5th grade - Names in Neon

Fifth graders have been creating monochromatic tempera paintings we are calling "Names in Neon," since they resemble the glow of a neon sign. We can change the value of a color (hue) by adding white (tint) or black (shade). Lesson idea from the Crayola website. Teacher tip - keep your hues in a separate tray from the white and black mixing tray. 

New ways to be "ready for art"

For many years, one of the first things I have said to my classes is "Show me you are ready for art," and I wait for all eyes to look at me, talking to stop, and still seated bodies. I am changing it up a bit this year and trying to broaden the concept of being ready for art - I still greet them with that same request, but then right after I have their attention we do a short relaxation exercise. A few shoulder rolls, a few hand stretches, and a few slow deep breaths - and our bodies are calmer, our minds are clearer and we are ready to be creative. It only takes about 30 seconds but it really does create a nice mood in the room and the kids seem to be enjoying it! Once we get into the routine I will start calling up a student to lead us in the relaxation and choose a few new techniques we can do in our seats.

Image from pbs.org

Another practice I have been doing absolutely regularly is our Five Minute Focus, where we listen to low volume music and think about our work without distraction. Once the lesson has been introduced or reviewed and all materials are passed out, we work without talking and listen to our own artist voice in our heads. After the five minutes is up, we use our table talk voices and take a vote on continuing the music (it's usually a yes) - mostly Vince Guaraldi and movie soundtracks like Wall-e (my fave) and Monsters Inc with a few Beatles classics and such. I use a Spotify playlist.

I have a new chart posted in my room that shows how our 45 minutes is broken down - it is the same schedule as it has always been, but having the chart up for students to see seems to be helping us to use our time more wisely. Art room time is a terrible thing to waste :) .

Contour drawing with a twist!

My 2nd and 3rd graders learned about observation and contour drawing in our first project. We observed, or looked closely, at a variety of differently shaped art supplies, and practiced our contour line drawing - a slow and smooth line that defines outlines and details. Once we  had a few objects drawn, I threw in a twist - we imagined the art supplies coming to life! Making something look like it is alive is called animation - we looked at examples like those in the book The Day the Crayons Quit and added features like faces, expressions, and even word or thought bubbles. We had a class discussion about the poor art supplies that were so bored over the summer while we were gone and how happy they were to see us :)! It was quite a fun time in the old art room.

Illustration from Drew Daywalt's fantastic book