Grade 5
What we've been working on!
APRIL: Mood Meter Guessing
This month we spent some time catching up from past projects, working with portfolios and sketchbooks, and revisiting our mood meter paintings. We learned that our paintings are an example of abstract expressionism; when an artist expresses personal thoughts, feelings, or characteristics in an abstract (non-representational) way. We played a guessing game to make our predictions on the mood that our friends painted. Some were very close, and some were not at all... and this is a great thing! We all perceive the elements of art and principles of design in different ways. It was fun to guess the moods, but also fun to finally share them with others after keeping it a secret for so long!
MARCH: Mood Meter Paintings
For this project we made a change to our typical artmaking routine. At SES we are all familiar with the Mood Meter (a tool to help us with emotional awareness). Step one was to select a mood that we were currently feeling, have felt recently, or were interested in. Step two, was to turn that mood into an abstract painting using either watercolor paint or tempera paint. We asked ourselves questions like: What would my mood look like if I could see it? What color would it be? Is it high energy? Is it low energy? During our painting time, we listened to music but worked in silence. We kept our mood a secret and practiced solving our own problems. Once our paintings were dry, we participated in a gallery walk and guessed each other's moods. Our guesses were not the same and this was a good thing. We all perceive line, shape, and color in different ways. We hope our paintings encourage you to check your "mood" today.
MARCH: Landmark Zentangles
This month we are participating in a "yoga for the mind" activity by creating Zentangles! Zentangles are said to: 1) help relieve stress, 2) improve hand coordination & creativity, 3) help insomnia, 4) support relaxation, 5) increase attention span, & 6) help us problem solve (which was our February focus!). Check back next month to see the next steps! In the meantime, we will peacefully continue our meditative drawing.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY: Textured "Scapes"
For this project, we began by learning about some of the different kinds of landscapes we have in our world. We looked at examples of cityscapes, desertscapes, seascapes, snowscapes, mountainscapes, and hillscapes. Next, we drew the scape of our choice and mapped out 8 different textures we would need. Finally, we looked at those textures and chose 8 pieces of screen-printed paper; the ones we thought best matched the texture we needed. We did a lot of cutting and gluing to attach our pieces together. Creating a collage helps us use overlapping to create space. We hope our scapes encourage you to go on an adventure today!
DECEMBER/JANUARY: Coiled Hot Plates
This month we took out the clay! For this project, we used clay to make hot plates using different types of clay coils. A clay coil is a long cylindrical (snake-like) form that can create different shapes such as a: sphere, spiral, or donut. For our coil plates we incorporated at least three different kinds of coils. Clay dries quickly, and dry clay cracks; dry clay is no longer useful. To prevent this from happening, we used bowls filled with water, spray bottles, and slip. Once our plates dried completely (about a week), they went into the kiln. The firing process takes about 22 hours from start to finish. Finally, we glazed the clay, and put it back into the kiln for another firing. We hope our plates "heat up" your day!
DECEMBER: National Inclusive Schools Week, Inspired by: Henri Matisse
As a way to celebrate National Inclusive Schools Week, our third, fourth, & fifth graders learned about two Australian artists. Their names are Daniel Miller and Kamini Nair. “Danny” is an abstract artist who uses words to create his artworks. He has an intellectual disability and he wears a helmet to protect his head when he has seizures. Kamini is an impressionist painter who uses flowers and bright colors as inspiration for her works. She too, has an intellectual disability. Both artists have exhibited their works in museums and galleries around the world. Their works are highly praised for their beauty & creativity … and they are sold at a high price! Danny & Kamini inspired us to make artworks just like them. We hope our artworks inspire you today.
National Standard: (VA:Cn11.1.5a) Identify how art is used to inform or change beliefs, values, or behaviors of an individual or society.
NOVEMBER: Winter Lampposts
We have been working on winter lamppost paintings as inspired by the upcoming Candlelight Concert at Staples High School. A few selected artworks will be sent to Staples prior to the youth concert and hung for all to enjoy. For these paintings we experimented with various tempera paint techniques such as: wet-on-wet mixing, wet-on-dry mixing, dabbing (using cotton swabs), blending, sponge texture painting, and working with various size brushes. We wanted our paintings to show the energy and movement of a magical snowy sky. We hope our winter lampposts inspire you to "glow" today.
National Standard: (VA:Cr2.1.5a) Experiment and develop skills in multiple art-making techniques and approaches through practice.
OCTOBER: Veteran's Day Portraits
We began work on the Veterans Day portraits Miss Lasto collected from our Saugatuck families. We are working individually, or in partnerships to draw the portraits using HB and 6B pencils. We learned about how the value scale helps us create the look of highlights, shadows, facial features, and other forms. Learning to shade is not easy, but the more we practice the easier it becomes. To finish and prepare for display, we will paint American flag mats to border our portraits. We will use ruler measurements and Tempera paint. We are excited we get to honor our community veterans and share them with you. We hope they encourage you to be brave today. Great job fifth graders!
National Standard: (VA:Cr1.1.5a) Combine ideas to generate an innovative idea for art-making.
SEPTEMBER: Batik Fabric
Our fifth graders learned about the tradition and process of making Batik Cloth. We used cotton fabric, liquid glue, acrylic paint, and water to make our cloth designs. Batik fabrics are created using a resist technique. In Indonesia and other parts of the world, artists use wax to restrict the color from reaching unwanted areas of the fabric. Our Batiks utilize symmetry and are inspired by nature just like the traditional ones we looked at. We hope our fabrics help you “resist” any troubles today. Great job fifth graders!
National Standard: (VA:Cr2.2.5a) Demonstrate quality craftsmanship through care for and use of materials, tools, and equipment.
National Standard: (VA:Cr2.1.5a) Experiment and develop skills in multiple art-making techniques and approaches through practice.
WEEK 1 WARMUP : Puzzle Piece Mural
We have been working collaboratively to create a mural using watercolor paint, colored pencils, and scissors. This was our art room warm up! We Traced a puzzle piece stencil, created an image to represent one of our favorite summer memories, practiced cutting, and shared with each other. We hope our mural display is a wonderful “piece” of your day.
National Standard: (VA:Cr1.2.5a) Identify and demonstrate diverse methods of artistic investigation to choose an approach for beginning a work of art.
