The Flip Side

Here is the 4th grade side of the "Box Wall Mural" that I told you about last post.  I held two after school art sessions- one for 3rd, and one for 4th grade.  My thought was not to prolong the insanity.  After yesterday's class, what I learned was divide and conquer- and BE SPECIFIC.  So, today, I grouped the kids before they arrived.  It was logical because every 4 boxes was one "Lion" and there had to be cohesion.  So, they had to sit by their partners to share paint and keep an eye on how their colors were matching up.  I tried to put a strong artist in each group, along with one that needed guidance, and a couple of mediums- and it worked well.  Those of us in the teaching world know that there are those who need to "Boss" and those who need to be "Bossed".  I x'd each box with colored markers to indicate the color scheme.  This helped a few students to stay focused.  I also allowed a couple of groups to sit on the floor which freed up table space (even though I about stepped on a few kids).  I am lucky enough to have a parent who will pack these up and deliver them tomorrow, and it will be on to the next crazy project. 

Post It Writing Activity



The colors have no meaning- just gave a different color to each table section.

 It's quick, painless, and there is no wrong answer.  I put up 3 landscapes for the 4th graders to look at.  They differed in land form, time of day, and overall style.  We discussed how a color scheme can affect the feel of a work of art.  I gave each student 3 post it notes, and had them write one word for each picture.  We then stuck them up over the pictures.  The students were interested in who else wrote the same word as they did ( I banned "good", "pretty" and "nice"), as well as the variety of descriptive words for each painting.  It very quickly gave me a chance to fit a little writing in, and let everyone be involved in the critique.