2/3/2017 LessonsWe had been studying the Mexican celebration Dia de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead last fall. Each grade level learned a little about the holiday and then created an artwork that aligned with our curriculum. Kindergartners created clay medallions in the style of the Aztec calendar. They rolled out a slab of clay into a circle and then added a pattern by pressing buttons and other small objects into the wet clay. First Graders created a pinched pot out of clay, based on the story of Juan Quezada from Mata Ortiz, Mexico. Students carved a Quezada-inspired pattern into their wet clay. Second Graders created a skull or marigold out of a slab of clay, adding pieces of clay and texture. Third Graders created a printing plate and made a print of a skull or other Day of the Dead symbol. Fourth and Fifth Graders learned about editorial cartoons and Juan Posada's Calaveras or images of skeletons doing everyday activities. Posada's prints contained his commentary about the Mexican Revolution. We found parallels with the editorial cartoons of today. Students then created a foam printing plate and used it to make a series of two prints. New lessons starting this week include clay for Third, Fourth and Fifth Grades. Third Grade is creating a coil pot. Fourth and Fifth Graders are choosing between three ideas for inspiration. Diving into Personalized Learning, students are studying each of these with a Padlet presentation and other materials. They aleady know clay techniques and next week, we begin putting our previous knowledge together with these inspirations. Excited to see how it goes!
2/2/2017 February Already??As always at this point, I find it amazing that the school year is more than half over. Time will fly and the year will be over before we know it. We had a fun and fabulous Evening of the Arts in December. Mr. DeStefano and his Chorus and Off groups outdid themselves with carolers in the hallways and impressive and entertaining performances. Despite the wet and chilly weather, we had a good turnout. The profits from the Art Show will help provide our students with the supplies necessary to support our Art curriculum. The photo booth was a big hit! And our families also enjoyed writing Artist Fan Letters to our student artists. Already looking forward to next year and thinking of ways to make it even better!
|
Archives
August 2022
|