Day of the Dead

For the 1st time, I decided to use Day of the Dead in my lesson planning for 3rd and 4th grade.  The idea of "memory" and "identity" are two enduring themes that are used in our curriculum, and I thought it fit in well.  My 4th graders painted a simple landscape, and I encouraged them to make it "eerie without being scary".  To just kind of set the scene.  Before we broke out the paint though, we traced a few skeletons with glue, so that when we painted over, there was a ghosty resist effect.  After the painting, we used cray-pas or paint (depending on which class was behaving that day) and added details to the skeletons that reflected the identities of people that are loved or important to the students.  Some found it hard not to go "halloween" but most did well with the idea.  Also, with my school having a population with family in Mexico, I found that those students who are usually shy were glad to have a topic about which they could contribute and be the "experts".  I even had one student bring in Sugar Skulls. 

Continuing the Owls

So, my  1st graders had so much fun making the owl sculptures from a post or two ago, that I decided to continue with Owls.  We have this awesome site called Pebble Go, where information about specific animals is available.  They have short, interesting facts, clear pictures, and also, often have video and sound of the animal.  We "researched" owls, and I showed them a variety of owl species.  Then, they used black paper (cause owls are nocturnal) and cray-pas.  I told them they could be as creative with color as they wanted, but it had to look like an owl.  So cute.

Name Monsters

I love pinterest, and I also am really loving Artsonia, the more and more I use it.  I came accross this project and decided it would be a great project for my 2nd graders.  We have a bit of time left over before the new  9 weeks starts, and we were able to practice cutting, gluing and craftsmanship, while also learning about symmetry.  Plus, my kids are already thinking Halloween, so monsters got their attention.  Basically, fold a paper the vertical, or long skinny way, and have students write their name so that the bottoms of the letters rest on the fold.  Then, students cut an outline around the shape of their name, creating a cool organic shape.  From there, the sky is the limit!

1st Grade is a HOOT this fall

If you follow Mr. E's blog, you know that he posted about TP owls that we did at a teacher in-service in August.  Fun project.  I modified it a bit for my 1st graders- I haven't saved up enough TP tubes, and I don't have the storage right now, so we just glued a paper roll.  But, the kids had a blast, and it was a fun project today.  We learned some sculptural skills, like balance in the creation of these owls.

I'm in a torn paper kind of mood

Hansel and Gretel

3 Little Pigs

Jack and the Beanstalk

I've always liked the torn paper pictures.  I think they have a distinct charm or whimsy, and I think they force my students to rely on their thinking skills a bit more.  I had the scraps out for the 4th graders to use, but thought, as long as I had a good box of scraps going, why not have the 2nd graders construct "Torn Paper Fairy Tales" as a nice wrap up to their narrative art unit.  So, here are the results.  Some great, some ok, and all fun.  Oh, no pencils are allowed either- it's a total Torn Paper Construction! Visit our Artsonia page to see the stories that accompany them!