Fine Arts

Technically, it is the second long weekend, but Labor Day always precedes the first day of school. It never really seems like I am getting a “day off”. Anyway, Ms. Fischer is about to enter her last week here at Murray. The 5th and 6th grade students have finished their artist trading cards. The students were allowed to take them home right after the project, and we have put them on Art Sonia. Both grades are now working on a short project based on the artwork of Yoko Ono. Each student wrote down directions for making an artwork that would be given to another student. The students were given some freedom on the how to write the directions, but they could only use paint, scissors, and glue as the materials.

The 3rd and 4th grade students have finished their contour line sculptures. They are also on Art Sonia. Now, the students have started a gesture drawing project. A gesture drawing is a quick drawing of a model’s pose. The idea is to quickly draw the shapes and position of the model.

If you have any questions about your child’s midterm, please contact me at the school. Thanks.

Finally, I am offering an after school video and technology class. If your child is interested, please see me for a permission slip.

Until next week…

First…an announcement. I am offering a video/technology after school class starting on October 7th. The class is on Tuesday and Wednesday and will last until after school ends in early March. If you need a permission slip, I have them. I hope to only give these to students who are interested. Have your student please see me.

Ms. Fischer is finishing up her second week of teaching. That is a picture of her working above. The 3rd and 4th graders are in the middle of working on their Alexander Calder contour line mobiles. This week, they began shaping wire into one of the contour line portraits they drew during the previous 3 class periods. The 5th and 6th graders are in the middle of creating their 3 artist trading cards. They are applying the skills they learned last week to the cards they made this week. I plan on putting all of these artworks on to Art Sonia next week.

Also, in case I did not mention it, I have a download page where you can download and install free/open source programs. These are all programs I have either used myself or checked out. In some cases, I have used them with the students. They should install easily on your home computer, so if you get a chance, check them out.

Until next week…

This week, Ms. Fischer began her five week stint as my student teacher. The 3rd and 4th grade students learned about the work of Alexander Calder. Calder was famous for making mobiles. He also created contour line wire portraits. A contour line is one continuos line. The students practiced using contour lines this week by drawing other students in class. They had to draw the faces without lifting their pen off of the paper. One of these drawings will become a contour line wire sculpture they will make next week.

The 5th and 6th grade students are making artist trading cards. Aritst trading cards are cards created by artists that are then traded. They can not be bought or sold…they have to be traded. The students practices some different techniques this week in preparation for making their own artist trading cards next week. They glued down images and text, added texture to images with sandpaper, added water to tempera paint to make the paint transparent, and identified complimentary colors.

Until next week…

We got started on fine arts projects in all classes this week. Althugh, when next week starts, we will have to put those projects on hold and continue with them in five weeks. Our student teacher, Ms. Fischer, will begin teaching next week.

The third graders began making posters to encourage people to vote. Mr. Brown and I have told the students that the posters have to be non-partisan. We have introduced the terms applied arts and graphic design to the students. While many fine arts like painting and sculpture are done for “arts sake”, many applied arts like graphic design are done for a purpose. A poster used to get people to vote is an example of an applied art or graphic design. The students have been working on a design for their artowrk inside of their sketchbook.

The 4th and 5th graders are making logos that represnt themselves using Windows Paint in the computer lab. We started by looking at logos from actual companies and talking about how those logos were created to represent those companies. The students have to make a logo that represents themselves through the colors and synbols they chose. The students are also learning how to make block or bubble letters.

The 6th graders are working on emotion paintings. I took a picture of each student displaying a specific emotion. Then, the students cut the picture out and glued to a larger sheet of paper. The students need to paint around the picture with different colors, lines, and shapes that match the emotion. We have talked about the importance of color choice, filling up the paper, and tying their entire artwork together.

Until next week…

Not that I’m counting, but it is always good to get the first week out of the way, brush off the cobwebs, and get back to the business of learning.

In Fine Arts this week, we spent most of the time just getting reacclimated with each other. Even though most of the students are not new to me, it is good to see everyone’s face again and let them know the expectations for Fine Arts. We got new seats, went over the new grading system, and put together sketchbooks.

To start off this year, the 3rd graders will be making voting posters, the 4th and 5th graders will be making personal logos on Windows Paint, and the 6th graders will be making emotion paintings.

Until next week…

As the school prepares for another year, just wanted to let you know about fine arts and technology this year.

The parent letter for fine arts is available on my blog here. I will be doing all of my communication through this blog. I want to be as informative as possible without using a lot of my paper in my ongoing quest to be as green as possible. Mr. Brown and I will also be welcoming a student teacher this year. Ms. Karina Fischer will be with us for seven weeks. Mr. Brown and I will be teaching for the first two weeks while she observes, but then it is her show. She comes to us from the School of the Art Institute and we are happy to have her.

Also, I am hoping to get off and running with more technology integrated projects early on in the year. Keep checking back here for more update…

See you on Tuesday!

Yes, I know…it is not completely over yet, but today was really the last day of “school” for most of us.

This week, I showed the 4th and 5th graders Scratch. And, I finished up My Kid Could Paint That with the 6th graders.

Check out the new summer pictures on the Murray site and have a great summer!!!!

Just in case you have not seen them, I have been putting pictures of some of our recent end of the year events on the Murray web site. Check them out here.

Poem by Elexis

Also, Ms. Finke’s class has finished up working on movies of their favorite poems. They can all be seen here, but you can check out one the poems above.

Also, thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth at the St. Thomas Art Fair this past Saturday. Above, you can see the booth Mr. Brown and I had set up. It helped us raise some money for the fine arts program which is always greatly appreciated!

Please come see our booth on Satuday, June 7th at the St. Thomas Art Fair. Mr. Brown and I will be selling watercolors made by the 1st graders, prints made by the 3rd graders, and canvas paintings by the 5th graders. Above, some of the students are painting a sign for our table at St. Thomas. The funds raised from these artworks will be used to support the fine arts department.

The 3rd graders finished their prints this week. Above, you will see some of the students rolling out the ink, pressing their printing plate on paper, and pulling their printing plate off the paper to reveal their print. As stated above, these prints will be available to purchase at the St. Thomas Art Fair on Saturday.

The 4th graders finished up their light and shadow paintings this week. The paintings were an exaggerated look at how a direct light source can effect the color, in this case, of a cube. Not only does it change the appearance of the colors on the cube, it casts a shadow. They will be bringing them home this week or next week.

The 5th graders finished up their canvas paintings this week and worked on signs for the St. Thomas Art Fair. Some of the finished pieces are above. And, as stated above, these will be on sale this Saturday.

The 6th graders are in the middle of watching My Kid Could Paint That. We have been watching the movie to discuss two questions, “Is abstract art art?” and “Did the parents help their child paint the artwork?” I would suggest asking your child about this movie since it touches on a lot of different ideas about art and, as I have told the students, they have to form their own opinion about the above questions because the movie will not answer it for them.

Until next week…

The rain stayed away for the walking portion of Murray’s annual Walk-A-Thon, but not so much for the Fun Fair. Even though it was held in the gym, I do not think the festive mood was lost on the children. The Walk-A-Thon is a fundraiser for Chicago Public Schools and University of Chicago Internet Project (CUIP). CUIP helps our school immensely by giving technical support for our computers and network, working with teachers on technology-related projects, and providing teachers with technology-related professional development. They are invaluable resource to the school and the PTO has done a great service to this school by making the Walk-A-Thon about raising funds to purchase the services of CUIP. Thanks again!

Now…on to fine arts. The 3rd graders are still in the process of finishing up their still-life prints. We plan to have these ready to sell at the St. Thomas Art Fair next Saturday, June 7th.

Both 4th grade classes took trips to the Art Institute this week. The students have been learning about portraits and light and shadow in fine arts and with Ms. Holzhauer during their library class. The trip was a culminating activity to talk about what they learned in front of actual art. We looked at artwork from Edward Hopper, Thomas Eakins, and Henry Ossawa Tanner. When we looked at portraits, we asked the students to try to decipher the personality of the person in the portrait just by looking at them. We talked about the difference between a portrait and a “picture with people in it”. Finally, we looked at how artists use light and shadow to emphasize or deemphasize parts of a painting.

The 5th graders are continuing to work on their canvases to sell at the St. Thomas Art Fair next Saturday, June 7th. We have also begun to make signs to put up around our booth.

The 6th graders are finished with their graffiti pieces. Some students still want to use the airbrush, so we will do that next week. They will be bringing these home and their monochromatic portraits very soon. To finish up the year, we are going to watch a documentary titled “My Kid Could Paint That” about a 4-year-old abstract artist whose paintings start selling for thousands of dollars. Eventually, though, their is speculation that her father is helping her out. I have asked the kids to think about two questions, “Is abstract art art?” and “Do you think the girl did the paintings by herself?”

Until next week…the last full week…

I just wanted to thank Madame Wehman and our wonderful student helpers this past Thursday at the CUIP Technology Expo at King High School. We were there to present the Rosetta Stone software and one of the programs we used this year, Scratch. I have gone to the expo the past 4 years, and this is the first time I have come with another teacher AND student helpers. It is a long day, but having the extra help there made the day a lot more fun and interesting. Thanks again for making it a success!

On to fine arts, the 3rd graders are starting to make their prints. Unfortunately, both classes have or will eventually miss a lot of art class, but we are still hoping to finish their prints before we need to sell them at the St. Thomas Art Fair on June 7th. They have already done some printmaking in previous years, so they have done a great job so far getting to work and building on their knowledge of this art making process.

The 4th grade students have been working with light and shadow over the past week. We have talked about light sources, shadows, and why they are an important part of a lot of artwork. We have been painting a highly exaggerated cube with different values of either purple or blue so the students can make out where the light source, how it can “change color” depending on where the light source is, and how shadows are created from the light source. This is all in preparation for a trip to the Art Institute we are taking next week to view portraits and artworks showing light and shadow.

The 5th grade students are busy working on their canvases showing either a Chicago scene or summer scene. We will be selling these at the St. Thomas Art Fair as well. The students are not only learning how painting on canvas is different than painting on paper, but they are learning how to mix their own colors and add details. I’m looking forward to see how these will all turn out.

Finally, the 6th graders are just about done with their graffiti pieces. This week, many students got to experiment using an airbrush. They did not use it for an extended period of time, but they at least got to see how it works and add a different look to their graffiti pieces. I hope to send these home next week. To end the year, we will be watching a documentary called “My Kid Could Paint That”. It is an excellent documentary about a 4-year-old girl who was said to have special artistic talent and began selling her artwork for thousands of dollars in a gallery. This continued until people suspected that she was getting help from parents with the artwork. I will have to edit a couple parts out in order to show it in school, but it will allow me to talk with the students about the validity of abstract art and the supposed artistic talent of children.

Until next week…

First of all, I wanted to pass along…I bumped into a great physics/drawing program called Phun. It can eb found on my download page.

Now…on with the show. The 3rd graders were drawing still-life’s this week. The still-life’s are going to be used to make prints from. In preparation to draw the still-life’s, Mr. Brown and I talked about background, middleground, foreground, and overlapping. The prints they eventually make from these drawings are going to be part of a fund raiser for the school. Mr. Brown and I are going to be selling art at the St. Thomas Art Fair on Saturday, June 7th.

The 4th graders are done with their self-portraits. I needed to pick two of the portraits to be displayed at the Art Institute over the summer and I chose to the two works above. Ms. Holzhauer and I are hosting a field trip to the Art Institute where we will be looking about other portraits and self-portraits. Also, we plan on looking at how artists use light and shadow in their paintings.

The 5th graders had their final event for the SmART Explorers project this past week.  Thank you to all the students, parents, and family members who attended. Now, we are doing some paintings on small pieces of canvas. The students either have to paint a Chicago or summer scene and they have to use at least two mixed colors. These paintings will also be sold at the St. Thomas Art Fair.

Finally, the 6th graders are still working on their graffiti tags. We have begun to do some airbrushing, so I plan to have all the students use it before we are done with this project. One thing I have been happy about with this project is the new sense of aesthetic I have seen from many of my students. Instead of just sticking with one design, many of them are making the choice to start over or paint something a different way because it did not look right the first. This is one of the first steps to being a very good artist and learning to make artistic decisions on their own without always asking the teacher, “Is this good?”

Until next week.

Yes…it is true…see below…

I pieced together a picture of the mosaic so everyone could see it, so it does not look as good as it does in person. Regardless, the final piece was put in this past Wednesday. Mirtes will be picking it up next week and it will hopefully be installed on the underpass between the Museum of Science and Industry and the lake by the end of September. I am in the process of getting addresses from all of the students so they can be informed when it goes up. We have talked about some kind of dedication, but getting it up is the main concern for me. As I told the students today, if they plan on joining an art program down the line, they will really want to take a picture of the final mosaic to put in their portfolio. It is really some excellent work, and I’m glad all the students got a chance to be a part of it!

Both 3rd grade classes took their final trip to the Smart Museum this week for the Art in Focus program. Mr. Brown and I are in the process of scheduling a final event for them in the coming weeks, but no date has been set yet. This week, both classes took the artwork they made at the Hyde Park Art Center and made titles for them in art class. Next week, we will begin a printmaking project.

Both 4th grade classes finished up their self-portraits this week. I know a lot of the students struggled with this, but many of them made a lot of progress during the weeks we worked on it. It is very hard to get everything to look just right, but as I have told the students many times, it takes a lot of practice. Next week, we will be starting a project centered around shadow and light.

The 5th graders took their final trip to the Smart Museum as part of the Smart Explorers program. This week, they presented their work to their peers in preparation for the final events next week. The students will be editing the writing they did at the Smart Museum with Mr. Rowell for their presentation. Even if the students do not attend the final event, they will need to complete this writing. And yes, Mr. Bynum’s class will be having their final event on Tuesday, and Mr. Rowell’s class will be having their event on Wednesday. Both events are from 6:30 to 8:00.

Finally, the 6th graders are in the middle of creating their graffiti pieces. Many of them have taken their pieces very seriously and trying to make an excellent tag. A lot about graffiti revolves around creating a dynamic piece, so we have talked a lot about joining contrasting colors together in order to make their pieces stand out. We have talked about possibly putting these pieces up, but I’m not sure if they will be up for long enough to be truly enjoyed. We will see…

Until next week…

Let’s get right to it…

The 3rd graders took a trip to the Hyde Park Art Center this week to do some ink painting as part of the Art in Focus project. Next week, they will have their final trip to the museum before we eventually have a final event for both classes.

The 4th graders are still working on their self-portraits. Students that have finished their self-portrait are drawing portraits of their classmates to further practice drawing faces in correct proportion. As a class, we will be finishing these up before the midterms.

The 5th graders took their 3rd trip to the Smart Museum this week. Now, the students have to really apply their knowledge. They needed to pick one artwork in the museum and then describe it, interpret it, and put it into context. The writing will be used as the basis for their presentations that they will be practicing at the museum next week. Both classes will have a final event at the museum very soon. Mr. Bynum’s class will have their event on Tuesday, May 13th at 6:30 while Mr. Rowell’s class will be going at the same time, but on Wednesday, May 14th. I hope to see a lot of students and parents at this event!

The 6th graders finished up their monochromatic portraits this week. They are currently hanging in the hallway near the art room. I think they look great displayed together and it will give the students a chance to step away from their work to see how it looks. We are now in the middle of a graffiti project. The students have painted brick walls on cardboard and foam core to use as the background for their graffiti piece. They needed to choose a nickname for themselves and then paint it in a unique style. Soon, I will give the students a chance to use a airbrush on their piece.

Also, for the 6th grade students working on Scratch with me, I wanted to make sure they know the upcoming schedule for the project. I encourage all of the students to work on this project at home as much possible over the next week. On Friday, we will spend the entire reading period working on Scratch. Before that class, I will be looking at each project individually to see where you each student might need help and what they should try to accomplish in order to have a finished project. I realize that the students have been working at very different paces (some are still trying to figure out how to show the story while others are deep into the game play of their animation), but regardless of where they might be at this point, each student should be prepared to finish something. A final due date will be given on Friday.

Until next week…

I wanted to begin today by talking about the Scratch project Mr. Brookins writing/reading class is working on. Last week, the students wrote narrative and drew storyboards in preparation for animating their stories on a program called Scratch. Scratch is a programming language that could be seen as an “introduction” into the world of computer programming. It has an interface and language that is easier for a student to understand than what some might consider “normal” programming, but it provides students with a great way of understanding how to program. It requires them to problem solve and logically think about how their story is going to look on the screen. It is a tough program to really get a hang of, but I have a lot of confidence in their ability to produce some great work.

With everything else, we do not have many updates, so I will keep this brief. The 3rd graders continue to dive deeper into the Art in Focus program. Each class has now gone to the Smart Museum twice and they will both be going to the Hyde Park Art Center next week. Above, you will see some pictures from Ms. Burkhardt’s class trip to the museum this week. We are expanding their visual language (line, shape, space, non-representational…) by studying these words through activities, discussing the words while looking at artwork at the museum, and visiting the SmARTKids web site.

The 4th graders are continuing with their self-portraits. We continue to hit bumps in the road and feel frustrations, but the students who have put the most effort and concentration into their drawings have done the best job…regardless of their artistic talent. I hope they all know they are capable of success, but they really need to not only believe that they can do it, but they also put forth their best effort.

The 5th graders took a trip to the Hyde Park Art Center this week to create an ink drawing as a part of the Smart Explorers program this week. The trip to the Hyde Pak Art Center is different from past years, so I was happy the students had a chance to try out that medium. Above, you will see some pictures from those two trips. We will continue with the Smart Museum trips next week. Also, we are working on a project in class dealing with the concept of context…not an easy thing to understand…

The 6th graders are just about to finish their monochromatic portraits. They will be hanging up very soon. This week, we began a graffiti project. The students are choosing a nickname for themselves that they will be painting in a graffiti style. With this project, they will also be using an airbrush to add small details to their final pieces. Also, check out the above pictures of the mosaic…we are getting closer.

Until next week…

Not a ton of true updates this week, since we are continuing with a lot of the same projects, so I will keep this short.

The 3rd graders are continuing to expand their visual language through class with myself and Mr. Brown plus their trips to the Smart Museum. Mr. Brown and I have found everything to be moving along quite nicely at this point…

The 4th graders are in the middle of creating their self-portraits. We are certainly hitting some frustrating points with drawing, but I want the kids to know that they can not learn to draw over night. It takes practice, persistence, and the ability to activate their right brain (the visual part of their brain).

The 5th graders have made their second trip to the Smart Museum and we continue to work towards the presentations they will be giving in the middle of May at the museum. Above, you will see some pictures from their trip this past week. Next week, they will be going to the Hyde Park Art Center for some art making as part of the Smart Explorers program.

The 6th graders are continuing to make progress on the mosaic. I was very happy to see some parents this week checking out during parent/teacher conferences. Also, the students are about to finish their monochromatic portraits before starting a project centered on graffiti.

Also, I am working with Mr. Brookins starting this coming week to begin using a program called Scratch. From their site:

Scratch is s a new programming language that makes it easy to create your own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art — and share your creations on the web.

The students have been writing creative narratives this week that will become interactive stories with a game component on Scratch. They are working on storyboards this weekend in preparation for our first day with the program on Tuesday.

Until next week…

First thing…I added some new programs to my download page. Blender is a 3D animation program and Pencil is a 2D animation program. They are both open source programs which means that they are free for personal use. Check them out…

Above, you will see some of the 3rd graders during their first trip to the Smart Museum as part of the Art in Focus project. After spending time with Mr. Brown and I learning about many visual language terms, they got a chance to show off their knowledge and learn even more from the docents at the Smart. Abstract and representational art were some of the terms we focused on this week while next week we will be working with the elements of art like line and shape. We want the students to be able to look at a piece of artwork and be able to talk about it intelligently and have an informed opinion.

The 4th graders began working on their self-portraits this week. While we struggled some with creating the grid, we had some great discussions about using your right brain to draw. While your right brain is the verbal part of our brain, the left brain controls how we see things and, essentially, is the artistic part of our brain. We have talked about being quiet during an activity like this because you want your right brain to do all the work. I expect there to be some frustration while creating these self-portraits but mistakes will happen. Like any other skill, it takes practice to get better. Drawing is one of those skills.

Above, you will see pictures from the 5th graders first trip to the Smart Museum as part of the Smart Explorers progra. (Yes…I practically lived there this week.) Since many of the students were part of the Art in Focus program two years ago, they were familiar with the museum, but reviewing never hurts. Like the 3rd graders, they have been enhancing their visual language and learning how to talk about art with intelligence. They spent time at the museum looking at the labels next to the artwork to learn what everything written on those labels actually means. Also, the museum has a video installation called Adaptations that was about to end that the students were able to view this week. Looking at video artwork is very different than looking at paintings and sculpture, so it was interesting to see how they responded to it.

As you can see above, the mosaic is coming along. Mirtes will be visiting the school four more times over the coming weeks to finish off the work. It is amazing to see how much progress they have made in what amounts to about three days of work. Now, that they know what to do, they are making even greater strides over each successive class period. Also, we are almost done with the monochromatic paintings. After finishing them up over the next few weeks, we will be starting a graffiti project.

Until next week….

With spring break ending, my list of projects has risen and my list of “to-do’s” has risen, so let’s get right to it.

Mr. Graves class took their first trip to the Smart Museum today and Ms. Burkhardt’s class will have their first trip next Thursday. Everything Mr. Brown and I do with the students over the next month or so will be focused on the Art in Focus program through the Smart Museum. Above, you will see some of the students working on an abstract artwork in preparation for their first visit. The point of this program is to increase the student’s visual vocabulary. Some of the words we have looked at recently include two-dimensional, three-dimensional, representational, abstract, and non-objective.

The 4th graders had one last activity related to their global warming videos. We watched them in class as a group to get different reactions….from the people who made them and from the people who were watching it for the first time. As we discussed, when you finish something and look at it again, it is normal to think that you could have changed something. Yes, it was turned in for a grade. And yes, we will not be working on it again in class, but it never hurts to think, “I wish we would have….” That is how we build are creativity. Also, we began a project drawing self-portraits. We talkd about self-portraits and how you can convey different personality traits through one picture. So, our first order of business this week was to take some pictures. You can see a few of them above. Next week, we will begin the drawing…

The 5th graders are preparing for their trip to the Smart Museum next week as part of the Smart Explorers program. This week, we talked about what a curator does. Each student created an artwork of their choosing and then we hung them on the wall. We talked about how it is the job of the curator to decide how to organize the artwork. It could be by artist, time period, material, or subject matter. All of the projects we do over the next month will be related to the student’s writing about an artwork at the museum and giving a presentation on that artwork to their family and friends.

Finally, the 6th graders are moving along creating the mosaic and monochromatic portraits. Above, you will see some of the students working on both of these projects. Not much to say other than these projects are going as planned and I am excited to see the results.

Until next week…

A few weeks, I didn’t have much to discuss…today, it is the exact opposite. First, I wanted to pass along a couple interesting articles that talk about the importance of technology in K-12 curriculum. I know it is easy for the computer teacher to notice the “importance” of his subject, but even if I was not responsible for the technological education of Murray students, I would still be screaming from the rooftops that computer literacy needs to be part of any good curriculum. Anyway, here is a link to an blog post about the urgency for computer literacy for teachers. And, here is a link supporting the learning of computer programming in a technology program.

Also, I wanted to mention that we are in the middle of updating the Spanish Flash Cards on the Murray web site. A student from the University of Chicago has been putting in a lot of effort to not only update the Murray site, but to make the Spanish Flash Cards a great addition to the site. Please, check them out! Thanks Chelsea!

Now…on to fine arts. The 3rd graders are preparing for their first trip to the Smart Museum as part of the Art in Focus program. One of the main goals of this program is to increase the student’s use of visual language. In other words, we want the students to learn how to correctly talk about art. Above, Mr. Brown and I worked on an activity with the students utilizing two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes. I have a couple examples above. We want the students to learn that different types of artwork have different names. I’m often surprised how students refer to sculptures as “paintings”. This activity was used to help students understand the difference between two-dimensional and three-dimensional artwork. We also filled out surveys that will be given to the folks at the Smart Museum before our first trip.

The 4th graders worked on a short activity this week. Mr. Brown and I are hosting a student teacher in the fall, so she has been getting her feet wet at Murray recently. She taught a short two day lesson this week to 203 that I duplicated with 207. We read the book The Adventures of a Nose to the students. It is a story about a nose that feels out of place, but all of the illustrations in the book use the background to create a face so the nose looks like it really does fit in. The students had to choose a place that they felt comfortable in, and then, they needed to create a face using the things they would find in that place. For instance, a lot of students use their home and used the windows and doors as the eyes, nose, and mouth. They created these pictures using oil pastels.

The 5th graders began preparing for their first trip to the Smart Museum this week as past of the Smart Explorers program. This program also focuses on visual language, but it is more advanced. Everything we do will be directed toward a final presentation the students will do at the Smart Museum. They will all have to describe a piece of artwork to an audience of their friends and family. They will be doing a lot of the preparation for this with Mr. Rowell. In art, we will focusing more on learning the terminology. Our first activity will be centered learning what a curator is and what they do. All of the students are making an artwork of their choosing that we will be using to “curate” different types of exhibitions.

The 6th graders…are busy. First, I am looking forward to videotaping Motown Madness tonight. I will be putting pictures up here on Monday.  the students have started working on their class mosaic this week. I have pulled some students out of class this week, and will continue to pull kids out over the next month. Above, you will see the students already putting it together. This project is VERY cool…I can not stress that enough. When this gets installed over the summer, it is going to be a great piece of artwork the students can always look back on…because it will be permanent! I’m very excited for them. While we are doing this, the students are working on another project. We are creating monochromatic portraits. This is one of my favorite projects all year long because it involves so many different artistic processes. One of the classes has begun to paint them, while the other class is just about ready to trace the areas of their face. I’m looking forward to putting these up in the hallway.

One last thing…we just got some new computers in the language lab, so it will hopefully be FULLY operational next week…whew…that’s enough for now…until next week…

Let’s get right into it, and then enjoy the break…

The 3rd graders finished up creating their biomorphic sculptures. The students really amazed me with their results. Just by looking at them, I think it looks like much older students created these sculptures. Thanks Mr. Brown for suggesting this project!

Download Anthony, Devonte, Michael H, and Stokely

Thanks to everyone who attended the screening of the global warming public service announcements last night at the Hyde Park Art Center. Our 4th graders were very excited about this showing and I think there creativity and hard work showed. This was certainly a long journey for them. We started this project way back in January by looking at how global warming happens and how it impacts the Earth. Then, the students worked in groups to come up with an idea, script, and storyboard for their global warming public service announcement. Then, they needed to plan, make props, and practice their commercial. Finally, they needed to record and edit the finished videos. They had to use multiple skills and work together as a group. The thing that impressed me the most were the discussions the students had with each other when they were deciding what to do and how to do it. They really had to develop a way to solve their problems and come up with a decision that everyone agreed on. Ms. Walsh and I made a big deal about the brainstorming portion of this project and I was glad that so many students took it seriously. To see ALL of the videos, check them out here.

The 5th graders finished up a short activity based on the artwork of Andy Warhol. The students were photographed in goofy poses and then they colored them in the same way Warhol colored in his famous portraits of Marilyn Monroe or Mao Zedong.  When we return from the break, we will begin Smart Explorers which has been part of the fine arts curriculum for many year. It includes writing, fine arts, and multiple visits to the Smart Museum. Please sign and return the field trip form for this project.

The 6th graders began working on their monochromatic portraits this week.I will talk about this after the break. Also, the students will begin putting together the mosaic with Mirtes. This project will require the students to be taken out of their other classes during the school day, so I urge you to read the following letter that should be finding its way home after the break.

Finally, I just wanted to mention the programs I have linked to this blog. If you go here, I have listed a bunch of free (mostly) art programs that your child can use at home. I’ve worked with all of these, so I’m not listing them just to list them.

Enjoy the break!

With ISAT testing going on this week, I did not get work with the 5th or 6th grade classes. In other words, this will be a brief post…

The 3rd graders are in the middle of making their biomorphic sculptures. They have been cutting biomorphic shapes (no straight edges, no straight lines, found in nature) out of styrofoam. Then, they have been joining these shapes together using only cut notches…no glue has been involved. The sculptures are going to be free standing. I will have some pictures up next week.

The 4th graders are almost done with their global warming publics service announcements. They spent this week filming and editing their videos using Adobe Premiere Elements. We will be having a final event for this project at the Hyde Park Art Center from 4 to 7 where we will “premiere” their videos. We hope you can attend. The students should have gotten a slip to bring home that would help Ms. Walsh and I know how many people to expect. Please make sure your child brings this in on Monday.

Until next week…

ISAT’s are here. Soon they will be over. Let’s move on…

I put some pictures up of the African American Heritage Fair here. As always, it was a great event and the performances were beyond excellent. The media club recorded the event and they are in the process of editing the video in order to sell the DVDs. On that note, I wanted to say thank you to everyone who purchased the winter assembly DVD. We can still make more if you would like to purchase one…just let me know.

On to fine arts, the 3rd graders began a project this week focusing on biomorphic shapes. Mr. Brown taught them the difference between biomorphic and geometric shapes. From there, they practiced drawing biomorphic shapes. When I saw the classes this week, they began drawing and cutting biomorphic shapes out of styrofoam. They will be making sculptures with these shapes soon.

The 4th grade students are in the middle of planning, recording, and editing their global warming environmental public service announcements. I have so much to say about this project, but I’m going to give my full assessment until it is over. Let me just say that I have been extremely proud about how the students have tackled the video making process. And, please try to attend the closing event for this project at the Hyde Park Art Center on Thursday, March 13th at 4:00.

Download What Are Your Kids Listening To?

The 5th grade students finished up their hip hop project this week. Above, you will see a short video I made for the African American Heritage Fair. It includes a lot of the students responses to discussions we had in class about the way they view hip hop now and the way it “used” to be. We are going to do a short project centering around Andy Warhol before starting the Smart Explorers project when we return from spring break.

Download Disco Dance by Ali, Liza, Ellynne, and Helena

Above, you will see one of the finished stop animations. All of the stop animations can be seen here. Some of the students worked on the final mosaic design this week. After spring break, the students will be working on putting the mosaic together with Mirtes. The project will continue through early May, but we will not be working on the project during every single class period. Mirtes will be here on certain days for the entire school day and the students will work on the mosaic in shifts.

Download Zoe

Finally, Saturday Academy ended last week. To see on of the dub videos the students made, you can look above. I will be making DVDs of all the finished videos soon.

Enjoy the long weekend!

It is good to know that in the midst of all this ISAT craziness, there is something to look forward to. With the African American History Fair tonight, the students have a chance to put on a tremendous musical show. I’m looking forward to it…pictures will be up next week.

The 3rd graders gave their puppet performances this week for their classmates and Ms. Graham’s preschool class. We had some bumps and bruises with the performances, but it was fun to see the students be excited to perform and give it their best. The photographs above are from the camera of Mr. Phillips…thanks!

The 4th graders are in the middle of making their videos…this is the crazy part of the project since the students are at different points in the project. Above, you can see one of the groups in action. Also, we will be having a “end of the project celebration” at the Hyde Park Art Center on March 13th from 4 to 7. Slips about this went home yesterday. We are trying to get a head count, so if these can be returned soon, we would appreciate it. Thanks.

Download Ryan’s Breakbeat

The 5th graders are just about finished with their hip hop unit. Mr. Bynum’s class are done with their breakbeats and Mr. Rowell’s class will finish next week. You can hear an example of one of their breakbeats above. We also listened to some older hip hop songs in class this week so the students can hear that hip hop is great art form that can be used for many positive messages. It is too bad that many of the students see it as a money first, almost inappropriate piece of popular culture. Considering it has very modest beginnings, I wanted them to see what the lyrics could be.

The 6th graders are finishing up two things. First, they are going to be completing a finished design for their class mosaic with Mirtes next week. Plus, they are just about to finish their stop animations as well. I will be putting all of the stop animations online soon.

Also, the video editing Saturday Academy will be ending tomorrow. I will be putting the student videos on a DVD to give to them next week. I had a lot of fun teaching this class, so I hope the students learned a lot and enjoyed their time with me on the weekend.

Until next week…

I feel as though many of the projects we are doing in art are pointing towards a performance of some sort. Let me explain:

The 3rd graders have been preparing their scripts over the past couple weeks in preparation for a performance they will give to the Pre-K next week. Above, you can see some of them writing and practicing with their puppets. Mr. Brown and I are certainly looking forward to it.

The 4th graders are just beginning to video tape their public service announcements. I have been very excited to see all the great conversations the kids are having about their videos. They have had some very “heated” discussions trying to come to a compromise on how they are going to accomplish their goals. I guess it has been rather loud in the art room during this time, but the creative talk that is happening is truly astonishing. I’m looking forward to these videos coming together.Ms. Walsh and

The 5th graders have been working on their breakbeats using Audacity. While they are basically copying and pasting parts of old soul and funk songs to create their breakbeats instead of actually using turntables or more sophisticated equipment, I think it is important that they see just how the music of hip hop began. They are also working to get their performance ready for the African American History Fair next Friday.

The 6th graders have been working with Mirtas to create the design for the mosaic they will be working on after spring break. I guess I see this as a “performance” since it will be hanging on an underpass near the Museum of Science and Industry for all to see.

Enjoy the long weekend!

I’m going to switch it up a little today and talk about the 5th grade first. With the African-American History Fair approaching quickly, the 5th graders have been learning about hip hop in a couple different ways and performing a famous Run DMC song (see above) during the fair. In fine arts, we have been looking at the birth of the breakbeat and how it has been used in hip hop music. In class, we have begun making very simple breakbeats using Audacity just so they see how DJs used to loop music to great a seemingly never ending beat.

The 3rd graders are working on performances using their puppets by writing script within their table groups. I am looking forward to seeing them practicing their scripts and performing them for our younger students.

The 4th graders are deep into video production now. They have been brainstorming, script writing, storyboard making, and planning their video. This has been a truly creative journey for them because they have had to really work together as a group to come up with these ideas. And, they have not just chosen the easy route…they want these to be good! Ms. Walsh and I are looking forward to next week where some groups actually begin filming.

The 6th graders got a crash course in mosaics this week through our visiting artist Mirtas. She is working with the students to create a mosaic that will be put up underneath the underpass between the lake and the Museum of Science and Industry. She showed them mosaics she has worked on with other schools and the process involved. Then, the students started sketching ideas for the mosaic. The theme for our portion of the mosaic is architecture so we used some photographs of Hyde Park Homes to help inspire the students. Next week, we will begin thinking about the final mosaic by including the drawings created by the students.

Enjoy the long weekend!

I want to talk about the decision to keep schools in Chicago open today, but I’m going to try and keep this positive for now. Let me just say that although it was wrong to keep school open today, I am glad to see that many students did make it.

The 3rd graders are just about finished with their puppets. The students are going to create mini-plays within their table groups to perform for each other. Also, Mr. Brown is working on setting up a time for the kids to perform their plays in front of the Pre-K or Kindergarten students. That should be the fun part.

I’m sure the 4th graders were happy this week to begin working on their global warming public service announcements this week. Above, you will see a couple pictures of the students in action. After a few weeks of preparing them to make the videos by learning about global warming, they were put in groups this week to start brainstorming ideas. Ms. Walsh and I really stressed that they used this time to come up with different ideas and now get too bogged down just yet on how they were going to make the video. We wanted them to let their ideas really flow and not be constrained just yet with all the technicalities of making the video. Next week, we will be talking more about specifics.

All of the 5th grade students are done with the foamcore houses and we are moving on to hip hop and breakbeats now. Since we had a low turnout today, we did not get to start talking about hip hop with Mr. Rowell’s class, but Mr. Bynum’s class had a history lesson into the origin of the breakbeat and began learning how to make a breakbeat using an audio editing software called Audacity.

The 6th graders are just about finished with their stop animation videos. We are going to take a short hiatus from the animation videos during the next couple weeks because we are going to start working on mosaics that are going to eventually be put up on the underpass between the Museum of Science and Industry and the lake. We are working with an artist to create these mosaics, and she is scheduled to come in next week.

Also, just wanted to say that we are almost half way through Saturday Academy as of this coming Saturda. The students are making “dub video” using Adobe Premiere Elements. I know it is sometimes difficult to come in every Saturday, so I’m happy that so many students make a point to come in on the weekend.

Until next week…

First, I wanted to pass along a story that should make teachers (and parents) cringe. From the New York Times:

New York City has embarked on an ambitious experiment, yet to be announced, in which some 2,500 teachers are being measured on how much their students improve on annual standardized tests.

The move is so contentious that principals in some of the 140 schools participating have not told their teachers that they are being scrutinized based on student performance and improvement.

I think this really is a travesty. In this data driven world, I guess this was the logical next step. I know that we have to be assessed on our performance somehow, but this is not going to work. As it has been said before, scores on standardized tests will NEVER accurately measure how intelligent a child is. It is only one tool amongst many tools available to teachers. So, to hold teachers jobs in the balance over standardized testing is plain wrong…there is no other way to look at it…

On to fine arts, the 3rd graders are almost done with their puppets and getting prepared to work on their short plays. They are already starting to interact with each other using their puppets, so it is easy to see that the ideas are flowing.

The 4th graders are almost at the point where they are ready to make their videos. This week, we talked about the different ways we can reduce, reuse, and recycle the things we use. A lot of the ideas they came up with will hopefully be translated into their videos. As we have told the children, while a lot of things we have been talking about sound very “doom and gloom”, we want them to know that they have the power to change their behavior. We, as Americans, can be very wasteful, but that is changeable.

The 5th graders are either done or about to finish their foamcore houses. We are also starting to look at hip hop music in preparation for the African American History Fair. Hip hop is my favorite type of music, so I’m very excited to talk to the students about the origins of the music since it is very different from where it is today. In Mr. Bynum’s class, we have already discussed the differences and similarities with hip hop then and now after watching a clip from a classic hip hop film, Wild Style. Next week, we will be looking at the origin of the breakbeat, the essence of any hip hop song.

The 6th graders are also in different stages of completion for their stop animation videos. I look forward to putting these up on the blog since they are turning out beautifully. Group work can be a struggle for the teacher, but some times the results can be amazing.

It has been a while since we have seen cold like that…not sure if I’m ready for it. Oh well…

The 3rd graders are in the middle of making their felt puppets. The puppets were sewed together this week and the students are cutting them out and adding yarn, felt, buttons, and other fabric pieces as decoration for their puppet. We will eventually be using these for small plays.

The 4th graders are just about finished learning about the greenhouse effect and global warming.Together with Ms. Walsh, we learned about how greenhouse gases get into the atmosphere, how greenhouse gases keep the Earth warm, and how global warming could affect our planet. They will be given a homework assignment today that will be on Wednesday for 203 and Thursday for 207. Next week, we will be looking at how they can help slow global warming. These ideas might form the basis for their global warming video.

The 5th graders will be done very soon with their foamcore houses. Students who finish them are allowed to take them home right away. Above, you will see some of the finished houses. I’ve been very proud of the students with this project. Using an X-Acto blade is not easy and while there might have been some growing pains along the way, I think the results have been excellent.

The 6th graders are in the middle of creating their stop animation videos. Most groups have started to take the photographs that will make up their animations. As I have told the students, the difficult part is coming up with the idea and getting all of the piece ready. Once you get that far, it becomes a little easier.

Tomorrow, Saturday Academy begins. I’m very excited to begin a video editing project with 17 of our 4th, 5th, and 6th graders. See you all tomorrow.

Until next week…

I’ve always considered this part of the school year the “busy season”. With ISAT testing less than two months away, teachers have a lot to do. Plus, it is good chance for us in the art department to start new projects…it makes for an interesting time of year.

The third graders have finished up their music paintings. Above, you can see some examples. Some of them are already on Art Sonia and we will soon be hanging these in the hallway near the art room with titles explaining which song they were inspired by. I’m very excited to see if the display turns out as I am envisioning it. This week, they began working on felt puppets that we will be using to create short plays with.

The fourth grade students are starting a project well they are eventually going to make public service announcements about global warming. As I have explained to the students, I am part of an organization called Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education (CAPE). They look at arts integration projects in public schools. As part of the project, we are supposed to document our work. Also, I am working with a teaching artist from the Hyde Park Art Center, Jessi Walsh. This week, we began our journey by looking at the difference of weather and climate, looking at average global temperature, and watching an animation about how greenhouse gases get into the air. It will be pretty intensive project that we have high expectations for.

The fifth graders are continuing to work on their foamcore houses. Some students this week started to add more decoration to their house with cardboard, sequins, cotton balls, etc. It looks like we have a little neighborhood in the fine arts room now.

The sixth graders are continuing work on their stop animation project. This week, some group are starting to take pictures of their animation. As we discussed in class, creating the parts for the animation can be difficult, but the picture goes relatively fast and smoothly. I’m looking forward to eventually getting to the computer lab to put these together.

Until next week…

Someone asked me the other day when we start to pack it in for the year as it gets closer to winter break. I’m happy to say that Murray continues to expect a lot from our students right up until the last day of the calendar year. I know it can be tough as the holiday’s approach, but I wouldn’t have it anyway. You almost feel like you would be doing the students a disservice.

For fine arts, the third graders are in the middle of their music paintings. This week, the students used a pencil to draw the outline of their drawing so they could begin painting. Mr. Brown and I were a little cautious with them since this is the first time all year we have painted with them, but it has been a great experience so far.

The fourth graders are just about to finish up their inspiration pictures. These will be on Art Sonia and hanging in the hallway before we leave on break. Next week, we will be doing a few art activities in the computer lab before starting a major project in January that I am very excited about.

The fifth graders are in the middle of creating their foamcore houses. Basically, they have been cutting out a pattern for a home using foamcore and they are going to glue it together. For most students, this is the first time cutting anything with an X-Acto blade and it is not an easy thing to learn AND do correctly. I’ve been happy that the students have taken it so seriously and have been very patient with each other as they share the X-Acto knives. I’m looking forward to seeing the finished products.

Download Animation Example

The sixth graders have started their stop animation videos this week. Above is an example of what they will be working on. The students are working in groups to create short stop animation videos. I showed them a 40 second stop animation that I created so they get an idea of what is expected of them. We talked about how each second of animation has about 8 pictures/second. In other words, they will need to take a lot of pictures to make their animations look just right. The group needs to decide on a final animation to create by making a storyboard. They will be working on that next week while also creating the “parts” to their animation. I expect we will be doing most of the photography after the break.

Also, check us out here on the Saatchi Gallery site in London.

Until next week….

As aggravating as the snow can be sometimes to commute through, it sure looks nice on the ground, the houses, and the trees. Plus, the kids certainly like it…I miss those days…

Anyway, enough reminiscing for now, on to fine arts. The third graders are creating non-objective art based on music they are listening to. The students are going to create paintings based off one of the following songs:

1. Stand By Me - Ben E. King
2. Isn’t She Lovely - Stevie Wonder
3. September - Earth, Wind, and Fire

They have already created their sketches and next week we will begin painting.

The fourth graders are in the middle of their inspiration pictures. The students had to choose between either using markers, colored pencils, or oil pastels depending on their design. I have been really pushing the kids to do their best work with their designs since these types of projects often get completed quickly without a lot of thought, so it certainly is a process.

Above, you will find the finished tint and shade pixel picture. All of the students painted grids were used to complete the final piece. I think it looks fantastic! Now, we are working creating small foamcore houses. We have been talking about the importance of craftsmanshi, but since this is the first time many of them are using X-Acto blades, I am expecting some growing pains along the way.

Above, you will find some of the finished embroidered pillows created by the sixth graders. Next week, we will be starting a group project making stop animation videos.

Until next week…

Fall just ended for me. I know we Chicagoans joke about not having a fall, but this year certainly fit the bill.

Anyway, the 3rd grade students finished up their landscapes on Windows Paint this week. Above, you will see a few samples. Check this link to see all of the them. Also, beginning this week, we started a project making non-objective painting. We looked at the work of Wassily Kandinsky which you can see below.

Kandinsky used to listen to music to make his paintings. He used to take the shapes, colors, and lines in his head and paint them on a canvas. In order to do something similar to Kandinsky, the students listened to different songs by Ben E. King, Stevie Wonder, and Earth, Wind, and Fire to create their own drawings. They will eventually be taking one of these drawings to make a painting from.

The 4th grade students are in the middle of their inspiration drawings. This week, they took the sketches they made to draw a larger image of their inspirational drawing. They needed to choose between markers, oil pastels, or colored pencils depending on the type of picture they were making.

The 5th grade students are finishing up their tint and shad pixel paintings. The entire picture is beginning to take shape in the stairwell near the elevator. We spent a lot of time putting on multiple coats of paint to make sure the colors were vibrant and bold. I’m looking forward to seeing the finished product. Following this project, the students will be building small houses that they can decorate.

The 6th grade students will be finishing up their embroidered pillows this week. The embroidery is due by the end of the next class period for either class. We will still be sewing the pillows together with the sewing machine after this day, but they need to have the embroidery done by next week. This will impact their midterm grade. After this project, we will be working on a group project for stop animation.

Until next week.

I skipped last week since we had the short week this week, but it is still business as usual here at Murray.

The 3rd graders are just about to finish up their landscapes on Windows Paint. We had some technological issues last week (all of their work disappeared) but the students did not mind the extra time in the lab. Next week, I hope to have their work on Art Sonia and on this blog.

The 4th graders are finished creating their cubes. I hope they have learned enough to make them at home. Currently, we are working on a project focusing on inspiration. We have talked about how artists can be inspired by things they see to create their own artwork. It is not copying…it is taking what you see in the world and making it your own. One of the examples I showed them was Starry Night and Burning with Cosmic Rhythm

It is easy to see how the artist on the right was inspired by the famous Van Gogh painting without it being a copy of the work. The student, then, cut out patterns, shapes, and colors from magazines that they could use for their own inspiration. We are learning how to alter or change the things they have found to make their own artwork.

The 5th graders are in the middle of painting their tint and shade pixels. After matching the squares on their  small sheet to the correct percentage of gray, they painted their squares with the correct percentage of green. We also learning how to carefully paint each square on their grid…it will make the final product look that much better.

The 6th graders are still in the middle of embroidering their pillows. I told the students this week that this is a critical point in the project because many students are moving ahead of other students in their progress. This project is almost impossible to do at the last minute. While they will still have at least two more weeks in class to work on this, they will need to think more about how they will get this done. Also, I am officially out of needles. I will only replace broken needles that I see. This project requires a lot of the students and I would like to see them rise to the occasion.

Have a great Thanksgiving break!!!

It was great to see a handful of parents yesterday during report card pickup. It is not often that parents and teachers get to sit down and discuss what is happening at the school, so I certainly like when these days come around.

With the new quarter, most classes are just beginning new projects as I have mentioned here before. The 3rd graders are working on their landscapes on Windows Paint. It is very exciting to see so many of the students experiment with the software, check it out, and make some great looking artwork. I really love digital artwork.

The 4th grade students are making origami cubes. It is just a quick three day project that we will be finishing soon. After that, we will be learning about inspiration which is one of my favorite topics.

The 5th grade students are starting a new project. They are learning about tint and shade by using a gray scale. First, they are creating a grid on a piece of cardboard. Then, they are using a print out of squares in different shades of gray. Then, they need to match those squares to the correct value of gray (10%, 20%, 30%, etc.). Finally, they will be painting the squares on their piece of cardboard with different shades and tints of green. We did this project last year with the 5th grade to create the large purple face in the fine arts hallway. It will require everyone’s participation…and the final outcome looks great.

The 6th graders have just started embroidering their pillows. We are learning the satin stitch and the back stitch. I love how the students get very excited about this project at the start…the trick is keeping the excitement going. Starting this week, the students can bring these home, but it is not required. They do need to make sure they do not lose any of their materials…that is the tough part.

Enjoy the long weekend!

Until next week.

With one quarter ‘almost’ in the books, we ended a lot of projects and are looking towards starting new projects.

Above, you will see some examples of the flip books the 3rd graders made. We just started creating landscapes using Windows Paint in the computer lab. The students are very excited about using this software and creating artwork with another medium. It can be frustrating at times since it is new to some of them, but we are making a lot of progress.

The 4th graders completed their high contrast pictures this week. They also wrote scary stories to accompany them. When we do write in fine arts, I focus them more on creating a creative stories instead of trying to fit inside a format. I’ve been very pleased with the stories I have read. Right now, we are creating origami cubes. It is a short project, so we will be starting something else very soon.

One of the 5th grade classes has finished the Google SketchUp buildings. I have a few examples above, but I will eventually be putting all of the projects on my blog. The students can download this program at home. It is free and I know a lot of the students really enjoyed using the program and we really only scratched the surface during this project.

Finally, the 6th graders have finished their Frank Lloyd Wright tiles. They are hanging on the first floor near the art room on the ceiling. I will keep them up all year long. We also just started creating embroidered pillows. This project will take us through the early part of December. It requires a lot of focus on the part of the students, but they are a lot of fun to work on so I am optimistic many of the students will find them fun.

Until next week…

For some reason, this is the first year these days off during the school year have really upset my schedule. With half days, we still tended to be on track with most of our projects during the school year. Since we have these full professional development days, it has been throwing off the schedule for some of my classes. So while it might seem that one class is “behind” another class…it is really just the days off making it difficult,. We are nothing if flexible…

The 3rd graders have finished or are finishing their flip books. Some students needed to take their flip book home so they could finish it, but most are already done. After finishing the flip books, we are heading to the computer lab to create landscapes using Windows Paint.

The 4th graders are finishing up their contrast portraits. These will be graded and hanging in the hallway by the end of next week. After finishing the portraits, we will be creating origami cubes.

The 5th graders are still working on their Google SketchUp buildings. Mr. Bynum’s class will be finishing them by the end of the first quarter, while Mr. Rowell’s class will be finishing them at the beginning of the second quarter. The projects that are finished will be on Art Sonia and on my blog by the end of next week.

The 6th graders are finished with their Frank Lloyd Light tiles. These will be on Art Sonia, graded, and hanging on the ceiling by the end of next week. After this project, we wil be making embroidered pillows. Please look out for a letter that will be going home next week about these pillows.

Also, I have scheduling a lot of lab time recently for the lab…that’s how it should be!

Until next week!

With the professional development tomorrow, I’m posting a little early this week. We are still in the middle of finishing up projects with all the classes.

The 3rd graders are just about finished with their flip books. I’ve been happy to see many of the students really “attack” this project. They immediately got an idea in their head and they followed it through to the end. That is not easy for students to do.

The 4th graders are about finished with their contrast portraits. Thy are adding tissue paper around their portraits and writing scary stories. I hope to have these hanging in the hallway next week.

The 5th graders have just started working with Google SketchUp. Their assignment is to create a building. It could be a house, mansion, skyscraper, office, city block, or something they make up…as long as it looks like a building. There are many reasons I like this program, but after working with the students this week, I realized one of my other favorite things is that it really allows students to be imaginative and dream. If you are students are telling you about it at home, I urge you to download it at home and check it out.

The 6th graders are almost finished with their Frank Lloyd Wright tiles. I will be hanging them on the ceiling and putting them on Art Sonia next week. Soon, we will be start the embroidered pillows.

Until next week…

After running the marathon in summer like heat this past Sunday, it is hard to believe that fall actually decided to show up this week. Wild…

Above, you can see some of the aliens the students have been working on over the earlier part of the year. These should be up in the hallway soon. Now, the students are working on their flip books. First, each student created a storyboard. Then, they got a 20 page flip book to transfer their storyboard pictures on to. We talked about how each “picture” is called a frame and most cartoons that they watch use 30 frames every second.

The fourth grade students are still working on their contrast portraits. They have finished using permanent markers to fill in the shapes of their face and are now adding Halloween themed tissue paper around their face. The last piece of the puzzle is creating a scary story to accompany their picture.

The fifth grade