Carpenter Art Room

Welcome the Year of the Dragon.

2012-01-28T07:15:00.000-08:00

This week at Carpenter students created dragons to celebrate the Chinese New Year. As an Art Teacher I could not have asked for a better subject to do with my students. Not only was it creative but each student created their own dragon. They are all awesome!

Kindergarden

In Kindergarden students made a dragon head and tail with a red streamer in between. Students took this work home but I will post pictures Monday. Students worked hard at coloring, folding and cutting these dragons.

First Grade

The First Grade students created a dragon mask that was symmetrical. They started with a simple modified heart shape for the face. The details of the face were their creations. They had lots of fun and it shows.

Second Grade

Students is Second Grade looked at a drawing of a dragon and used it as inspiration for their masks. Students chose either warm or cool colors. Their dragons were either fire or water dragons.

Third Grade

The Third Graders made mask as well inspired by a simple dragon drawing. The made their masks either fire or water dragons. All masks show how students understand the concepts of symmetry and design.

Third Graders also made a drawing of a dragon following a step-by-step instruction sheet. They worked a lot with proportions and details. They are impressive.

Fourth Grade

Students in Fourth Grade made Chinese Opera masks. They were able to create a design inside the face that told a story. Again they had to be aware of symmetry. Their color choices and designs are their own.

Fifth Grade

The Fifth Graders made a dragon mask inspired by another simple drawing. Students used warm or cool colors. Students showed symmetry in their work as well.

An Awesome Art Year

2011-12-23T06:38:00.000-08:00

I am very excited to show the art of the Carpenter Students. First, I want to thank all of the parents who have kindly come in and volunteered in the Art Room. I really appreciate it. Second, I am constantly impressed by the engagement and enthusiasm my students bring to the Art Room. It inspires me. And thirdly, I want to thank everyone who views the work of the Carpenter students and acknowledges their work. This makes my job so enjoyable. Have a Happy New Year and enjoy the work of Carpenter students.

Kindergarden

In Kindergarden the students learned to make pinch pots out of clay. Students received a ball of clay and then they pushed the center in gently and create a round dish. The clay pinch pots were glazed and I placed different colored marble inside the pinch pots. Each of the 4 Kindergarden classes had a different color glaze and marble so I would know which class was who's. The pinch pots were gifts for the Kindergardeners to give to whom ever they wanted. They are to be used to hold rings, coins or any other trinkets.

Kindergardeners spend a lot of time on the concept of construction. The Big Orange Splot is the book I used to inspire students to create and decorate their own houses. We talked about doors, windows and roofs. Each student was given a rectangle and a triangle to construct a house. They created the details and environment.

Mr. Szczygiel, AAPS Naturalist/ Environmental Educator, stopped in and visited all 4 Kindergarden Classes to talk about animals and the weather. Students in the Art Room made bears and created a stone cave on a brown paper bag. Students placed their bears in the bags to hibernate over the winter along with the following poem:

Mr. Bear says all he wants to do is sleep 

Now that winter's here and snow is very deep 

He has curled up in his den 

And we probably won't see him 

Till the spring when all he'll want to do is eat!

Students were instructed to take the bears home in their caves and find a place like a closet or under the bed for the bears to hibernate. We watched Bear Snores On and scheduled Bear Wants More for the Spring when students return their bears.

Students constructed snowmen by using a round sponge. Students had to have 3 different sizes of snowballs, starting with the smallest on top. Student had to create a ground for their snowmen as well.

I read the books Ish and Dot to inspire the students. These two books were great for illustrating that each person can have their own style and that when you practice art you can become a great artist.

Frederick, The Whale and the Raven and a Turkey Handprint projects were also done in the Fall in Kindergarden. These projects were taken home as the students finished them. Unfortunately I did not take pictures but I will post the samples when school resumes.

First Grade

The First Grade Teachers have picked different authors that they will be focussing on: Kevin Henkes and Ezra Jack Keats. Since students will be going to Kensington Park in my hometown of Milford, Michigan after the first of the year, we started with Kevin Henkes' book Birds. Student made a bird color wheel based off the birds in the book. The birds include Blue Jays, Cardinals and Yellow Finches.

Students created Picasso inspired "Love" birds that with clay. Each student made a card to go with their bird in the style of Charlie Harper.

The First Graders made Turkey pictures to take home. I do not have images of these, but I heard they were great.

Second Grade

Second Graders have a Sound Unit they do in conjunction with Music. I have included this concept in Art. Students created a Turtle Rattle as part of a Humanities Art Lesson. The concept behind the Turtle Rattle was inspired by the book Thirteen Moons on the Back of Turtle which I used earlier in the year. Below is an example of a real turtle rattle and of the students' work. And, they do rattle!

I read The Lorax by Dr. Suess to the Second Graders to help them understand the concept of being mindful and not wasteful when it comes to resources we use, specifically trees. Second Graders made Lollipop Trees inspired by Hundertwasser. Enjoy!

The last project we work on before break was inspired by Circles by Sonia Delaney. Each circle the students made had to represent either a thought or have some other personal meaning. Many students chose to have the circle represent their family members. Students learned that even Modern or Contemporary Art has meaning and reflects the ideas of the artist.

Students also made Dream Catchers. I will add photos later.

Third Grade

Each year Third Grade students are introduced to the planets. Here are the images the students made with the correct order of the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus. Each planet's size, color and placement help distinguish them from one another. Some students chose to add Pluto.

Third Graders study the relationship between the Sun, Earth and Moon. In this project the phases of the Moon are shown around the wolf. This project was inspired by an image I found that was done by an unnamed artist. Their image is below. I will post student images soon.

Every year Carpenter has been involved in a can food drive. Students in Third Grade create posters for the drive inspired by Andy Warhol's Campbell Soup Can.

Third Graders made tiles based on the design of Frank Llyod Wright. Each tile represented a student's family and every circle represented someone important to them. Students worked with warm or cool glazes.

Third Graders did Picasso inspired Self Portraits. If you visit the office you will see these greeting each person who enters. I will post these images when we are back at school.

Third Graders study prism and the effect of light passing through an object. We discussed refraction and how all the colors are present. Below are examples of work inspired by another unknown artist.

Free Draw is something that students enjoy doing, particularly projects where half the image is provided. It is great for teaching symmetry. Also, they look great.

Fourth Grade

Fourth Grade students were introduced to Frank Stella, a Native Detroit Artist. Students used a protractor to create their designs. No erasers were allowed in the creation of these images. Students had to plan their designs. They traced their protractors so they would overlap but stopped where they would cut into another protractor. They did a great job.

Ted Harrison, a Canadian artist, inspired students to think about the water cycle and how water moves within a landscape. The images below are awesome.

Fourth Grade Students were introduced to Medieval and Renaissance Art through the Unicorn Tapestries. Students learned that the Unicorn was a symbol for creativity. With this information students were given part of a tapestry to glue to drawing paper. They were allowed to choose an image like a dragon, castle, unicorn or horse. The only rule was that their drawing had to reflect the design and patterns in the tapestry along with the color scheme.

Fourth Grade student watched a PPT about Whimsical Houses. Students were instructed to be inspired by the works they saw. With a template, a slab roller and pattern rollers students were able to construct their houses in clay in 1 hour. Students glazed with a texture glaze that added personality and whimsy.

The next project will be weaving. Some students have already begun.

Fifth Grade

Fifth Grade students made Oaxacan Clay Animals. Student had to paint using the traditional method of the Alberijes Artist they saw on a PPT. Below are samples of their work.

This project was one that allowed the Fifth Graders to pick and draw 20 images on circles that either told a story or was part of a theme. They took their time and did a great job. After they were done with their drawing they cut out the 20 circles and constructed a Icosahedron.

Here are the Icosahedrons.

Our next project is tesselations inspired by MC Esher.

Creativity Is In The Air

2011-11-07T12:25:00.000-08:00

Recently, I have noticed that Carpenter students have been talking a lot about art. I recently walked down the hall and over heard students talking about their work and trying to find their friends. They were discussing their color choices and placement of objects. They were first graders. I am so proud of them!

Also, I have noticed an increase of compliments in the art room from one student to another. It is great to see that art is bringing our students together. I think this is why Carpenter students are so creative. I can not wait to see wait they achieve next.

I was recently asked if my assignments are open ended. I do set parameters that students have to have in their work but their are no two piece that are exactly alike. This proves that students are using their creative problem solving and skills.

Kindergarden

Kindergardeners went on a Field Trip to the Apple Orchard this Fall. The first project is apple prints on a contemporary print students made.

Pumpkins were inspired by the book Spookley the Pumpkin.

Construction is a large part of the Science curriculum in Kindergarden. Piet Modrian is great for teaching students how lines intersect and overlap.

Since this Fall has provided us with so much color I was able to show students how collecting leaves can be a great Science project. We have painted, printed and done rubbing of leaves. The following painting was inspired to help students cut out a tree trunk and sponge paint leaves. If you look closely the trunk is like a long arm with fingers.

We did a abstract piece inspired by Paul Klee. These are amazing! Look at the color.

We are currently working on Owl Pine Cones and will be finishing a Where the Wild Things Are collage.

1st Grade

Students made warm and cool color pastel drawings of leaves. We discussed how leaves change from green to yellow, orange, red and eventually brown. Students learned that yellow, orange and red are hidden underneath the green and almost like a clock the tree knows when to sleep.

Also, students learned how to draw a Maple Leaf and show the colors they saw in their own leaf.

Next students made collage owls after hearing the story The Owl Moon.

2nd Grader

Students learned about the Aboriginals of Australian and their legend of the Sea Serpent. Students created a snake that had native symbols on the serpent's body. These symbols are a pictograph of a map. Students were able to create a story about the travel of their serpent or person.

There are quite a few of these hanging in the office. Please check them out if you have time.

Students had a great time talking about fossils and creating a Dinosaur World. They drew the animals on black paper and cut them out. Students used the scraps to create rocks and volcano. Some rocks look like the Dinosaurs broke through.

3rd Grade

The Mummy Cases are done and are in Carpenter's Library. Thank you Mrs. Burau for letting me display them. Students worked hard on these and each one has the students' name on it in Hieroglyphs.

The Inuit Owl Legends are almost complete. Students have combined an owl with another animal to create a new animal as well as a story that tells us how it came to be. Students used their knowledge of the Oak Tree and Owl Pellet Units to help them create their paintings and stories.

Mrs. Cook's Oak Tree

4th Grade

Students are learning about natures recyclers. The Hundertwasser Towers show how an architect reuses the land he built on by adding that green space to the roof. Students work is below.

The Scarab or Dung Beetle is also a recycler as it recycle waste of other animals. As students learned the Dung Beetles save the US Cattle Industry about $300 million a year in disposing of cattle waste. Students did an amazing job.

Students will start work inspired by Ted Harrison next week.

5th Grade

Student finished their Hundertwasser Towers as well.

Since 5th Graders are learning Spanish and learning about the body the Dia los de Muertos seemed like a great lesson to teach.

The next lesson will be Oaxacan Clay Animals.

Fall Is In The Air

2011-11-05T05:34:00.000-07:00

This week I had time to walk around the courtyard at Carpenter. I plan on having students sketch what they find in the Spring but next year I will start in the Fall.

This year I will use the pine cones for Kindergarden Owls and I will have them help me collect them.

Here are some photos of the courtyard

and art room.

And recently I was able to put up work by the Second Graders and Fourth Graders that really had a visual story that I wanted to share. The Second Graders did African Hands and the Fourth Graders did their families via the Masai.

I will post the new art projects on the next post. I have many to share.

Art Is In Full Swing

2011-10-07T22:20:00.000-07:00

For the second post I just want to say that I am so proud of ALL my students. They are all creative. I am lucky to spend each day watching their excitement and discovery. The past 2 weeks proved to me how important ART is in my students learning. One class asked to create a play about their shadow puppets they did in third grade. They did not just want to learn about shadows, they wanted to apply that knowledge and prove how shadows work.

Kindergarden

The Kindergardener's learned about creating collections. We focused on leaves from trees and how we can collect them. If we collected a lot of leaves we could make a pile of similar leaves and know that they came from the same type of tree. I read Leaves Fall Down and we learned that all leaves have the color green and yellow in them.

The following is an example of a crayon resist of fall trees inspired by our reading.

Next, students made leaf prints using green and yellow & red and orange. We looked at the color wheel and discussed the different color combinations. Each child was able to tell me the answer to what color would be made by mixing red and blue, yellow and blue, or yellow and red.

With Kindergardeners I try to explore all the different shapes and lines. I explain to my students that everything is made up of shapes and lines. We explored lines in this project inspired by the book Lines That Wiggle.

Also, the Kindergardeners created a family portrait through drawing a collection of objects that where their family members. I did not take photos of these because students took them home but they were great. They had family of apples in an apple tree, families of balloons and bunnies and to name just a few. The inspiration can from the book All Kinds of Families.

The last project we did this week was based on Jackson Pollack's work. I read Action Jackson which is about the artist and his technique of painting. Instead of splattering paint we used cars to create our paintings. The students love this project.

1st Grade

For 1st Grade we focussed on birds since the students will be going to Kensington Park soon. I read the book Feather's For Lunch which included the following birds: Northern Cardinal, Northern Oriole, Red-winged Blackbird, Blue Jay, American Robin, Mourning Dove, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, American Goldfinch, House Sparrow, House Wren, Northern Flicker, and Red-headed Woodpecker.

Students created a collage. See below.

Another project in the works is a kite in honor of the Korean Kite festival that just happened in the Arb in Ann Arbor sponsored by the University of Michigan. My students used crayon to color their kites in either warm or cool colors. Crayons are used to make the kite waterproof and help them fly better. Students will finish their kites next week and we will fly them. We hope to have a windy day.

2nd Grade

In 2nd Grade my students made African Tribal Hands. Each student traced their hand 3 times and created a traditional African design on one hand and created 2 other designs/ patterns on the other hands. Students were able to learn that different cultures share common art styles. Students will be adding another handprint on their work at the end of the school year to document how much they have grown in one year.

As a practice to the Aboriginal Sea Serpent lesson students created a simple snake design. Next week they will begin their Serpent's which will use different symbols to create a map and a story in their art.

Second Graders made Fall pictures this week. We discussed how plants and animals change in the different seasons. Below are the examples.

3rd Grade

My 3rd Graders will continue to learn about Michigan throughout the year. For this project we discussed the different types of landscapes in Michigan. Students learned that when drawing a landscape there is a foreground, middle ground and background. Some of the postcards students made are below.

3rd Graders are doing a unit on Egypt. We have done shadow puppets and learned the hieroglyphs. As a culmination of the unit we will be making a mummy case. Students created a shadow puppets to help them understand how and why shadows exist. While students created their puppets they wanted to do a play with them. Below you will see some puppets and a couple of the plays they created.

Here is a play by the students.

4th Grade

Both the 4th and 5th Graders are doing a project based on Hundertwasser's work. Here are some examples of their work in progress. Photos will be added Monday.

5th Grade

The Insect Robots are AWESOME! Here are just a few of the amazing work my 5th Graders have finished.

Both the 4th and 5th Graders are doing a project based on Hundertwasser's work. Here are some examples from the 5th Grade. Photos will be posted Monday.

It Is Art Time

2011-09-23T12:46:00.000-07:00

I started this log to post pictures of the work Carpenter Students create in the Art Room.

Kindergarden Work

We talked about Sunflowers and I introduced to them Vincent vanGogh and read the book Cammille and the Sunflower. Students colored in the center of 5 to 6 circles I had traced for them with yellow and orange crayons. Next they made triangle leaves around the flowers with green crayons. After they were done with the crayon work, I gave them red and yellow paint and a fork to paint the orange petals of the Sunflower.

The next Art Project we did was from the book The Kissing Hand. Students were able to trace their own hand and cut out a heart.

For our third Art Project Kindergardeners listened to Mozart and did circles like the artist Kandinsky. Enjoy!

1st Grade

The first week of school students were reintroduced to Vincent vanGogh and we used chalk pastels to create our own interpretative drawing of the famous Sunflowers in Vase painting.

For Constitution Day students created their own Statue of Liberty portrait. The images were done on blue paper with green and white crayons.

Second Grade

In Second Grade Art class I read the book Thirteen Moons on the Back of Turtle. Students learned that the center oval on the back of a turtle is split up into 13 sections for the 13 full moons of the year and that the outside oval has 28 sections that corresponds to the 28 days between every full moon. Each moon has its own story. Each student created their own turtle calendar. They will make turtle rattles in February.

Third Grade

The 3rd Grade students learn a lot about the State of Michigan and the first Art Project we did involved a native Michigan and native American artist as well as native Michigan animals. The Artist I choose to introduce to my students is Lois Beardslee. I saw her work in the Traverse City. Her are a few of her pieces I photographed.

Here is the work the 3rd Grade students made.

Constitution Day for the 3rd Graders required them to write what we have as Americans across their portraits of the Statue of Liberty. Below is a sample.

4th Grade

The students in 4th Grade will be studying about The Watery Earth. Students created thier own Japanese Koi paintings.

The 4th Graders have also started an Art Project inspired by the Tinga Tinga art of Africa. The artist Sarange who does Tinga Tinga as well as Masai made some incredible drawings and the students used his inspiring designs to create their own family portrait.

5th Grade

The 5th Grade class learned about another native Michigan artist Gwen Frostic. They made prints of native Michigan animals. Here are a few samples of their work.

The next Art Project is creating their own Robot Insect's inspired by Mike Libby's work. Here are the initial sketches.

Welcome to the Carpenter Art Room

2011-09-13T20:54:00.000-07:00

Hello! Welcome to the Carpenter Art Room Blog. I will be posting Art from my Elementary Students as well as awesome resources for Art.

Below you will find a list of art websites for Elementary Students.

Art Websites For Elementary Students

Art Express
Contains a nice variety of fun and educational artistic activities for grades 1 through 5.

http://www.harcourtschool.com/menus/art_express.html

Cartoon Critters
Offers dozens of cartoons to print and color, and coloring books with pictures that you can color
online. Also includes graphic step-by-step instructions on how to draw cartoons, online games you
can play, and crafts.

http://www.cartooncritters.com/

Color Matters
Budding artists and anyone interested in color will want to see how color affects our mind and body,
its use in design and art, plus lots more. Explains additive and subtractive color systems, how the eye
sees colors, and how other cultures view and use colors.

http://www.colormatters.com/

Haring Kids
Artist Keith Haring was devoted to kids. At this site, he shares his vision of art with them and inspires
them to discover their own creative side. Activities include games, puzzles, pictures to color, stories and
more. Lesson plans for each section are available to teachers.

http://www.haringkids.com/

Inside Art
A game which explores a painting from the inside out. You 'escape' from the painting after answering
'Who? / What? / Where? / How? ' questions.

http://www.eduweb.com/insideart/index.html

KinderArt
You'll find lots of great ideas for quality art and craft projects at KinderArt. Be sure to check out the
sections for younger children, and seasonal crafts too!

http://www.kinderart.com/index.html

Kodak Tips
Kodak offers a wealth of information on ways you can improve the artistic quality of the pictures you
take while helping you understand the technical issues of photography as well. Recommended for the
serious beginner to intermediate photographer.

http://www.kodak.com/ek/US/en/Consumer_Products/Tips_Projects_Center/Tips_and_Projects_Center_-_Photo_Tips_Projects_Inspirational_Stories_and_More_2.htm?pq-path=11808&pq-locale=en_US&_requestid=2754

Learn About Color
How many colors can you make by mixing red, yellow, and blue? Color William, the hippopotamus, to
find out.

http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/Learn_About_Color/index.html

Metropolitan Museum of Art - Explore & Learn
Includes art games like "What is it?", activities, interviews, stories, art in the classroom, a FAQ about
the museum, and more.

http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/index.asp

The Rudiments of Wisdom Encyclopedia
Includes thousands of cartoons covering almost anything you'd like to know! Originally drawn over a
period of 14 years for the Observer newspaper, you'll find information on animals, art, entertainment,
music, science, sports and 16 other subjects.

http://www.rudimentsofwisdom.com/themes/themes_artandarchitecture.htm

NGA Kids ArtZone

National Gallery of Art: interactive art activities. AWESOME SITE!

http://www.nga.gov/kids/zone/zone.htm

MOMA Kids Wing -

Fun activities from the Museum of Web Art.

http://www.mowa.org/kids/kids_enter.html

Destination: Modern Art

From the Museum of Modern Art.

http://www.moma.org/interactives/destination/

SmART Kids

from the Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago; for students ages 7-12 to discover ways to look
at, think about, and respond creatively to art.

http://smartmuseum.uchicago.edu/smartkids/php/exitSurvey/exitSurvey.php

Mr.PicassoHead

Online design and drawing, includes gallery.

http://www.picassohead.com/

@rt Junction

The @rt Junction is designed around the idea of "activity" centers that encourage kids to create, to learn
and to explore new ideas, places and things on their own.

http://www.artjunction.org/

ArtGames

Artgames is an interactive website designed to engage children in playful, interactive learning about
works of art in the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York.

http://kids.albrightknox.org/index_launched.html

Seattle Art Museum - Learn and Play

These sites from SAM have online art tours and interactive games, lesson plans and art activities.

http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/Learn/YouthFamily/default.asp

It's Fun To Read!

This is a great site from Starfall.com where you and your friends have fun learning to read. There's an
art gallery, poetry and even fun tongue twisters.

http://www.starfall.com/n/level-b/index/play.htm?f