I heard it in every 5th grade class yesterday, and in every 6th grade class ALL week: "Why do we have to take notes in art?" "Why do we have to practice this?" "Why can't we just start the project?" I also want students to appreciate the background on some of the art techniques we use. I want them to develop the technical skill needed to bring those projects to the next level. When I use the vocabulary of art and the media we use, I want them to understand what I'm talking about. This means sometimes we have to build some background with a video or slide show and jot down a few things. It means trying out techniques that seem difficult at first and practicing to become comfortable using them. It means being patient with the process so we can produce better artwork and have more tools in which to express our creativity. It's worth the wait! |
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Fifth graders have completed a print-making unit. We started by learning to make simple block prints by marking into Styrofoam.
We viewed the 36 Views of Mount Fuji by the Japanese artist Hokusai. While we watched, we discussed the printmaking process, and how it was a bit more challenging with woodcuts in the 1800's! Some even realized that it would take several carvings to put together one print- one carving for each color. We also noticed the subject of the print series. Mount Fuji was in every scene. Sometimes it was in the distant background. Sometimes it was so close we almost missed that the people were climbing on it in the foreground. Some of the scenes were peaceful views of nature. Others were humorous and included a person chasing a hat, pulling on a stubborn horse in the river, or even flying kites from a rooftop! After our discussion (and jotting down some ideas), we wrote a haiku poem about Hokusai's work. We later returned to our printmaking with a greater understanding of the many possibilities in printmaking. Happy International Dot Day! What's that? International Dot day is named for the classic Peter H. Reynolds storybook The Dot. The book shares the story of a girl who begins a journey of self-discovery after a caring teacher challenges her to "make her mark." It's a celebration of creativity. We viewed a short video of The Dot at the beginning of class. We also checked out the "Bouncing Dot Song" by Emily Arrow, because even Dot Day needs a holiday song. This one was catchy enough to get several of my classes singing along! As for "making our mark", we drew a quarter circle on a 4-inch square and decorated it any way we chose. Several tools were available, including drawing pencils, colored pencils, markers, and oil pastels. Afterwards, I arranged them to complete larger circles. I love the variety of marks we made! They are as beautiful as the personalities these students have. Welcome to my class! We're about 2 weeks into the school year, and what an exciting beginning it has been! Come on in, and I'll show you around. We store our art journals (folders) in these baskets. Projects (that aren't needing to dry) will be stored on the shelves. Some of our fabulous finished work will soon be displayed on the other side of our entrance hall. Our work areas... Other special touches... I love the potential of unused art supplies. I love getting them out with students even more! Check out our showcase link to see our latest student work.
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AuthorJana Perkins teaches 5th and 6th grade art at Donna Shepard Intermediate School in Mansfield ISD. This blog highlights the lessons and artwork of those classes. Archives
October 2017
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