Mr. Mills Blog

This time of year is always a great time of year. The air gets a little crisper, the leaves begin to fall, and the holidays are fast approaching. I’m happy to see all of my classes doing well as we end the first quarter. The 3rd graders finished up their symmetrical aliens. They are hanging near the fine arts room, and they are on Art Sonia. They began a project this week that involves drawing a community.

The 4th graders have finished up their watercolor still-life. They are hanging near the cafeteria and they are on Art Sonia. They started a project this week dealing with contrast. We discussed how putting two dissimilar things together like camouflage pants and a rainbow sweater makes something look very shocking and strange. In other words, they are in high contrast. We talked how the colors black and white can create a picture that is in high contrast. A picture was taken of each child and changed so it only had black and white in it, so the picture was in high contrast.

The 5th graders finished up Joan Miro inspired animals and abstract collages that are on Art Sonia now. They just began creating a six panel story or cartoon that can not use speech bubbles or captions. They have to tell their story without using words. We often look for stories in paintings we see, so this helps them see how a picture can tell a story. The final event for Smart Explorers is fast approaching. I’m hoping that everyone can attend. The 6th graders finished up their Frank Lloyd Light panels. They are on the ceiling near their classroom and on Art Sonia. They started creating logos this week using Inkscape. They are finding the program a little difficult, but the programis very powerful and I’d like to see them work with it more to feel comfortable. Plus, it is free!

I wanted to pass along two other things I saw this week. I saw a great site called Paper Back Swap where you can list the old books you want to get rid of and essentially trade for ones you want to read. It does not cost a thing except for postage. I haven’t set it up myself, but I’m hoping to do so soon. Also, I was saddened to see this article about cheating in college. I know our children are still young, but I would hate to see this trend of cheating to get ahead continue. It is not a good lesson…for all of us…