Kandinsky Craft Board

This is a picture of my partner lesson board. It consisted of teaching the students how to create a landscape like the famous artist Wassily Kandinsky. To start off the lesson, my partners and I taught the class how to mix primary colors to get secondary colors. They then used those colors to create a rainbow which they cut out and put onto a landscape. Before they glued the rainbow onto the white construction paper, they had to first paint an unique landscape for their rainbow. The students used the paint that they made to paint an outdoor landscape. Once they finished this, they glued their rainbows onto the paper and let the paintings dry.

 

An extension for this project could be going out and finding an actual rainbow. The students would take a picture of the rainbow and then later on, recreate this picture by drawing it. This would integrate a few different subjects together. Finally they could write a short journal entry that describes the picture/drawing.

Van Gogh Collage

For this lesson we had to recreate Vincent Van Gough's painting of "The Starry Night". We started with first cutting out tissue paper into random shapes. Then we glued the tissue paper onto a piece of construction paper to show different movements. Next we used oil pastels to add a little more movement into the picture. I added a city landscape on the bottom of my art piece. It has different sized buildings which also has oil pastels on it. Once it is all together, it should look like a certain area with a moving sky.

 

An extension activity for this lesson could be having the students write a poem about their art work. This would incorporate literacy into the art project. It's a fun and easy way to incorporate different subjects and the students would enjoy it.

Monet's Bridge

For this lesson, we learned about Claude Monet and one of his paintings. We created a painting that resembled his "Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies". First we started off with a white piece of paper and taped it to the table. We then drew a bridge which had to be a bright color. Next we drew vines and clouds above the bridge. We used white for the cloud and then added water under the bridge. We added flowers and lily pads in the water. After the drawing was all finished, we took blue and purple paint and painted over the top of the whole picture. We had to make sure to use more water than paint to give it a nice and smooth look. Children would like this activity because it involves coloring and painting which gives them room for their imagination.

 

An extension activity for this could be having the students Google or look up different famous bridges and then have them recreate them. They could use Play-Doh or other materials to make their bridges. They would print out a picture of the bridge they recreated and then let the rest of the class see their final product.

Van Gosh's Sunflower

For this lesson, we learned about Van Gogh and his sunflower paintings. We were given a piece of construction paper (color didn't matter) and then told to draw a vase on it. We colored the vase in and then drew out three flowers. The inside of the flowers were colored by using a checker pattern. Next we painted the petals of the flower yellow and then glued sunflower seeds around the center of the flower. We had to make sure that the flowers were connected to the vase and colored in.

 

An extension activity for this could be going out and finding real life sun flowers. They could see and feel what an actual one looks like. They could also write a short paragraph describing the flower and what characteristics it had.

Jasper John's Fish

For this lesson, we learned about Jasper John and his different art works. He used different types of patterns and shapes for his method of art. First we were given a fish that we had to cut out and paint. Each area had to be done in either a certain color or with a specific pattern. Instead of using a paint brush we were given four items to use. These items included an apple, a spoon, celery, and carrots. Two techniques were taught which were stamping and painting. We painted the head, tail, and fins but it didn't matter which object we used. We stamped the body of the fish and we had to use all of the colors and techniques at least once on the fish. This is a fun and interactive activity for the students because it allows them to have some creativity while making a fish. They get to use different items to paint which they might like because it's something new.

 

An extension activity for this lesson could be having the students bring different items from outside or around the house that they could paint with. This would allow them to explore new and unique ways to paint. Each student has to find different items from their classmates and then show their artworks to the class. Then the class will be able to see all of the different patterns. The students will write one thing that they liked about each students artworks. Then once they are all written down, the teacher will give them back to the students so they can see all of the positive feedback.

Eric Carle Paper Project

In this lesson we learned about Eric Carle whom was a famous author/illustrator who created many different stories about animals. For this project we had to create an animal with construction paper and then layer different kinds of patterns on it. We were given different outlines of animals and we got to pick which ones we wanted to complete. We were split into groups and each group had a specific color they could use. My group had black and we had to use different patterns throughout the animal. This is a fun activity that students would enjoy because they are free to chose their animal and make it their own plus write about the animal to make it unique.

 

An extension activity could splitting the students into groups and have them write and create a short skit about their animals that they created. This not only allows for them to work together but also works on other important skills.

3-D Play-Doh

For this lesson, we learned about three dimensional designs and the different layers (foreground, middle ground, and background). Dr. Seuss was incorporated into the lesson by showing some of the characters and scenes from his books/movies. First we had to create a Dr. Seuss type creature by first drawing it on a piece of construction paper. We then had to make that creature out of play-doh. We had to create a construction paper based scenery which we had to use foreground, middle ground, and background. We also had to use three different decorative items on either the creature or the scenery. Children would like this activity because it allows them to be creative and use different materials to do so. There was also a mad lib used to describe our masterpieces which integrates literacy into the lesson.

 

An extension activity for this could be creating a short novel that is based off of Dr. Seuss. They would have their creatures be the main characters and use rhyming throughout it. This could work on their literacy skills but they would also really enjoy it because it would be their own idea and they can keep it forever.

Rainbow Craft

For this lesson we learned about the artist Wassily Kandinsky. Kandinsky focused on landscapes and a wide variety of colors. With this lesson, we talked about primary and how to make secondary colors. We mixed the three primary colors (red, blue, and yellow) to make secondary colors (orange, green, and purple). With these colors, we created a rainbow using sponges. Once we created the rainbows, we set them aside to dry. Using a blank piece of white construction paper, we were asked to create a landscape for our rainbows. These landscapes had to be unique and we had to use the paint that we mixed together. Once all of the paint was dried, we cut out our rainbow and glued it onto our landscapes. This lesson was very fun and unique which allows students to make it their own works of art.

 

An extension activity could be creating a painting with the primary and secondary colors. This landscape has to be an area that the student has never been to and they would look up different pictures for inspiration. The students would share their paintings and why they picked that area. Each student would have to have a different area of the world so each painting would be unique. They also could add a literacy unit along with this and have the students write about this place that they picked. 

Clay Pinch Pots

Fir this lesson, we learned about clay and how to create different pinch pots. Every student was given a piece of clay and shown how to make a clay pinch pot. Each pinch pot had to be an animal of our choice and we couldn't use the animals that the teacher had shown. Then we had to pinch and mold the clay to make the shape of our specific animal. We had to have at least one addition and one subtraction to our pinch pots. On my pinch pot, I added eyes and mouth and subtracted the lines and dots on the lady bug. For the subtractions, we were given a little wooden pick. To smooth out our pinch pots, we added water which also helped with the additions.

 

An extension activity for this project could be integrating literacy into the unit. Once the students create the animals, they would have to write a poem about their animal. What it's name is, where they live, etc. They would then share this with the rest of their classmates.

Hidden Animal Project

This project was completed using one piece of red construction paper, a goggle template, some red plastic material, and crayons. First we learned about drawing upside and how certain colors fall into a warm and cold category. We started with six small boxes with pictures in them and next to those pictures, were blank boxes for us to practice drawing those pictures. The paper was upside down when we drew them to help us grasp the concept. Next, we moved on to make the mask which we would use later. We cut out a four inch thick strip of red construction paper and cut out a mask with the template that was given. We were provided with a pre-cut piece of red flexible plastic material. We glued the red plastic material onto the back of our mask and left it to dry under something with a little weight to keep it pressed together. Then, we moved onto the hidden animal activity. We were able to pick which animal we wanted to draw and once we picked which animal, we drew it with a light blue crayon. Once we drew the animal, we used warm colors to make different patterns overtop the light blue animal. Once we finished with our drawing, we took the mask that we made earlier and cut out the nose area and then put the glasses on. Once the masks were completed, we put them on and looked at the picture. When we looked at the picture, we could see the hidden animal that we drew. Finally, we put three clues on the paper so that others could guess what animal it is. We also put our names on it.

 

An extension activity could be writing short poems or essays from a book or other inspirational item in light blue. They could take the warm colored crayons and make different patterns on top of it. The students will share their works of art with the class and then the art pieces will be hung up so that the students can see them. This will work on their literacy skills plus also incorporate art.

Print Making

This art lesson uses print making. We were given a two Styrofoam rectangular piece of paper and a piece of construction paper. We were asked to print a deign on one of the Styrofoam pieces and then roll paint on to it. We repeated it with the white paint as well. On the second piece of Styrofoam we were asked to put three different symbols or signs on it. We then rolled white paint on to it and pressed it on the construction paper. We had to make sure not to add too much paint or too little. If the paint was sticking to the roller and it wasn't moving, that meant you had too much paint.

An extension for this activity could be having the students go out in nature and find five different items to press onto a piece of construction paper. They would use different colors of paint for each object and then later, they would share their project with the class.