INTERMEDIATE STUDENTS IN ACTION!

3-5 Grade Student Portfolios - Students created and learned about portfolios within the field of Visual Arts. Students will use their portfolios as a safe place to collect, share and display their art work throughout the year. The cover of the portfolios were designed using the first letter of the student's first or last name to create an Alphatoon character. This exercise allowed students to start thinking about what shapes or lines make up an image. Can you find the letters in each of the images below?

MN State Standard 5.3.6.1, 5.4.3.6.1, 5.5.3.5.1

Bald Eagle --  3rd and 4th Grade students worked with a variety of media choices to create representations of the Bald Eagle. The goal of the project was to recreate an image using a 4 quadrant grid. Students replicated lines as seen in each quadrant resulting in an eagle proportional to the originals' image. 

MN State Standard 5.3.2.2.1, 5.4.2.2.2

3rd Grade Bald Eagle Highlight Gallery
*Images in the highlight gallery have been selected from each class to showcase. These students incorporated their own personality into these images adding to their one -of- a- kind look. 

4th Grade Bald Eagle Highlight Gallery

*Images in the highlight gallery have been selected from each class to showcase. These students incorporated their own personality into these images adding to their one -of- a- kind look. 

5th Grade - Veteran's Day Projects - Students created these images using a 16 box grid to guide their way. Students progressed through this project one box at a time as a way to reproduce the lines within each box. This drawing strategy helps to simplify the drawing process by focusing on small areas, thinking about where each line enters, leaves and falls within the box. Using a grid is a method seen in the art world to aid in creating proportional images such as murals and large canvas replication.  Students used a variety of mediums to complete the images to add a personal touch to their creations. 

Tim Burton Inspired Self Portraits - 3rd grade students evaluated the work of a modern day artist and film director Tim Burton. Burton's work can be seen in movie creations such as the "Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach." Students discovered that many of his characters shared common features such as large eyes, small noses, small mouths, and long skinny necks. Students also examined how he used shadows and highlights to create emphasis to his characters. Students used Burton's unique set of facial criteria to create self portraits.  

MN State Standard 5.3.4.8.2

Sweater Weather Friends - 3rd Grade students worked with a variety of established criteria to create these Sweater Weather Friends.  Students worked in sequential steps, using specified media for each step of the process. They began with using a grid to create the animal images, reinforcing skills learned in a prior lesson. Students then used water color to create the skin tones and sweaters. Next, they used chalk pastels to create background scenes, blending colors to create a soothing atmosphere. Finally, students used oil pastels to create texture in the sweaters and fur of the animals. This artistic foundation, provided visual feeling through small marks mimicking hair or wool.  

MN State Standard 5.3.4.8.1

*Single images have been selected from each class to showcase. These students incorporated their own personality into these images adding to their one -of- a- kind look. 

Mr. Iverson's 3rd Grade Class

Mixed Media - Water Color, Oil Pastels, Chalk Pastels, and Pen

Mrs. Koepsell's 3rd Grade Class

Mixed Media - Water Color, Oil Pastels, Chalk Pastels, and Pen

Notan Study of Positive and Negative Space - - In this project students look at creating works of art based on the Japanese term Notan, meaning “light and dark harmony.” 

MN State Standard - Visual Art: 5.4.2.3.1 -- Create art that is representation and non-representational using artistic foundations.

MN State Standard - Math: 4.3.3.2 -- Apply reflections (flips) to figures by reflecting over vertical or horizontal lines and relate reflections to lines of symmetry.

*Single images have been selected from each class to showcase. These students incorporated their own personality into these images adding to their one -of- a- kind look. 

Tessellations- - Tessellations can be very simple or very complex in nature. For this project, students took mathematic principles to create unique art work. These tessellations are created by rearranging cut shapes to make a tile. The tile is typically one or more geometric shapes that do not overlap or gap. Students spent time considering their design, working to assure that their final piece resembled the image they initially created. This process challenged students to think outside the box of the ordinary, to create an image that may be unordinary.  The images shared below, are examples of students working through various challenges to overcome and produce an art work that should inspire the art and math world alike!

MN State Standard - Visual Art: 5.4.2.2.1 -- Generate new ideas by combining dissimilar ideas together.

CREATING PERSPECTIVE - - Third grade students learned about perspective and how changing how things are viewed, can impact what everyday and non-everyday objects may look. Students created these images by tracing their own hands and feet, creating a foreshortened view of the human body as if falling through space. Students investigated how objects may look if seen from far away, and up close -- uncovering that the closer things are the bigger they look, and far away objects look small. As the images were drawn, students shared their ideas of what made their image unique, as well as the choices they made when creating the environment surrounding their character. 

MN State Standard - Visual Art: 5.3.2.4.1 -- Discuss feedback about choices made in creating artwork.

5.3.2.2.2 -- Apply knowledge of available resources, tools, and technologies to investigate ideas though the artmaking process.

MR. EICHENBEGER'S 3RD GRADE CLASS

Mixed Media - Marker, Crayon

Study of the Geometric Shape: The Cylinder -- Let's make cake! Third grade students learned all about cylinders in this 3-D project. Students talked though how perspective can change the way we view and object in space, such as a circle. Using the idea of a "squished" circle students build these beautiful examples of a real world cylinder. If only they tasted as good as they look! These pieces were created with chalk pastels on black construction paper. 

MN State Standard: 5.3.4.8.2

Evaluate an artwork based on a variety of established criteria, including artistic foundations (shape, color, and space).

One Point Perspective -- Fifth grade students learned about one point perspective as a way of seeing the world. They used what they learned to create a city street. Students also learned about value, to create depth and reality to the environment. Students were challenged to appropriately represent light and dark values based on a light source that may be present in the image. Additionally, students were asked to add a "POP" of color to the othersize black and white image. The color could represent anything the student wanted to communicate to the viewer. Some students were reflective and included more abstract thoughts, while others added more realistic elements. This foundational exercise helps students begin to evaluate the world around them, allowing them to create art more accurately. Students used artistic concepts of horizon line, vanishing point, balance, and value to create images that connected art to real life.

MN State Standard: 5.5.2.3.1

Charles Shultz Inspired Character Strips - 

MN State Standard: 

Self-Portrait-- Fifth grade students explored personal identity though this multi-media project. Using their school yearbook picture, student traced defined lines of the bust to recreate themselves into pop art characters. The outlined image was completed on clear AV filter sheets. Students had to critically think through the layering process while painting, as they added color on the backside of the filter. For the background, students used the collage method to find items that communicated personal interests, cultural ideas, beliefs, or points of interest.  

MN State Standard: 5.5.5.9.1, 5.5.2.2.1

Macro Owl Eyes-- Students examined how shapes make up what we draw. Using the owl face, students revealed that simple circles, triangles, and crescent shapes can be the basis for the creation of these images. Students also used oil pastels to experiment with development of texture. The aesthetic characteristics of the natural world, such as the feathers of the owl, supported student reflection and analysis of the world around them.

MN State Standard: 5.4.4.7.1

April Showers, Bring May Flowers -- Third grade students examined the artistic element of line, to create these colorful May Flowers. Students learned how lines can impact visual images, helping to support dynamic interest. The flowers represented support students exploration of perspective. Students took a macro level look at flowers, imagining what details each petal may look like if put under the microscope. Students used horizontal, vertical, diagonal, and curvy lines to refine each petal. Students used water colored pencils to complete the project, supporting classroom management of paints and brushes. 

MN State Standard: 5.3.2.3.2, 5.3.2.3.1

Aesthetic Elements Drawing - 5th Grade students learned about creating value using graphite pencils and a blending tool. Drawings focused on the artistic elements of space and value, along with the principle of design element of movement. Students also explored atmospheric perspective enhancing the "feel" of the image. 

MN State Standard: 5.5.2.3.1