News by Grade Level

Kindergarten this month is working on snow pictures. Through finger printed snow families, we learn how perspective works. Small snow prints are higher and smaller on the page and larger, rolled thumbprints are closer to us by being lower on the paper and partially off the edge!
Next we will visit fish prints, Gyutaku as well as help Mother Nature rid the snowy winter days by focusing on spring themes....yes, I have the children convinced that the weather is directly related to the art topics.

First Grade Art finds the children studying the printed art form of Adinkra symbols. We talked about Ghana and the reasons for creating Adinkra cloth. The children then printed some of these symbols made from cut sponges onto large paper. We are finishing this unit of Africa by reading some African Folk Tales. Next we should be ready for some sculpture projects.

Second Grade Art is taught this year by both Ms. McGowan (2 Vincent and 2 Sarno) and Ms. Dagostino (2 Mariani and 2 Arensdorff). In my classes, 2M and 2A, we are finally making use of the Oatmeal boxes I have saved in the back room. The study of fossils in grade 2 lends itself to our creating creatures from the long ago days which could have been fossilized. Some of these invented masks are quite interesting. The art medium used is paper mache...a very sticky situation!

Third Grade is learning about Mexico...the San Blas Islands, specifically. We are studying the art of Mola Designs, or layered colored cloth pictures designed and worn by the villagers of this Central American area. Our designs are made from colored paper. The layering of the shapes and intricate cut patterns are turning out to be really pretty. A fabric project is in our future in third grade but not quite yet.

Fourth Grade is working hard on creating a cut paper portrait that will model the expression of someone reading a book that the students designed. Facial proportion and symmetry are among the ideas taught in this unit. Hopefully the project will be finished in time to entice Ms. Rolfes to hang them in the Media Center. It is worth a trip to visit there when the projects are hung as they are turning out beautifully.

Fifth Grade has just about finished their clay entryways, in cooperation with the Architecture unit we began a month ago. All that is left is the glazing and the quiz of course. I give the quiz to make sure the students "got" the terms like pediment, frieze, architrave, arch, keystone, columns, and pilasters. Hopefully they can match the answers, draw a representation of such an entryway and for extra points, sketch a 2 point perspective scene on the back of the paper. Not to worry, though. When one tries in art, one gets credit for doing so.

Things We Need

From time to time, we run short on items used in the art room. These are things you have right at home! I sent a list of some things to save, through the Thursday Packets. Consider please checking here occasionally and sharing with us in the art room. Thanks for your help, Ms. D