Winter Self Portraits: 1st Grade

Fun wintertime self portraits!  I introduced students to facial proportion, and how to draw eyes & noses a bit more realistic.  My expectations are that they attempt to apply the new information they've been given in regards to drawing faces.  They were suppose to draw the mittens covering their mouth, but some did not.  Still super cute! 

Inspired by Beatriz Milhazes: 1st Grade

This is a work by Beatriz Milhazes, but I could not find the title.

When my practicum student introduced me to the art of Beatriz, I instantly connected with it! My mind instantly jumped to possible projects I could do with my students inspired by her beautiful work. The first project I came up with was a mixed media piece for 1st grade. Day one the students used rulers and lids to make designs. Then they traced their marks with crayons to add extra color to their work. Next students painted the picture. They were encouraged to use as many colors as possible. This week we are retracing areas that are not showing up well...and filling in white spaces that didn't get painted. Then they used patterned paper to create flower shapes, vines, and organic/geometric shapes. I'm really excited to see how the rest of my classes do!!  

Town Planners: 1st Grade

I'm so excited with the work I've been seeing from my 1st graders on this project!!!  Let me give you some background.....

The week before this project we did a collaborative project where students created a "village"(refer back to...   http://www.artwithmre.com/2018/10/collaborative-community-1st-grade.html  ).  They broke up into small groups and discussed what they felt where important parts of a town.  They each were responsible for creating a house, a business/place of worship/school..etc. ...and with any left over paper they could make trees/clouds/shrubs/cars. They cut them out, and then the students helped plan where the different elements would go.  The kids loved it...and they turned out great.

For this project...I had the students create a drawing of their own town.  I did show them how to create the road so they could show more buildings & over lap parts of the picture to create a more realistic layout.  They were encouraged to create a town with the buildings that would be most important to them.  Some ended up with toy stores, candy shops, and ice cream parlors...and not much else, but they were still fun...and they kids were able to make them personal. This was done as a drawing only....no coloring.  Sometimes details get lost in the coloring, and I really wanted to preserve those details!!

Practicum Take Over!!!

'My practicum students created & taught their own lessons this week!!  It has been fun to watch them as they see success & areas that need improvement.  As a teacher of many many moons.....it is so energizing to see young educators start to discover who they are!!

2nd Grade
Ms. Wilson did a POP ART lesson focused on Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans.
The kids loved creating their own wacky flavors.
(Though one is Mr. E flavored...and the paint brush has red on it?? My blood?)

1st Grade

Ms. Saunders focused her lessons on Picasso & him abstracted portraits.

The students laughed so much as they created versions of themselves with eyes, ears, and mouths going every which way!  They also enjoyed using construction paper crayons.

Ms. Alday read to the students a story about scarecrows.  The students focused on using shapes to create their works of art.  They also used construction paper crayons.  

The practicum students are doing an amazing job...and my students are really enjoying them being here at our school!!  It is really a win-win situation if you are on the fence about practicum students!! 

School Picture Day for Animals: 1st Grade

In our new scope & sequence we have portraits across all grade levels. I don't know about you, but doing the same thing over and over all day long for a week at a time.....it's just too much for me to handle.  I get so bored!  So I decided to spice things up in 1st grade!  We did animal school pictures with patterned backgrounds!  We still talked about proportion, symmetry, and bust....but had a little fun with it!  I'm really proud of the kids for the amazing work at the start of the 1st grade year! 

1st Grade Self Portraits

I love going through my students' work for the nine weeks...and thinking about how much they've grown!  The first graders have done such a great job on their self portraits(using mirrors).  To think where they were at first of the year...mind blowing!  This is why I love elementary so much......you see jumps in skill that are simply awe inspiring!  

Color Explosion: 1st Grade

Here are the first grade projects we used for the art show!
There are a few projects students selected from for their piece.  A majority of the students selected their water color checkerboard background with collage animal on top of it.  I loved this project, and the kids did AMAZING work.  One of the other projects students selected was the fish bowl.  We were still working with watercolor & patterns.  I had been given a roll of clear thick plastic...so I had the students trace with a sharpie on the plastic, cut it out, and use craft glue to attach it to their picture.  I know it is hard to tell from the pictures, but their bowls look real!!  The other selection(and there were only two I believe)....were collage monsters.  

          

HERE ARE SOME CLOSER UP PICTURES OF THE MAIN PROJECTS!

Another reason to love teaching elementary art...

I posted this on my social media, but wanted to make sure it was here as well.

I love teaching elementary art!  The amazing work they produce still surprises me 21  yrs later.  Sometimes it is because of the amazing skill with which they create.  Sometimes it is the fearless approach they bring to creating.  Sometimes....their work is just hysterical....even if they didn't mean it to be.  This is one of those situations.

My 1st graders had been charged with creating a creature/animal in the style of a school picture on top of a fun watercolor checker board they created the week before.  Most were extremely cute cats, dogs, mice, bears..etc  Then I came to this one.  Mind you...this student has no clue on what he has created.....BUT I DO!!! 

 I give you the most amazing GROUCHO MARX BUNNY!!!

I adore this picture....and wonder if I can somehow keep it for myself!! ha ha  

Mixed Media Critters: 1st Grade

I believe it was on Mini Matisse that I saw a fun check board painting she was doing with her students.  I loved the idea, but had to think where I wanted to take it from the check board "base".  My first graders loved getting to paint the check board!! There were varying levels of success, but all looked nice once completed!  The next class time I had them trace the original pencil lines with a black crayon.  They then created a "critter" to place on the check board.  I told them to think of it as a school picture for their creations!  The faces crack me up!  I love the expressions.