Lesson Resources

Lesson 1

The Fourth and fifth grades’ lessons are inspired by the book Beautiful Oops! By Barney Saltzberg. Students were given paper that already had spontaneous marks on it, and transformed these marks into living things in an environment. This is building symphonic thinking: the ability to put together seemingly unrelated pieces, or to synthesize (as explained in Daniel Pink’s book A Whole New Mind). This aptitude is not only key in artmaking, it is also essential in other academic content areas as well as in 21st century careers.

The 6th grade lesson is inspired by the blog, The Daily Monster, by illustrator and designer Stefan G. Bucher. Students created ink monsters/creatures by blowing drops of ink on their paper using a straw, and then added detail with markers and other materials. This activity also builds symphonic thinking and encourages students to take risks and embrace unpredictability while making art.

4th Grade Video: https://spark.adobe.com/video/zsSdG7DlUdLO0

5th Grade Video: https://spark.adobe.com/video/biE1cACOr1Cj3

6th Grade Video: https://spark.adobe.com/video/9Bf1m2kaTS1OF

Handouts

Lesson 2

These lesson was focused on deconstructing objects into simple shapes and how artists use color in different ways to convey moods or emotions. This activity teaches students to think in an abstract sense and use symbolism to communicate.

Fourth grade students were given the challenge of drawing Poppies, our state flower, and convey a mood through the use of warm or cool colors. The 5th grade students conveyed a mood through the use of complimentary colors in their portraits of animals. Complimentary colors create contrast and emphasis in the artwork which gives it a different feel. 6th grade students deconstructed objects and animals seen in tide pools. They used analogous colors with one complimentary color for emphasis conveying a more subtle contrast that appears calm.

4th Grade Video: https://spark.adobe.com/video/x58RRxbQ3WkHP

5th Grade Video:

6th Grade Video: https://spark.adobe.com/video/kgTagrnlFY6JH