SAME-DAY self-portraits from first graders: first attempt on the left side, second attempt on the right (after powerpoint/demonstration). It's amazing what some guidelines and rulers can do to a face. Although most of these students don't actually resemble 56-year-old men, they did an impressive job of noticing and recreating facial proportions! So proud!
0 Comments
First experience with Kindergarten clay - success! I was astounded to discover that some of my Kindergartners took more care in making their pinch pots than my fifth graders (more on the 5th grade project later). BIG IDEA: Wishing To begin the project, the students and I read "The Big Wish" by Carolyn Conahan. This book sparked a conversation about what they would wish for; not surprisingly, answers were highly dependent upon the time of year (this was right after the holiday season - many wishes like "snow forever" or "ice skates"). We then had a discussion about tangible items that people use to wish, including: shooting stars, dandelions, eyelashes, birthday candles, and wishing wells. So. According to the Walled Lake Consolidated School System, fifth graders should be learning about surrealism...and I couldn't agree more! To introduce the topic (without them knowing), I displayed this slide on the smartboard: Followed by this slide: The reason for the pass was this: to lose a little bit of control! I have always thought of surrealism as an impossible art, one that requires either Peyote or a restless mind. How wrong I was! Just one unexpected element will turn a formalist like myself (and like I assume some of my students must be) into a blossoming surrealist. After a 5-minute lecture on Surrealism and two of its leading figures (Dali and Magritte), the students came up with these beauties:
"Observation" is such a subjective word. What sense do we use to observe? At what level of magnification do we observe? Do we observe through recollection or what is right in front of us? For this project, Fifth graders observed objects with magnifying glasses, thus seeing details they would have never done so otherwise. As an attempt to make the project more personal, students were asked to bring in their own objects from home. For those who decided not to bring objects in, they were given permission to enter "Narnia" (the messy supply closet) for 2 minutes to find something. STEP ONE: Create a magnifying glass with paper and leftover laminating paper from the teachers' lounge. STEP TWO: Decide which object to use and which place on the object to magnify STEP THREE: Decide upon FIVE details that could be included in a scene with chosen object (mine were clouds, grasses, a tree, "birds", and an elephant). Sketch intial idea.
The week before Holiday break; too much time to waste, not enough time to start clay or any other large project. Here's how we compensated in some grades: KINDERGARTEN: Made "glowing holiday lights" using sharpies and chalk. We talked about curved lines, loops, ovals, squares and smudging. I was extremely happy with the products! THIRD GRADE: Made "pop-up holiday cards"; they got REALLY excited about this concept. Before production, we discussed what makes a card "exciting" (Pop-ups, GLITTER, homemade, music, MONEY INSIDE, etc.) and whether we enjoy getting cards or not (we unanimously did).
This has absolutely been one of my favorite projects! The students were caught off-guard and excitedly pushed into a world where they have to be creative. To begin, they were given this sheet and told to turn every shape/line into something recognizable: After students went through the initial "brainstorming" phase, the class discussed in groups which of the nine squares had the most creative solutions and then voted on one design. In the case of the following class, the ">" was chosen: Underneath each drawing, students were asked to write a short description (what inspired them, how they came to their final ideas, etc.). Fantastic project!
Second graders were asked to find an image in a magazine; it could be any image they wanted, but preferably one they liked. Afterwards, we discussed three depth cues (or, as we called them in class, "clues about things that are closer or farther"): Size, Placement on Page, and Overlap. Students were asked to make one cohesive scene that included the magazine cut-out. Most students really understood the concept, some needed some scaffolding. We also see a theme of trees in almost all drawings because that was the subject I used to indicate depth cues on the board. Haha A study of primary and secondary colors using names.
This art project was, as always, challenging for some and simple for others. The largest hurdle, folding the paper into 16 equal parts, was only able to be accomplished when students were paired up and directions were given step-by-step (first, fold paper in half, then fold in half again, etc.). The left and right pieces are comparisons of "expected student product" and "product of student who is being evaluated"; here's the question: which piece is more appealing? One could argue that the right piece is far more creative and "abstract" than the left - but how does one find the balance between encouraging unbounded, creative expression and grading for criteria? |
AuthorI'm Jacqui Carroll; just Archives
October 2015
Categories
All
|