Art Lessons Per Grade Level

Kindergarten:

-Mouse Paint: Students work on cutting, coloring, and gluing skills while learning about primary and secondary colors. Students also mix primary colors to make secondary colors and paint their mice using watercolor paints.

-Papa Please Bring the Moon for Me: Students experience painting pattern stripes with tempera paint. We then practice cutting and gluing skills, as well as drawing and coloring skills, to create our own ladder to the moon, and added details from the book "Papa, Please Bring the Moon For Me."

-The Very Hungry Caterpillar: Students use tracing skills to trace 6 circles on 6 separate pieces of paper. Students then use cutting skills and gluing skills to overlap the circles to create a caterpillar body on a large piece of paper. Lastly, students add silly details to their caterpillar and give it a habitat using oil pastels.

-Mixed Media Zebras: Students paint pattern color stripes using watercolor paint. We discuss patterns using color and the width of the stripe, each student completing 3 papers. Students then learn about shapes and proportion as we cut out the body parts and assemble them into a zebra, using cutting and gluing skills. Lastly, students add detail to the zebra using oil pastels and create a habitat for the background.

-The Mitten: Students use tracing skills to trace a mitten template on two pieces of paper. Students then learn sewing skills and sew the two pieces together. Lastly, students color and cut out the animals from the book, "The Mitten," and put the cut animals inside their mitten. If time permits, we practice story-telling using the mitten and the animals as visual aids.

-Hot air balloon: Students design 4 different hot air balloons. They then trace their designs and color. Once their balloons are complete, students will cut them out. Students then learn how to paint treetops using green and yellow tempera paint, and poofy clouds using white tempera paint. Lastly, we discuss perspective and glue the balloons to their painted tree paper (smallest balloon towards the top of the paper to show that it is farther away, and the largest balloon towards the bottom of the paper to show that it is closer.

-Fishbowl: Students trace a fishbowl template. We then discuss what one might find in a fish tank, and what shapes we would use to draw them (castle, seagrass, coral, treasure chest, sunken pirate ship, etc.).Once students are finished drawing the details in their fishbowl, they then trace with crayons. Lastly, students paint the objects in their fishbowl, as well as the fishbowl, using watercolor, in a watercolor resist.

-Bubble Painting/Bubble Bath: Students learn a form of printmaking using bubbles. Students blow through a straw (slowly) into a mixture of tempera paint and dish soap. The bubbles that then form are colorful and when the paper is placed over the bubbles, students are left with bubble prints. Lastly, students cut and glue a bathtub, a picture of themselves, a rubber ducky, a towel, a showerhead, and bubbles from their prints, to create a bubble bath collage.

-The Lorax: Students create their own version of The Lorax using a paper plate, crayons, oil pastels, and paper. Students work on coloring skills, paper manipulation, and storytelling.

-Owls: Students work on cutting and gluing skills as they cut out multi-colored triangles and glue them in place on the wings while overlapping, to suggest layered feathers. Once both wings are completely filled, students use crayons to draw and color in the rest of the detail of their owl, as well as add a background.

-Fish Weaving: Students trace a large template of a fish. Once traced, students cut out the fish and I cut slits into their fish in preparation for weaving. They then use weaving skills to weave colorful stips of paper through the body of the fish, making the fish appear to have colorful scales. Lastly, students add detail to their fish using crayons.

The Crayon Box that Talked: Students read "The Crayon Box that Talked." We discuss the message from the book and the importance of appreciating each other's differences because we are all unique and special. Students then illustrate something about themselves that makes them unique on a large crayon-shaped piece of paper. We discuss foreground, middle ground, and background, and what it means to do an illustrative drawing. Students then trace and color their drawing and share their final products.

3 Birds on a Branch: Students are led through a step-by-step drawing of how to draw 3 birds on a branch, using basic shapes. We discuss how the slight change of a shape, can drastically change the outcome of the object being drawn. Students personalize their birds with detail and then trace everything with crayons. Students then learn how to blend watercolors to achieve a sunset background, and paint the rest of their composition using watercolor resist.

Cow on a Farm: Students are led through a step-by-step drawing of a cow. We then discuss/brainstorm what can be found on a farm. We talk about what shapes would be needed in order to draw specific things such as another animal, a fence, a barn, etc. We discuss foreground, middle ground, and background and what types of details are usually found in which (i.e. middle ground usually holds the main subject and its most important supporting details, the background shows details that help determine where things are in relation to the horizon line such as in the mountains or by the ocean, and foreground usually helps support the middle ground with additional detail). Once students have competed their farm, students will use tracing and coloring skills to complete their composition.

First Grade

Kandinsky Study: Students learn about the abstract artist Wassily Kandinsky. We discuss how line and color can be connected to emotions. Students then follow a series of prompts from me and create a piece of artwork that expresses our daily feelings. Students then paint all the spaces blocked off by lines, with different colors using watercolor paint.

Butterfly Project: Students choose a butterfly silhouette and cut out the butterfly shape. Once cut, students use tissue paper and mod podge to fill in the silhouette of the butterfly, overlapping colors to make new ones. Once dry, students trim off anything that is not wanted and, using black acrylic paint, paint the delicate details of the wings using a fine tip brush.

Funky Fish Collage: Students learn how to draw a fish and then customize it, to make it unique. Top hats, mustaches, tutus, guitars, microphones, mohawks, etc. are just a few examples of how silly the fish can get. Once drawn, students then trace their creation with a sharpie. Next, students draw 5 bubbles, 5 tall pieces of seagrass, and 5 pieces of coral, then trace with a permanent marker as well. Once both papers are complete, students paint their fish, bubbles, coral, and seagrass using watercolor and color-blending techniques. Lastly, students will cut out each object and glue them together to make a collage.

Andy Warhol Study: Students learn about Pop Art and the artist Andy Warhol, specifically the painting of Marilyn Monroe. Students then fold their papers into either 6 or 8 equal sections. They choose an image to draw, as close to exactly the same as possible, in each square. Then, using oil pastel, students color sections of their drawings in, being careful to not repeat a color within a square or to not repeat a color within the same section. For example, if a student were to draw an ice cream cone, each cone, each bottom layer of ice cream, each top layer of ice cream, each cherry, and each background have to be different than any of the other squares without any repetition.

4 Seasons: Students discuss characteristics of the four seasons and what changes during each season. For the project, students start by folding their paper into 4 sections, labeling each Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. Students are then lead through a step-by-step drawing of a v tree ( a more realistic tree that uses V's to create branches). Once each square has a tree in it, students create a scene that repeats in each square. In and around that scene, students are to show how that scenery would change during a specific season. Most scenes include a house, a fence or a stone wall, a pond, and the tree. How the tree changes per season, the animals and plants, the weather, etc, are seasonal details added to further illustrate each season. Once the drawing is completed, students trace and color with crayons, using realistic colors.

Monet Pond: Students study the painting Bridge Over A Pond of Water Lillies by Claude Monet. We discuss impressionism and the way he painted using visible brushtrokes and unblended colors. Students then are lead through their own version of Bridge Over A Pond of Water Lillies using tempera paint and specific brush techniques for the sky and water, and oil pastels for the lillies.

Spring Showers: Students begin by tracing a template of the top of an umbrella. Students then design their umbrella in their own unique way. Next, students are lead through a step-by-step proecss of drawing themselves under the umbrella complete with rain coat and rain boots, which they then design. Once the body is drawn, students trace their drawing with permanent marker and color with crayon. After that is complete, students then add rain drops to the background and a puddle to the ground underneith their figure, and then do a watercolor resist of blue in the background.

Chameleon: Students are lead through a step-by-step drawing of a chameleon. Once the chameleon is drawn, students then add fun designs to it. Students then trace everything and paint using watercolor resist. Students are also lead through color blending with watercolor for the sunset in the background.

Pinch Pot: Students experience clay for the first time! They begin with forming the clay into a ball. Next they use their thumb to start the initial hole. Then they use their hands to both support and stretch the mouth of the clay so that it turns into a small punch pot/cup. Last, after the clay is fired in the kiln, students use glaze and coat their pot with two layers. One more firing and the pinch pot is complete.

Stained Glass Window: Students study stained glass windows from around the world. We discuss how they are made and what the variety of colors and hues do to enhance the look of the window. Students are then lead through a step-by-step drawing of a faux stained glass window of a flower. Students divide their paper up into "pieces," and then trace all of their pencil lines with crayon. Last, students paint their stained glass window with watercolor, utilizing their knowledge of watercolor to make lighter and darker shades, as well as blended colors.

Clay Bobble Fish: Students begin by forming clay into a ball. They then roll coils to create seaweed and learn the proper way to score and attach clay on clay. They also use coils to make a starfish and adhere it to the clay ball. Once that portion of the project is finished, I put a deep hole in their "rock" so that the dowl can sit in the hole once fired. Next, students make a smaller ball of clay and flatten it into a thick half-dollar size. They cut a mouth and attach fins for their fish. I then put a hole in the bottom of the fish so that once fired, it can be placed on the other end of the dowl. After the clay is fired, students then paint their pieces using tempera paint. I spray it with an acrylic gloss spray and then attach their pieces to the dowl to make the bobble fish.

Second Grade

Self-Portrait: Students learn about the importance of symmetry and proportion when creating a self-portrait. We discuss shape and size of facial features, and compare placement and sizing to other parts of the face so that the facial features look "correct." With this in mind, students are walked through the parts of the face, and with construction paper, draw and then cut and glue everything into place.

Pattern Animals: Students study molas, a South American art form done on tapestry using line, pattern, bright colors, and the main subject, which is usually an animal or plant. Students begin by using their knowledge of shapes, to draw an animal of their choice. Once drawn, students use special pens to carefully and neatly draw patterns throughout their animal. Lastly, students cut and glue their animal onto 3 different pieces of paper, tracing and leaving a silhouette of color around each newly glued part.

Starry Night: Students study the painting Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh. We discuss his style of painting, expressionism, where the artist using brush strokes and color to show movement, expressing and suggesting things such as stars or the moon glowing, or wind blowing. After an in-depth discussion, students then begin creating their own version of Starry Night. Students begin by creating a town. Their town is entirely made up of cut shapes and symbols, so that when their buildings are complete, the symbols (such as a steeple, a flag, a post office mailbox, food, etc.) help illustrate what each building is. Next, students draw a moon and stars, and use a mixture of color and lines to make them appear as if they are glowing. Last, they use lines that show movement to create the wind in their sky.

Keith Haring: Students create their own version of Keith Haring's Pop art/Contemporary art/Street artwork. In his style, students draw figures that show movement. They then use tempera paint to carefully paint in the figures and the background around the figures.

Clay Owls: Students create a slab owl. They begin with a slab (a flat piece of clay). Students then roll the top of the clay around a marker to form the head. Once the marker is slipped out again, students roll a beak and are walked through the scoring and attaching process of adding clay to clay. Next, students roll a coil of clay and attach 6 toes to the bottom of their owl. Lastly, student use a wooden stylus to draw details on the wings, the breast of the owl, and the eyes. Once fired, students paint their owl using tempera paint.

Clay Animals: Now that student's clay skills are brushed up, students create an animal of their choice. Using pinch and pull techniques, scoring and additive techniques, texture techniques, along with a few other tips and tricks, students will successfully put together their animal. Once fired, students will then paint their animal using tempera paint.

My Future: Students begin by drawing and designing a one-of-a-kind pair of glasses. We discuss symmetry and how, by drawing one half of the glasses on one side of a piece of folded paper, and turing the paper to trace the lines from the other side of the paper, they can get a perfectly symmentrical pair of glasses. Once their design is complete, they then color the frames of their glasses in. Next, students are asked to think about a potential job they would like to have in the future as well as something they would like to accomplish (learning a new skill, becoming a parent, owning something special, mastering a skill) at some point in their lifetime. On one of the lenses, they draw and color a detailed picture of their future job, and on the other lense, they drawn and color a detailed picture of something they would like to accomplish in their lifetime. Once complete, they cut their glasses out and glue it onto a large paper where they draw their current selves wearing the glasses that project their future. Last, they color themselves in.

Geometric Shape Animals: Students create an animal in it's habitat using geometric shapes that they cut and glue together. The objective of this lesson is to get students to think about and look for geometric shapes to help them when they are trying to draw something. This is a really important skill to learn, because students become easily overwhelmed when looking at the 'whole picture' when they are trying to draw something. By breaking it down, it becomes a much less daunting task, and makes it much easier for students to achieve the outcome they are desiring.

Lion: Students begin by drawing a large head and mane of a lion using chalk. They then use a large, flat brush to paint the mane, mixing orange and yellow shades of paint to acieve a vibrant color for the mane that shows hair-like texture, as well as using wavy brush strokes to suggest movement of the hair. Next, students use a smaller bush to paint in the face, learning how to mix colors to a chieve a lighter orange. Lastly, students paint black lines to accentuate the important parts of the lion.

Dragonfly and Lillies: Students draw a dragonfly and lily flowers on lily pads. Students then use oil pastels to color in their drawing. The focus of this lesson is how to mix, blend colors using oil pastels, as well as how to shade and highlight parts of their artwork to show depth.