On the first day of school every class, in every grade level read the book Snippet. In the book, by Diane Albers, the geometric shapes wouldn't allow the irregular shapes "snippets" to play and build houses with them. One brave snippet challenged "Square" to see how interesting the town could be if all the shapes were included!

Student then chose a triangle and rectangle or square to build the foundation of his/her own house before using found and cut 'snippets' to make each house in their class neighborhood unique!

4th grade students were introduced to the art of American artist Peter Max. They learned about his history as an immigrant and his distinctive style of vibrant paintings. While he painted many subjects, Peter Max created several patriotic series including his American flags, Statue of Liberty images and presidential portraits. 4th grade students learned more about the history of this iconic American statue and her symbolism as we read Her Right Foot by Dave Eggers. Students began by drawing from observation. After a brief color theory lesson about color mixing as well as how to make colors blend and pop, students channeled Max's painterly style to create unique visions of the American icon.

Learn more about Peter Max by checking out this video!