5th Grade

My Fifth Grade classes have Art for one hour once a week. And although I do not have them Humanities I take every opportunity I have to infuse their lessons with their Science and Social Studies Curriculum.

My students were introduced to the work the sculptor Mike Libby and Scientific Illustrator Alison Schroeer. We discussed how Libby's work showed how watch gears and parts made insects appear to come alive. We discussed how our own muscles are like gears and pulleys. Inspired by their work my students created their own Insect Robots. This summer I plan on showcasing the Insect Robots at the Henry Ford Museum's Maker Faire July 27th and 28th.

For Constitution Day each 5th Grade student took a pretest in which I asked them to draw an eagle to the best of their ability and to write on the back of their drawing what they knew about the Constitution.

After they were done with the pretest I taught them step by step how to draw a American Eagle and to color it with oil pastels. I also taught them the importance of the Constitution and the Amendments which they wrote about on the back of their American Eagle drawing. Students were very successful with their drawings as well as articulating their understanding of the Constitution.

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.

Next, Fifth Grade students made Day of the Dead skulls to go along with the Body theme. Students had to be aware of the spacing of the eyes, nose and mouth. They decorated their skulls to reflects their own artistic interests.

 

The Fifth Graders looked at the work of Giacometti, an Italian sculptor, who did many pieces on the human body. Giacometti was very interested in documenting how war affect the body as many people in Italy were in need of food and shelter.

This year is the Chinese year of the Snake. My students created their own printing plates. These plates were than used to create Snake prints.

Before the Fifth Graders make their own masks out of paper mache I like to have them make African inspired masks. Students are shown numerous examples of masks from Africa. We discuss why mask are used. Each student created a story to go with their masks.