Finished First Grade Line Projects

Shape Projects in Progress

Here is a look at the beginnings of our shape-themed projects:

Kindergarten Shape People

This past week, kindergarteners learned that a shape is a closed line, and we discussed different types of geometric shapes. They then used these shapes to create geometric shape people. Here is what some of them came up with:

Kindergarten Keith Haring Fun

This week the Kindergarten will learn about Keith Haring and have some fun through movement!

Shape Project Posters

Check out the poster images below for more details about the upcoming shape-focused projects!

Kindergarten Shape People

I saw a fairy!

Hey Kindergarteners!

I took this picture outside my window today! I think it was one of the Magic Art Fairies! What do you think? Will they be back on Halloween?

WANTED: BOTTLE CAPS!

For a special project I have been planning, I am looking for plastic bottle caps of all shapes and sizes. Please be sure to rinse clean before sending them in! Thanks!

Grade 4 Robot Band

10/20/11

Dear 4^th Grade Parents and Guardians:

The week before the Thanksgiving break, each fourth grade class will be working on a special, half-day project with Mrs. Davis (technology), Mrs. DiSalle (art), and Mr. Seager (music). As part of a unit on sound and music, students will be creating a “robot band”. Working with a partner, each student will use everyday materials to create a musical instrument. In the weeks following, during technology class, students will then use LEGO kits to build robots that can “play” the musical instrument.

We need your help to make the project successful. Please donate any of the materials listed below by Monday, November 14^th.  Send in materials in your child’s backpack (labeled “robot band”) or drop them off in the box labeled “robot band” in the school lobby. Thank you for your help!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Davis, Mrs. DiSalle, and Mr. Seager

Donations Needed:

Silverware

Coffee cans

Oatmeal containers

Baby food jars

Nails

Pot lids

Scrap wood

PVC piping

Rubber bands

Glass dishes

Glass bottles

Plastic bottles

Soda cans

Kleenex boxes

Shoe boxes

Popsicle sticks

Straws

Paper towel or toilet paper tubes

Wire

Duct tape

Plastic cups

Tupperware (or other plastic containers with lids)

Beads

Beans

Any other supplies that students could use to build a musical instrument.

OCTOBER is SHAPE Month!

Happy Harvest!

Speaking of the Harvest, don’t forget that we will have a Harvest Vegetable Carving Celebration on October 31st! Bring in your carved creations for  display in the lobby.

I hope everyone has been enjoying the fall and that you haven’t been feeling too soggy! October begins our study of shape. The Massachusetts Arts Curriculum Frameworks standard 2.4 states that, “For shape and form, [students will] explore the use of shapes and forms in 2D and 3D works .”  In order to meet this goal, we will be studying and creating a   variety of works that focus on this concept.

Kindergarten will be learning that a shape is a closed line, or “When a line bends, a shape begins.” The children will practice their fine motor skills through cutting and gluing of various simple shapes. Exploration of new media will also be involved. Don’t forget to ask them to sing you the shape song!

The work of Wassily Kandinsky will be studied by the first graders, as they create circle patterns through the use of warm and cool colors. Symmetry will also be introduced through the concept of crayon rubbing. Lastly, if time allows, children will make a shape puppet.

A contemporary of Kandinsky, Jasper Johns, will be examined by the second grade. Students will create crayon resist paintings. They will also be introduced to the concept of organic shapes, or irregular shapes that are found in the environment.

Paul Klee, another artist working in the time period of Kandinsky and Johns, will inspire students in the third grade to   create haunted houses out of geometric shapes.

Fourth grade will continue their study of depicting a three-dimensional object on a two-dimensional surface through observational drawings. Students will draw solid shapes using charcoal, another new media for students. They will also be introduced to the concept of positive and negative space.

This is a concept also being studied in further depth by the fifth graders through the use of scratch art. Fifth grade will also have an art history component to their study, as they complete a group project in the style of artist Chuck Close. 

Lastly, I want to issue a huge thank you to the parent volunteers who have brightened my classroom with their presence over the last couple of weeks! It has been wonderful to have so much involvement. I also want to give a shout out to Leslie Lee, who has picked up and sent off the completed Square 1 Art. Order forms will be arriving in no time!

Thank you so much for letting me teach  and spend time with your children! They are just the best!

More Line Projects in Process

I didn't want to leave out the work of the older students in our study of line! Here are some of the third and fifth graders. The fourth graders were on a field trip, but not to worry, I will get to them soon! Enjoy!

Fifth graders "Falling for Foreshortening"!

Square 1 Art Update

A HUGE THANK YOU goes out to Leslie Lee who picked up the finished artwork for Square 1 Art this morning. The artwork will be mailed, and students will soon be receiving an order form for some of the great products that are available. Thanks to all of the support I received from parents throughout the creative process! Finally, a tremendous amount of gratitude goes out to all parents and families who have supported the arts through this fundraiser in the past, and who will continue to do so this year! Here's a look as some of the students' portraits. They worked hard and did really well! :)

Family Fun Halloween



 Anyone who knows me knows that I L-O-V-E Halloween! Here is a link to some fun Halloween crafts and recipes to make with your kiddos: http://familyfun.go.com/halloween/.