Egyptian Self-portraits, 3rd grade

Our first Ancient civilization project is complete, which is the merging of self-portraits with the art of Ancient Egypt. We looked at examples of tomb painting, sculpture, hieroglyphics and architecture before we drew ourselves as if we were living in 3000 BC Egypt. The metallic paint pens and papers add a nice sparkle, although it is hard to see in these pics. Most of the figures we saw were in profile, but most of us opted for a more modern, forward facing approach. Thanks to Practical Pages for the Egyptian costume handout I found on Pinterest - it was a great visual aide. Next up, Ancient Greek figure pots!

helpful handouts and visual aides

5th grade mask sculptures

Fifth graders took a dive into some ancient cultures by studying masks, which have been used in cultures around the world. People of Ancient Greece, Egypt, Asia, and the Americas created masks from natural materials for reasons like celebrations, storytelling, and memorials. Some masks were made to be worn, while others were symbolic.

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After looking at a variety of examples, students sketched ideas for human and animal masks using realistic and abstract styles. They selected a design and began work with 3D materials which we saved, like cardboard, marker caps, small boxes, and other doodads. We used liquid glue, string, and tape for most of our attaching, and I manned the hot glue gun for stubborn pieces. The kids were very creative in their designs and had a lot of fun using the wide variety of materials.

My example:

 Our supplies:

More Fun with Yarn!

Fourth and fifth graders are spending our last art lesson finishing up our yarn weaving activities. As a part of their "Art of Mexico" unit, 4th graders made circle weavings representing Native American suns and moons, a common motif for the ancient Aztec and Mayan cultures. We used warm color schemes for the suns and cool for the moons, and either could use neutrals. Last year we finished these off with a mosaic background, seen here, but unfortunately we ran out of time this year, getting out of school a week earlier.

***Update: my weaving handout & prep sheet for the project below is now available on Teachers pay Teachers - see if it might come in handy for your cardboard loom weaving - https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Mrs-Knights-Smartest-Artists ***
Tapestry weaving has been on the minds of my 5th graders for the past 5 weeks, and we researched some tapestries from the Middle Ages to prepare.  These can be used as bookmarks or wall hangings after removing them from the loom. We learned how to make a loom, how to add our warp strings, and how to weave 4 different patterns, as seen here:

we use a packet to keep our definitions and diagrams with our looms and weft strings

this example shows tabby weave at the top, then dovetail, then a 2-color stripe

this shows the checkerboard pattern in complementary red & green

vertical stripes and other patterns can be created during "free weave" -
once all 4 patterns have been demonstrated

3rd grade mosaics

Texture was a featured element in our fall mosaics - we used glossy, colorful magazine pages for the mosaic pieces, with a fuzzy yarn outline and a soft chalk pastel background. Mosaic is a very old art form dating back to ancient times.

Thanks Mister Rogers and happy summer, neighbors!

"I'll be back when the day is new, and I'll have more ideas for you.

You'll have things you'll want to talk about, I will too."

There is always so much going on at the end of the year that I get overwhelmed and feel a little burnout. Remembering this song that closed out every episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood always makes me feel better! How many of you were affected by this show as a kid? It was a real centering point for me as a child, making me feel calm, accepted, interested, and generally okay all around! I am only realizing in the last ten years what an impact he still has on my life, especially as a teacher. I've even been wearing more and more cardigans and sneakers lately. Although I am tired and drained now, I will be back, full of ideas and ready to share!

We've had an amazingly productive year, and we continued working up until the last day. We sent home over 900 portfolios, full of art learning, practicing, and products - I so hope they are the subject of many family sit-downs and fridge hang-ups! Here are some shots from our final days of 2014:

5th grade weavings - prep sheet and weaving handout available now on Teachers pay Teachers: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Mrs-Knights-Smartest-Artists

First grade unit on African art wraps up with Anansi the spider collages and Ndebele house designs (below)

Third graders learn about art of Ancient Egypt

Awesome handmade gift by the talented Miss Leah, complete with upcycled gift box - love it!

Lots of writing and reflecting on goals and growth this year - wish I had remembered to get more pics of this kind of stuff - not used to taking pics of writing ;)

Fun face photography on a pretty spring day

Kindergarteners finish up their prehistoric unit with some cave drawing

Fourth graders try their hands at modeling some succulent plants based on beautiful samples sent to me from Calfornia art teacher Rita Vinetz. It was literally the last days of art so most did the coloring part at home. Luckily Model Magic is easy to color:)

Happy summer to everybody - take time to unwind, unplug, relax and refresh! So much more to share next fall... Goodbye neighbors!

Art from other times and places...

It's my favorite time of year in the classroom - time to start our multicultural units!
Don't get me wrong, we study art history all year long from lesson to lesson, but these units are in depth studies of a specific culture or era, involving a number of different activities. It is exciting to think that by the time students leave Dolvin as a middle schooler, they have had art history experience that truly crosses the world and thousands of years.
Here is the list of topics by grade level and as seen on our world map - check back soon to see our progress!
K - Prehistoric art
1 - African art
2 - Asian art
3 - Art of Ancient civilizations
4 - Mexican art
5 - Medieval/Renaissance

Here's a sneak peek... which culture are these students learning about?





Let's fold paper cranes for Japan!

*UPDATE- we made our goal of 1,000 and they have been shipped.  If you would like to send more cranes yourself, go to www.oshkoshbgosh.com*
An ancient Japanese legend promises that anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes will be granted a wish by a crane, such as long life or recovery from illness or injury.  Let's see how many cranes the Dolvin Dolphins can fold, and send good wishes to Japan!  Fold them at home and bring them to my classroom.  We will tally up how many we can get.  I will also have folding instructions for you in my room if you come by before school starts.  Happy folding!!!

Greek Pottery Prints

Third graders are continuing their study of Art from Ancient Civilizations. Our Greek Pottery Prints were drawn symmetrically and include a typical Greek theme such as mythology, Olympic figures, or oceanic images. We traced them on printing foam and printed them on orange or gold papers. Thanks for this great lesson idea to The Paper Pear.