For the next month, 15 students will have their self portraits on display in Superintendent Young’s office. The 4th, 3rd, 1st, and JK students show a lovely progression of knowledge and skills in regards to self portraits. This timeline of sorts is a small sample of self portraits that every student will create every year.
First graders used 3 values to create their self portraits. They realized that if they start with a light value to create an initial sketch, they can edit and fix a drawing with darker values. The original light value almost disappears! Students looked at many Modigliani portraits Students drew with markers only, no pencils. After drawing, they painted water on top to activate the water-soluble markers and mix the colors together.
If you could write your own fairy tale, where would it take place? That was the question posed to 1st graders last week. After a discussion about places and settings, students have created a backdrop for their stories. Next up, what kinds of characters would be in your own fairy tale?
The 1st graders had the blinds closed and lights turned off, and pretended they were drawing in caves. After cutting out and gluing some previously collaged and painted animals, the students worked in teams to tell a story via a mural. Now the question is, where to hang 12 giant murals?!
The first graders were challenged to draw and paint animals that are from Massachusetts. After learning about cave art, the students noticed that many caves depicted the same kinds of animals. Why? Because that’s all that the cave men/women saw and encountered in their daily lives. So the 1st graders came up with animals that they could encounter in Massachusetts: rabbits, cats, dogs, squirrels, mice, birds, farm animals, whales, sharks, fish, etc. Students first sketched 4 animals, then chose 1 to enlarge and paint with shades of brown.
This week, they will combine forces and create group murals using these animals!
The first graders are expanding their color theory knowledge! They mastered primary colors last year, and now they know their art equations: red+yellow=orange; yellow+blue=green; and red+blue=purple.
And guess what! This Friday is Secondary Color Day. First graders and all their teachers are encouraged to wear secondary colors to school.
Here, the 1st grader at work, mixing up their primary colors to fill in a color wheel:
April was Poetry Month! 1st graders have been reading poems by Jack Prelutsky and Shel Silverstein, who both have written funny, inspirational poems about imaginary animals. Students each chose 3 animals and sketched what a combo creature would look like. Using clay, they translated their drawings to 3 dimensions.
Can you tell what 3 animals have been combined?
To celebrate National Poetry Month, the 1st graders have been reading poems by Jack Prelutsky and Shel Silverstein in the Art Studio. Inspired by the poets’ imaginary animals and creatures, the students invented creatures made from 3 different animals. Today, they used their sketches to sculpt 3D versions. Here are some students at work:
A pig/bee/beaver
A lion/elephant/shark:
And a leopard/koala:
After vacation, the students will write their own poems about their creatures, along with glazing the sculptures!
First graders have been listening to a lot of music in the Art Studio lately. Mostly Louie Armstrong, Miles Davis, and other jazz greats. There are so many lovely books about jazz that we read: Jazz Baby, Bring on that Beat, Charlie Parker Played Be Bop, and I Live in Music. Am I missing any good ones?
The students created abstract collages, inspired by the music and books. With an array of materials: paper, cellophane, newspaper, aluminum foil, and tissue paper, students shapes that sound like music. Included in each collage is a drawing of the student’s home, either apartment building or house.
One of my resolutions will be to take more photos and update more often, now that I have a more functional camera.
The 1st graders recently finished a unit on cave art. They created these multimedia images with collaged animals, oil pastels stories, and sprayed on handprints. I wish I had photos documenting the highlight of the unit- drawing on the ceiling of ‘caves’. I turned the lights off and taped large paper under the tables, allowing the kids to sit on the floor in the dark. These collaborative drawings will be on display on a bulletin board at the Morse this week.
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