Lesson #8 - Paper Plate Fish Craft

The final lesson was taught by Beau and Heather. Their lesson mainly dealt with geometric shapes and creating patterns. We spent a great deal of time practicing coming up with our own patterns. After all the supplies were handed out, we then chose three different geometric shapes to use on our fish. Each shape needs to be a different color. Once all of the squares are filled with the pattern of your choosing, students can then color the remaining parts of the fish. Once the coloring is complete, have students use scissors to cut out a mouth for their fish. Use the cut out to act as a fin, and paste it on the fish (towards middle). Finally, using a piece of another paper plate, color the tail and paste it on the fish. Once everything is glued and colored on your fish, add one googly eye.
An extension activity for this lesson could be for a math class. Once students finished their projects, they could pair up with another student and discuss the patterns they created. Then, they could create a new pattern with the shapes they each used (six total). Once students are finished creating their group patterns, have them discuss the shapes they used and why they created the pattern they did. This would be done when students are learning about the different types of shapes and repetition.

Lesson #7 - 2D Design Paper Quilts

The 7th lesson was done by Amber and Reggie. The objective for this lesson was to create a quilt like pattern using sheets of scrapbook paper. First, students need to pick out eight different sheets of construction paper with any design of their choosing. Next, have students choose four sheets to cut out a square block. Then, have students use the remaining four sheets of paper to cut out a circle shape. Students then need to apply glue to the circle cut outs and paste them on the squares. Once everything is pasted, cut the four square blocks into fourths. In all students should have 16 small squares. Once all of the pieces are assembled, students can arrange the squares in any pattern of their choosing, to resemble a quilt.

For my quilt, I chose colors and designs that I like, such as the color blue and flower patterns. As you can see from my picture above, I decided to keep my family square assembled, so everyone could read the word "family". The remaining squares I randomly placed around the outside edge. Once all the pieces were glued down, we were to create designs on the border. I decided to continue on with the lesson and do a line/dot pattern around the edge. I finally added my name on the bottom of my project.

An extension activity for this lesson could be for a language arts After students created their "quilt" have them write a paper on what their quilt means to them. Students could describe the reasons for the colors and designs they chose to use. They could also talk about if they have a quilt of their own, and the story behind it. The students could also discuss their reasons for the patterns they chose to create. Students could then recite this to their class as a presentation or even a speech.

Lesson #6 - Clay Pinch Pots

The sixth lesson was taught by Danielle and Lisa. They decided to teach a 3rd grade lesson about clay pinch pots. This was a really neat lesson and unlike anything we've done in the past. First, we each were given a big clump of clay. Before we started sculpting, we had to knead the clay and make sure all of the air pockets were out. Once the clay was ready, we were taught a process on how to pinch it into a bowl shape. We were able to make any type of bowl we wished. After we shaped our bowl, we used water to get the wrinkles and finger prints off of the clay. This made it look nice and smooth. Next, we were able to use any color to paint our bowls with. I decided to mix blue and white to create a sky blue color. Once the paint was dried, we were able to paint symbols on our bowl that represented us. I decided to paint a sun, heart, and stick figures. The sun represents my love for the outdoors and that I'm a happy person. The heart represents my love for my family and friends, as well as my future of becoming a teacher. The stick figures represent each person in my family.
An extension activity for this lesson could be for a history class. Students could research different types of clay work used throughout history, such as Native American art. Students could then choose a certain technique and make their own creation. Afterwards, students could present their pots and describe the symbols they used, as well as the technique they were trying to replicate.

Lesson #5 - Name Painting & Oil Pastels

The fifth lesson was done by Marissa and Jordi. This was a lesson based off of artist Jasper John and dealt with patterns and repetition. This was a lesson for 3rd graders. First, they modeled how to fold a 12" X 18" of construction paper to form a grid of 12 squares. After making our grid, we chose another sheet of construction to act as a border. Then, we took six squares of a certain color of construction paper and pasted them on our grid, to make a checkerboard effect. Once the paper was glued and dried, we were to create a pattern using the letters of our name. It could either be your first name, your whole name or even a nick name. I chose to do my first name and used different colored oil pastels for each letter. In some of my letters I made special designs as well. After we finished with the oil pastels, we used water colors to paint over top of our designs. We could create any types of patterns we wanted, based on colors and designs.

An extension activity for this lesson could be for a language arts class. Students could write a paper about their name and a special story on why they were named that. They could also choose to write about their nickname if that's what they decided to do in their project.

Lesson #4 - Springtime Printmaking (my lesson)

For my lesson with Brittany, we had the topic of printmaking. There were many different options we could have done to teach this lesson, but we decided a fun one would be to stamp with everyday objects. We decided to have the students draw a springtime picture, such as butterflies, caterpillars, birds and etc. After they had their drawing completed, they were to use a minimum of three materials to make a print with. Some of the materials we provided were cotton balls, golf balls, sponges, q-tips, toy cars and plastic eating utensils. Students then dipped the objects in paint, to create a "print" on their drawing. One big thing we stressed during this lesson was to make sure they applied the proper amount of paint. If students used too much paint on their object, they wouldn't be able to see the texture it left. Students had the opportunity to create any special designs they desired and also could mix and match whatever colors. Once the students finished printing on their drawing, they were to cut it out once dried. Students also had to write down the materials they used to make the prints on their rubrics.

For our bulletin board, we decided to create a spring scene, because we had a wide variety of projects to display. We titled our bulletin board, "Spring Is Here", because we showed a short music video to our students at the beginning of the lesson about all the wonderful things we see during the springtime months.

An extension activity for this lesson could be discussing the certain seasons and create a drawing of their favorite seasonal object. Students could then write a short description of their project as to why that is their favorite and a certain memory they have. This could be for a language arts class.

Lesson #3 - Crayon Melting

The third lesson was done by Teresa and Morgan. Their lesson was titled "We're Melting into Spring!" and was for a 2nd grade classroom. The first part of the lesson was to file down crayons into a folded sheet of wax paper. We could use as many different colors as we wished, but we had to make sure we covered up a large portion of the wax paper. After our crayon shavings were completed, we then took it to the back counter for our teachers to melt it with an iron. You folded down the wax paper so there was a sheet on the bottom and on the top of the shavings. After ironing, you need to make sure it is cooled and dry, because it will be hot. The next step is to use a stencil and trace it on our wax paper. I chose to do a butterfly, but there were other options as well. After the tracing is completed, you can then cut out the shape and decorate it as you wish.

An extension activity for this project could be a science lesson and discussion certain types of animals. Students could choose one animal from each type of environment to draw, such as: fish, birds, butterflies, rabbits and etc. You could then discuss the differences between these animals and where they live.

Lesson #2 - 3D Design

The second lesson about 3D design was done by Amanda and Meghan. It was a 3rd grade lesson on making yarn balloon eggs. This was a very cool lesson that any student would enjoy doing. First, blow up a small balloon a certain size. After blowing up the balloon, we used different colored yarns to create our "egg". We first mixed together a paste like substance of glue and water. After that, we dipped our pieces of string in the paste and wrapped it around the balloon. We continued this process until we were pleased with our work. After placing the yarn around the balloon, you have to wait for it to dry and then you can pop the balloon. 

An extension activity could be for a math class and learning about circumference and distance. I think for this particular lesson a math lesson would make the most sense. You could also incorporate talking about other types of shapes as well. 

Lesson #1 - Crayon Resist

The first lesson was done by Miranda and Kelly. Their lesson was titled "Blooming Into Spring" and was for 2nd graders. During this lesson, we learned about the process of crayon resist and some of the different vocabulary terms that go along with it. Using a 9" X 9" piece of paper, we were to draw an enlarged flower with bright colored crayons. During the lesson, they really stressed making sure we pressed down while coloring, to make sure the paint didn't go through. After coloring, we were then to paint black tempera paint mixed with water on our drawing, to give it a different effect. I chose to use bright pink for my flower, with a yellow center. A big point of this lesson was to create a focal point, like in the famous artist, Georgia O'Keeffe's paintings. 

An extension activity could be in science class when discussing the parts of a flower. After discussing the certain parts, like the petals, stem, leaves and center, have the students draw their own flower. You would have to stress for them to make sure they drew all parts of the flower so it went along with your science lesson. 

Project #5 - Hidden Safari

The hidden safari project was a very fun and easy activity for students. Using a light blue colored pencil or crayon, students are to draw an animal you would see on a safari. One twist to this project is that students are to draw the animal upside down. This helps students realize the proper proportions. After the animal is drawn, students then draw any pattern of their choosing over top of the animal. This is to be done using warm colors such as red, yellow and orange. Once the drawing is completed, use construction paper to create a border. The red glasses are used to see the animal better when looking through them. 

An extension activity could be done in a science class when talking about the different types of animals in the world. Students could create a picture book of animals using the same technique I described above. They could incorporate mammals, insects, fish, birds, reptiles and many others. Once the students are done with their book, the rest of the class could look through it using the red glasses they created. 

Project #4 - Eric Karl Story Collage

The story collage illustration was inspired by Eric Karl's children's books. My illustration is about Timmy the Turtle. Timmy is going on an underwater adventure. This was a very fun and easy activity to do in the classroom and could work well for an elementary class. On separate sheets of white paper, we were to create designs using various colors of paint. Mixing the paint added texture to our designs.

An extension activity using this lesson could be incorporated into almost any subject area. If children were reading a certain book for an English class, they could pick out a certain scene to illustrate. Another cool idea for this lesson would be creating environments in science class. Like I did in mine, students could choose to do an underwater environment. Other environments  could be the rain forest, desert or even the tundra. Students could then create animals that live in each of those environments.

Project #3 - Van Gogh Tissue Paper Landscape

 This project is a collage using tissue paper and gel medium. I created a landscape of a farm scene, including a barn, windmill and trees. This was inspired by Van Gogh's Starry Night masterpiece. I used a 12 x 18 piece of construction paper for the background and also another piece for my objects. The tissue paper represents the wind of the night. I also used a silver permanent marker for the outline of the barn, grass, windmill and trees. Crayons were another medium used to add slight color to the objects.

An extension activity you could use this art project for is discussing different types of environments or even rural/urban communities during social studies class. You could discuss cities, farms, deserts, oceans or even forests; and the students could choose which type of environment they wanted to create.

I think the best way to implement art history into the classroom is for history class. Depending on what era and time period your class was studying, you could discuss famous painters and masterpieces of that time. The students could either choose to recreate one of the masterpieces, like we did for Starry Night, or they could do a presentation about the artist. The chapter discusses numerous ways to incorporate art history into the classroom, ideas are endless.

Project #2 - Elements & Principles of Art Pictures

Contrast - This picture represents contrast because of the dark bushes against the light snow. Contrast is opposing ideas, an example being light vs. dark.

Lines - This wooden fence is an example of lines. The separate boards provide a space in between  revealing lines.

Shape - There are two types of shape, geometric and organic. This picture of bricks represent geometric shapes. Geometric shapes consist of rectangles, circles, triangles or squares.

Movement - Movement is an object in action. This picture of a moving ceiling fan describes movement. The blurriness of the picture is an indicator it is in motion.

Space - Space refers to the environment around us. It can either be an open space or a closed in space. This picture represents the “open” road and having a wide area.

Project #1 - Footprint Project

           The footprint art project is a great way to get to know students, as well as letting the students get to know one another. Have the students trace one or both of their feet on a piece of construction paper and then cut them out. Then, let the students be creative, letting them pick and choose how they want to decorate it in order to describe themselves. They can put hobbies, interests, family, education and etc. They can also use whatever they choose to decorate it, such as: markers, colors, pictures, magazine clippings and etc. 
        Above is an example of my foot print and all the things inside it represent me. The music notes on the bottom left represent my love for listening to music and going to concerts. I put an ice cream cone and slice of pizza because I enjoy eating food, sweets and pizza especially. Next is a bike because I love the outdoors and going for rides with my friends. I also put a Nicholas Sparks book, because he is one of my favorite authors. Next, I put the NSU logo because that is where I attend college. The 4-leaf clover represents my heritage of Ireland. In the middle I put a picture of my family, since they are the most important people in my life. Finally, I put a ruler, stack of books, and an apple to represent my future of becoming an elementary education teacher.

An extension activity for this lesson could be for a language arts class. Students could write a brief paper about their footprint and what each picture represents.