Photo sharing: Middle School Pop Art & Collages

Middle school art teacher Makiah Maxon shares these photos of works by her middle school students, which are multi-media collages and paintings based on pop art and visual culture.

Lesson: Architecture buildings

In a lesson combining art with math and geometry, fifth-graders examined works by famous architects, such as I.M. Pei or Frank Lloyd Wright. Then, they were presented with an architectural "challenge": to create a public-use building on a specific plot of land, taking time to consider the parts and purposes of their creations. Using small dowel rods and gumdrops, the students spent time constructing their works and annotating their designs with sticky labels.

Materials: gumdrops, dowel rods or toothpicks, construction paper cut as pretend plots of land, pencils.

Basic Instructions:
You are the architect for a new building in your community!

1. Consider your plot of land. How will your building fit?

2. Construct a three-sided pyramid with four gumdrops and six dowel rods.

3. Construct another pyramid and attach it to your first pyramid.

4. Start to build by making and joining more geometric shapes.

5. PAUSE and think about your building plan:

Will it be symmetrical?

How will you make it balance?

What are the parts and purposes of your construction?

Photo sharing: Super hero paintings

Elementary art teacher Katie Gerard shares these photos of a third grade project about super heroes. The students were instructed to choose their favorite "super ability", and illustrate that trait in a painting. The painting below illustrates telekenisis.

Lesson: School Flag Project

Elementary art teacher Katie Gerard collaborated with her cooperating teacher, Kristy Venne from New Albany, Ohio, to develop this lesson on flag design. Katie recently worked with her first graders on this painting project to develop ideas for a new school flag. First, the class discussed American symbols, such as the flag, bald eagles, the Statue of Liberty, the White House, etc. They also determined the symbolism of the colors and shapes of the American flag. Then, the students worked together to brainstorm symbols of their school, such as their mascot, a book, two hands working together, school colors, etc. Later, they painted their designs on duck-cloth canvas and the resulting works were hung in the hallway.

Resource: Usborne Books

Usborne has re-released two of its classics in a petite, easy-to-handle size.

The Usborne Book of Art Ideas and Usborne Book of Art Skills now come in a small, portable 5" x 7" editions that can be easily stowed in a purse or bag for on-the-go artmaking. Makes a great gift for a teacher or a child!

Photo sharing: Abstract Chalk Drawings

Elementary art teacher Katie Gerard shares these abstract chalk drawings, made by second-graders. The students were instructed to choose between warm and cool colors.

Lesson: Tissue Paper Sea Creatures

Elementary art teacher Katie Gerard shares this project, inspired by Eric Carle's illustrations. She stresses that illustrators are artists too! Her kindergarten class read Mr. Seahorse and used watercolor tissue paper for the artwork. The students also discussed different kinds of families (a theme touched on in the book), and researched sea creatures.