A Social Studies Tie In

I know many art teachers hesitate to tie their art projects to Social Studies or Science, lest we be asked to make paper mache' globes, or solar systems. I however have found a few projects over the years that are much richer in content and quality because I tie them to what the students are doing in their classroom. I don't do this all the time, because I have my own curriculum to cover. When contemplating whether or not a collaboration will work, I consider what materials and content my students are already going to be using in art, regardless of subject matter. I also consider time frame. In this instance, 4th grade students used famous Tennsesseans to create timelines in Social Studies.  They already had information, books and knowledge about their person. I was supposed to  cover printmaking anyway, so I had each student draw a portrait of their chosen TN personality.  We looked at the work of Andy Warhol and discussed his celebrity prints.  Each student created several prints (6''squares) from their printing plate (good ole styrofoam) and when dry, selected their best 4 prints, arranging them in a grid. It was a logical tie in, and because the classroom teacher had already assigned the students their person, and the librarian already had pulled the books, I didn't have to worry about having enough information, or settling arguments about subject matter. It worked well.

 

Oh, and do you use Artsonia?  I do.  And, I don't have a fancy iPad or such to use, so I take pictures with my camera, and upload the old fashioned way.  I find that the best, and quickest thing to do, is to lay every piece out, walk down the line and take all of the pictures, and walk down the line one more time (same order) to write names and take grades.  While the pictures are uploading, I load all the grades into the software program we use in MNPS.  So, I kill alotta birds with one stone, and it's not too time consuming this way.

Stamped/Painted Patterns

I gave the K's each a small piece of cardboard which they dipped in black paint, and we talked about finding the side with the bumps (the corrugation).  They were to fill their entire paper with patterns. (The previous day, we had drawn patterns both on the smartboard and on their papers, in order to check for understanding).  After stamping their patterns, and letting them dry, they used tempera cakes to fill in the spaces.  We did talk about color as a pattern, but they were so excited to paint, that they didn't all remember, or have the control to do that.  I think the results were great. And, the kiddos got some really rich colors out of the cakes.

Olympic Action Prints

It's a messy time in the art room- one of my favorite things is printmaking!  The kids love it, and with an organized set up and routine, it does not have to be a crazy mess.  Since we've been using The Olympics as a theme in 3rd grade art, after the kids made their statues, I had them make an incised plate on a piece of Styrofoam.  I go ahead and buy the trays through the art catalog.  They can be pricy, but they work.  And to save a bit, I chop 'em in half.  When I'm feeling really cheap, I save them after the projects to use as paint trays and such.  That aside- each student drew one person, in an olympic pose.  Then, we broke out the red, white and blue- except I didn't have as much white as I thought, so we ended up using white paper for those that wanted the Americana effect.  Curriculum states in MNPS that the 3rd graders will do a collograph print.  And, this is incised.  I intend to have them collograph a background image- I've never done a double print project, and I'm not sure how it will turn out, but ya never know until you give it a go.  So, here's step one.  And, hopefully, the next thing you'll see is a double print posting.

Coat of Arms-4th Grade

FINALLY!  I found something that my stubborn 4th graders are actually interested in.  Interested enough to follow all of the steps, and spend a reasonable amount of time working towards a quality art project- Coats of Arms.  I began by talking about the reasons for them, and how they'd changed over the years.  We listed personality traits that we felt we had.  And, I gave each student a folder with symbols/meanings that would have been typical in a traditional coat of arms.  They designed it on paper, then transferred it to a Styrofoam tray, which we would use as our printing plate (I kept their paper designs for a later project).  As they worked on their weaving this week, I called students back to print. (typically, I am fearless, and I set up printing stations, which allow all students to print together, but, this group has so many discipline issues, I did not feel it was safe, or in the best interest of the students) I had 6 (wow) ink colors available, since color also has meaning on a coat of arms.  And, they could use 2-3 (although, some tried 4), as long as they remembered to switch brayers, and not mix up my inks.  Each student had the chance to make 2 prints.  I like to give the chance to make more than one print for a couple of reasons. 1st, printmaking is a fickle art, and does not always yield the results we desire.  2nd, I like for students to compare/analyze their prints next session, often choosing the best one for me to grade.  Self- Critique is not an easy thing to teach at the elementary level, but, having them use some choice/preference seems a good way to approach this concept.  My students had such a good time with this- My plan is to have them use markers to color their paper designs, and create a "key" which shows what their symbols and colors mean.  I am hoping to ride the success of this project by including some dragon/castle drawings.

Intersession/Intercession

Folded Paint Drop "Iris"- our State Cultivated Flower

Gelatin Printed Bat Monoprints- not a state symbol, but a great connection as they learned about caves.

Gelatin printed Bats with Cut Out shapes-wherever a paper bat was laid, the ink was masked.  Cool discussion on Positive/Negative Space.

Stamped Ladybugs- Our state insect

Students spread green paint around their paper, and used palette knives to scrape designs into the "grass"

Foam shapes, cardboard tubes, solo cups, pencil times were used in the stamping. 

I had been referring to out fall break enrichment classes as Intercession, until it was pointed out that spelling it in that way meant to have people pray for you.  Intersession- all S's means in-between session classes.  That's what I was teaching, although, prayers are always welcome.  I joined with 3 other teachers, and we did a "Travel TN" series.  Students learned about East, Middle and West TN, created a brochure about their findings, and with me, they explored some state symbols.  We had a great time- and I hope I gave the kiddos some opportunities that they would not otherwise get.

Animal Prints/Cupcake Prints

After the gluing, pre-printing

This student moved, but I used his plate as an example, and sent his print to the new school.

Creative Drying Space

Many students thought of an animal that could utilize a hole puncher.

Cupcakes everywhere

I have 2 printmaking classes going at once.  Not sure if it's a rookie mistake that I should have known to avoid, or if it's the crashing of the curriculum.  I see my kids every 3 days, so I'm sure the other teachers in the district who only see their students once a week are pacing their lessons differently.  Nonetheless, we are having a fabulous messy time in the new art room-and I've had to get a little creative to find the space for prints to dry.  My 1st graders have been working on "Humor" and using the work of Thiebaud as their inspiration, so we made cupcake prints by carving into Styrofoam.  The 3rd graders have been looking using animals as our inspiration. Their theme this 9 weeks has been Journey-I am trying to encourage them to learn from their mistakes, and push themselves to be their best, despite their perceived limitations.  We've been looking at Monet and Van Gogh, along with other artists.  They created collograph printing plates by cutting and gluing tag board.  I always try to have the students spread a thin layer of glue with their finger over the collograph plates, as I think it helps the pieces stick, and it provides a smoother surface for the ink.  I think the 3rd graders made some great animals. 

When in Rome....

We have had an unusual amount of both snow, and snow days here in Nashville.  I decided to roll with it, and have my 3rd graders make simple line drawings of winter landscapes.  They had to use size and placement to show Foreground, Middle Ground and Background.  Then, we carved them into foam trays, and pulled prints.  I chose white ink, with dark paper to not only give a wintry feel to the prints, but to review the idea of Contrast with the class.  I think they turned out great and because we kept it simple, we had time to focus on the printmaking process, so that we got clear, bright prints.