5th Grade Native American Dream Catchers

5th grade artists are learning about Native American life and culture in their classrooms. We added to this by learning about their art as well. Below are two links to slide shows that we used.

Download Native American Overview Slide Show Here

Download Native American Dream Catchers Slide Show Here

We learned about why Native Americans use Dream Catchers - to catch the good dreams and let the bad dreams evaporate with the morning dew. We created our own dreamcatchers out of paper plates, yarn, beads and feathers.

Learning Goals:
Students will be able to discuss why Native Americans used Dream Catchers
Students will use Native American pictographs and traditional designs to decorate the rim of their dream catcher
Students will create their own dream catcher and weave string for the inside of the design

4th Grade Native American Clay Hide Stories with Pictographs

4th Grade artists had a blast learning about Native American Art and culture. Below is a link to the slide show we used to learn about Native American art in general. We learned about how they used pictographs to write down their stories and how they didn't have paper and paint like we do. Sometimes, they used buffalo hides to draw on (and for many other purposes!). We created our own stretched hides out of model magic clay, painted them with watercolor paint, drew with permanent marker, and colored with markers or crayons using warm and neutral colors.  We made a hanger out of twine, beads and found sticks.

Download Native American Overview Slide Show Here

Learning Goals:
Students will be able to discuss why Native Americans used buffalo hides and pictographs
Students will use pictographs to tell their own story
Students will create their story on a clay "hide"

5th Grade Roy Lichtenstein Pop Art Words

Download Roy Lichtenstein Slide Show Here

Learning Goals:

Students will learn about the life and art of Roy Lichtenstein

Students will learn about Pop Art

Students will create an artwork that uses a word that expresses its meaning like a visual onomatopoeia = (it will show its meaning visually)

Students will show their knowledge of color schemes

1st grade Princess and the Pea

First grade artists thought about the differences between an author and an illustrator of a book. We talked about art careers and what we could be if we wanted to grow up and be an artist. We then looked at two renditions of the book "The Princess and the Pea." One was more like the original tale and the other was more of a modern spoof on the story. The illustrators chose to do their artwork very differently. 

We noticed the different textures  of the donated fabrics that we had and glued the strips down to pile up the many mattresses for our princes and princesses. We also worked hard to blend watercolor cold paint colors in the background. 

Kindergarten Patterned Owls

1st Grade Snoval Collages

1st Grade artists have worked hard on their Snoval collages! We used multiple materials like buttons, fabric, wallpaper scraps and other things to create these adorable snovals (oval snowmen). After reading books about snowmen, we talked about been cartoon illustrators as a art career and also reviewed our use of pattern in the scarves.

Learning Goals:

Students can identify a collage

Students can distinguish between art careers

Students know the difference between an author and an illustrator

Students can use pattern in their artworks

Michigan Art Education Association Region 9 Show!

CONGRATULATIONS to Aiva Timmer and Alyssa Pitsch for their artwork being chosen to represent Michigan's Region 9 at the district show! Each of these girls has been honored to have their work showing along with famous artists throughout history at the GRAM (Grand Rapids Art Museum) until Feb. 28th!

Some of the artworks were shown on the main floor of the GRAM!

Some of the artworks were shown in the educational center of the GRAM!

We had an artists' reception with live music on a grand piano, drinks, and cupcakes!