Pretty Patterned Pussy Cats

What a fun and whimsical way to teach pattern to these 2nd grade students. Even though, most of them are familiar with REGULAR pattern,IRREGULAR pattern became the challenge. Can you pick up where a student used IRREGULAR PATTERN? Their imagination flared and their creative juices flowed while still using this PRINCIPLE OF DESIGN. They also use SIMPLE SHAPES to create more COMPLEX SHAPES as they form these cute kitties with paint. It was a prrrrrrrrrfect project!!!!! (funny.....right????)

5th grade works on VALUES

My 5th grade students are required to know about VALUE before they leave us and go to middle school. One great way to teach it is through pencil drawing, learning to create shadow and light, and make a two dimensional drawing pop out into a three dimentional illusion. Almost every students is amazed at what they can do when it is finished and they step back and take a look.

* Students first observed many examples of pencil drawings and discussed the value scale that was used. We discussed high and low value and all the "in betweens."
* A blank value scale was passed out and the student practiced different pressures on the pencils to achieve the different values between black and white.
* We then put the values to work practicing how to use them on "3D forms" drawn on a 2D piece of paper (see above). Here they really had to learn how to "see around" the object, determine a light source, and create the illusion of mass and volume by applying a full range of values.
* Then came the crushed paper bags (crushed soda cans work as well). Students had to carefully draw the lines they saw and then apply the value to the drawing.

This is not an easy concept, but these 5th grade students did exceptionally well. Having to visualize FORM really uses the RIGHT side of the brain!

Pumpkin Patch

This third grade class used oil pastels to create VOLUME and MASS, when drawing these pumpkins. The goal was to blend colors together to give the optical illusion of form. We wanted you to think you could actually walk around these pumpkins, maybe even pick one up off the ground. Did it work?????

Monochromatic Color Schemes

Above, these 4th grade students have been experimenting wth VALUE and MONOCHROMATIC COLOR SCHEMES. They have used TINTS and SHADES of one color to create their compositions. This is not an easy task, but these students accomplished the goal with flying colors.

Collage Citiscapes

This second grade class looked at Citiscapes and began to reproduce them in paper. In their collages they showed understanding of depth, overlapping, in some cases, even reflections. It was fascinating to see the different ways they portrayed cities in their collages.