First Grade Fall Trees
Students created beautifully realistic fall trees with mixed media on paper. We began by viewing photographic imagery of real trees. We then stood up like real trees to demonstrate the how they are strongly rooted and to experience the different directions that the branches go. Students began their work by drawing a tree with oil crayons. Later, they added fall leaves to the tree branches and also falling to the ground with tempera paint. When the leaves dried they went back on top of them with oil crayons to duplicate the changing colors of fall leaves. Students mounted and signed their own work.
Learning Objectives:
- Following a process to get a desired effect
- Observing realistic imagery to inform work
- Creating a foreground and background for trees
- Craftsmanship in drawing and painting
- Persevering and staying on task in order to complete each step
- Applying more than one medium and process for a finished piece
- Mounting and signing a finished piece
First Grade Cave Paintings
First grade went on a virtual tour of the Lascaux Caves in France. We considered the stories within the paintings. We talked about how they were created and considered the medium used and the color palette. Using this knowledge and simple animal imagery students created their own cave paintings. The students worked under the tables in the dark to lit by campfire on the SMART Board to the sound of crackling fire and crickets in the background.
Learning Objectives:
- Storytelling through imagery
- Using similar medium to recreate historical work
- Working with simple imagery to create a dynamic work that is rich in content
- Traveling back in time to learn about ancient cultures and art can be fun
First Grade Batik Name Design
First graders created a Batik name design. Batik is both an art and a craft, which is becoming more popular and well known in the West as a wonderfully creative medium. The art of decorating cloth in this way, using wax and dye, has been practiced for centuries. In Java, Indonesia, batik is part of an ancient tradition, and some of the finest batik cloth in the world is still made there. The word batik originates from the Javanese tik and means to dot. First graders drew their name in bubble print and blocked out sections in the background. They colored completely with crayon and then outlined with a black oil crayon. The last step was to crumble the paper in order to create cracking in the crayon and then cover with black paint.
Learning Objectives:
- Following directions in order to successfully create the Batik effect
- Learning how to create bubble letters
- Creating space by overlapping name on a background
- Craftsmanship in refining coloring skills
- Persevering and staying on task in order to complete each step
First Grade Koi Fish Painting
Together we viewed a beautiful video (with music) of Koi fish swimming in a large outdoor pond. Inspired by what they observed in the video students recreated the movement, shapes, and colors of the Koi fish. This process began by drawing Koi fish in water with watercolor crayons. Next, we used a paintbrush with a small amount of water to activate the crayon and paint the piece.
Learning Objectives:
- Observational skills through observing the movement, shape and color of Koi fish.
- Building hand/eye coordination skills through observational drawing
- Acquire problem-solving skills through working with new medium
- Aesthetic appreciation through recognizing the beauty in imagery and in each painting
- Evoke empathy through a love of animals and nature
