March 2014

1^st Grade Rodrigue Dogs

First grade students learned about the “Blue Dog “of Gabriel Rodrigue. After learning about his New Olean’s heritage, we discussed how surroundings and traditions influence artwork. We deconstructed Rodrigue’s Blue Dog in order to better understand what shapes and techniques were used to create his Blue Dog. Students then drew their own dog. They chose their own color for the dog and created its environment. These are currently on display in the front hallway. Rodrigue’s Blue Dog was also the inspiration for 1^st grade’s Benefit Rocking chair! 

4^th Grade Underground Railroad Quilts

During 4^th grade’s Underground Railroad unit, Mrs. Abercrombie and I created an integrated lesson in which students learned about the purpose, use, and importance of Underground Railroad quilts. Students observed and analyzed the symbols used and their meaning. We discussed issues that the slaves may have encountered while on the Underground Railroad and important markers to highlight along the way. Students were then tasked with designing their own quilt, complete with their own unique symbols and a story guide to detail their quilts path. Students used printmaking to create their quilts and created individual printing plates for each symbol. Then they printed their plates together to create a printed quilt that would serve as a map to guides their travelers to safety.

3^rd Grade Monochromatic Paintings

Third grade students learned about value and monochromatic artwork, including the definitions of tint, tone, and shade. They learned how to mix paint to create varying values of tints, tones, and shades, and used them to create an abstract monochromatic painting. Students took their time to repeat and overlap a basic shape and then paint each new space with a different tint, tone, or shade. Not only has this lesson taught art vocabulary, it also worked on paintbrush technique and painting skills.

Kindergarten Matisse

Kindergarten students learned about the life of Henri Matisse. We observed and discussed his abstract paper-collage artworks, including the shapes, colors, and patterns he created. Students then created a long paper-collage artwork inspired by Matisse. They learned several different cutting techniques that would create texture and interest, such as spirals and positive or negative shapes. These creations are currently on display outside of the library.

Kindergarten Spring Collage Birds

With spring in sight, Kindergarten students created birds inspired by the paper collage style of Eric Carle. Students began by painting a whole piece of paper without any imagery or words but purely focusing on the fun of filling the paper with paint. Next class, we observed the shapes used to create a bird and students then cut those shapes from their painted paper. We discussed texture when creating the wings, using small overlapping pieces to give it the appearance of feathers. We hope these colorful flying works of art will motivate spring and bring some sunshine!