Da Vinci Games and Portraits

For the past few weeks in Kindergarten we have been learning about the artist and inventor Leonardo Da Vinci.  We began by watching the a video "Getting to know the World's Greatest Artist: Leonardo Da Vinci".  The students absolutely love the video as well as the book, the cartoon depiction is very entertaining and gives the information that students need to know                               
                                 
After watching the video we discuss the "Mona Lisa" in detail and the mysteries that surround her; one fact that students enjoy is the how the painting has been stolen from museums in the past....so I have created a version of "Doggy, Doggy Where's your Bone?" for them to play.  The concept is the same a students sits in a chair facing away from the class and closes there eyes, under the chair is an image of the "Mona Lisa" a student sneaks up and steals it from under the chair while the class recites this little poem..

Mona, Mona where did you go?

Somebody stole you from the show.

Guess Who?

It could be You!

Or a Monkey from the Zoo!

Then the student in the chair tries to figure out who stole the "Mona Lisa"

Students love this game.

For the next class we begin by discussing Da Vinci and the "Mona Lisa", we identify who is the artist and who is the model.  Students then take turns being the artists and being the model.  Students may pose and the artists studies and draws them.  The drawings normally turn out Amazing...I have included some images of the our drawing session.

Art News!!!

March will be quite a busy month for FSE.

Student Artwork will be exhibited.....
     
     When:   Entire month of March on the Bulletin Board
     Where:  Rockdale County Board of Education Building
                  954 Main St.
                  Conyers, GA 30012
     
Rockdale County Public Schools Student Art Exhibit
     When:   March 18-27, 2013
     Where:  Olde Town Gallery
                  909 Commercial Street
                  Conyers, GA 30012

Flat Shoals Elementary Student Art Show/Fundraiser
     When:  March 19, 2013
      Time:  5:30pm-7:30pm
      Where:  Flat Shoals Elementary Library
***Artworks will be framed and For Sale***


I will send letters home to students who have had artwork selected for the BOE and Students Art Exhibit.
All FSE students will be participating in the Flat Shoals Elementary Student Art Show.

Art Critiques

I have been wanting my students to begin critiquing each others artworks so I began searching the best ways to teach this in a polite, constructive manner.  I have to give complete credit to Pinterest for this idea....The Art Sandwich.  It gives students 3 simple questions to make them think and to give positive feedback to another student.  This is an image of the Art Sandwich and here is the blog that I have to give complete credit for the Art Sandwich.

The Students give two positive remarks and one suggestion...so far I have only tried this with one grade level but next week I plan on introducing this to grades 3-5.

Andy Warhol for 2nd Grade

When we returned from the break Second Grade began learning about Pop Art and Andy Warhol....

The kids learned about Warhol by watching a "Getting to Know the World's Greatest Andy Warhol" video.   My students love it, they get the background information need in fun, exciting way.

This was an extended lesson the first week we created cat drawings using "simple shapes and bright, bold colors".  I drew the cat on the active board while the students followed along.  Once our cat's were drawn we drew a horizontal and a vertical line to divide the artwork.  Next we chose colors to use....the only rule is that none of the same colors could touch each other.  

This is our results.....
              

The following week we created prints of shoes.

  How we did it!
  1.  Draw a shoe on newsprint
  2.  Place a piece of wax paper on top, use paint to trace the shoe that you drew.
  3.  Flip over and press onto paper.

We created 6 prints.  At the beginning of the lesson we reviewed Andy Warhol; I introduced what a series of prints are and how to label them with numbers.

All in all this was a 3 day project, that I really enjoyed teaching.

After a small hiatus from blogging I promise that I will keep you more than updated for this semester.  I would like to welcome any teachers and/or parents that are looking into the artworks that we have been creating this year in the art room.  This year we started out with several different projects going in several different directions.  One of the Georgia Performance Standards in Fine Art for grades 3-5 is that they should be informed about historical Georgia Artists or Art Forms.  My First Graders although it is not a standard I teamed up with the amazing music teacher at school to create a lesson on "Pete the Cat" illustrator and creator James Dean whom is from this great state.  While the kids love learning and and listening to "Pete the Cat"  this lesson also gives some great info and learning points for students.
The lesson began in the Music Room by learning and listening to "Pete the Cat's White Shoes"  The students learn the verses, discuss nouns and adjectives in the story and then they write their own verse.
This is what the students needed to copy and fill in the blanks.....
       
        Pete stepped in a pile of _____Noun______
        Did Pete cry?   Goodness NO!
        He just kept on walking and singing his song.
        I love my ____Adjective______  Shoes!
        I love my ____Adjective______  Shoes!
        I love my ____Adjective______  Shoes!


The following week in Art, we listened and learned "Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons".  I had a worksheet with Pete's jacket already drawn and together we drew Pete's head, face, feet, and tail.   Students colored Pete and his jacket.  The next class we listened and learned "Pete the Cat Rocking in his School Shoes"  we discussed the backgrounds throughout the story and how to add a background around Pete.  Students then worked independently to create a background of their choice to the drawing.  I then attached the Verse they wrote in Music and this is our final I product they are currently hanging up and down the walls.  
    

I will add a few more over the week!