true to the original proportions seen in their photos. This is one of the most difficult challenges that artists face when creating realism.
Teaching students to see, rather than look, is one of my most important missions as a teacher. This is a skill that they will use and find extremely valuable time and time again in their future. Understanding the seeing vs. looking concept when it comes to all aspects of life, not just in art, is key to being a successful, well rounded human being... Think about it....
Project: Making the Ordinary Extraordinary with Georgia O'Keefe
Georgia O'Keefe took ordinary things such as flowers and bones and made them into extraordinary masterpieces, in many cases by simply focusing on one part of the subject and enlarging it to highlight the beauty of its color and form. We took used this same concept when creating oil pastel drawings. Students used 1" view finders to search through magazine photos in an effort to find interesting compositions formed by portions of everyday objects. Once a student settled on a composition, their goal was to draw the contents of the 1" square onto a 6x6" piece of oak tag with the oil pastels, making it look as true to the photo as possible in order to achieve realism. An emphasis was put on creating form through the use of value and color blending. Students' spatial awareness grew dramatically during this process since they were required to keep true to the original proportions seen in their photos. This is one of the most difficult challenges that artists face when creating realism.
Teaching students to see, rather than look, is one of my most important missions as a teacher. This is a skill that they will use and find extremely valuable time and time again in their future. Understanding the seeing vs. looking concept when it comes to all aspects of life, not just in art, is key to being a successful, well rounded human being... Think about it....
Lesson 4: Landscape Realism
Project: National Park Roadtrip Scrapbook
Students researched United States National Parks and selected three that they would like to visit. Using MapQuest.com, each student planned a road trip from Sterling so that they could visit all three parks in one trip. Then, using an assortment of photos of the parks, students created a series of 3 landscapes, one of each park they plan to visit, using an a variety of art media. Some students even mapped a driving route onto a whiteboard map of the US. We had planned to include more in our scrapbooks, but unfortunately we ran out of time. It is optional for students to finish the remainder of the scrapbook project on their own over the summer. Students will earn extra credit towards their art grade for next school year if they turn in the progress that they make over the summer when they return in 5th grade. Each child went home with the details they need to finish, however, you can download the information from the Word file below. I would have loved to see this project all the way through, and I do plan to streamline it before teaching it in the future!
Project: National Park Roadtrip Scrapbook
Students researched United States National Parks and selected three that they would like to visit. Using MapQuest.com, each student planned a road trip from Sterling so that they could visit all three parks in one trip. Then, using an assortment of photos of the parks, students created a series of 3 landscapes, one of each park they plan to visit, using an a variety of art media. Some students even mapped a driving route onto a whiteboard map of the US. We had planned to include more in our scrapbooks, but unfortunately we ran out of time. It is optional for students to finish the remainder of the scrapbook project on their own over the summer. Students will earn extra credit towards their art grade for next school year if they turn in the progress that they make over the summer when they return in 5th grade. Each child went home with the details they need to finish, however, you can download the information from the Word file below. I would have loved to see this project all the way through, and I do plan to streamline it before teaching it in the future!
4thextracred.docx | |
File Size: | 14 kb |
File Type: | docx |