We have been having lots of fun DISCOVERING in the CSES art room. That is because all of the k-5 unit plans were centered around the big idea of Discovery. In this unit, I provided students with "mustard day" lessons where they had the opportunity to discover various art mediums and art processes through experimentation and exploration. Since we are all new to each other, it was great to start off the year with the understanding that it is perfectly great to experiment, make happy mistakes, and get a little (alright maybe a lot...) messy because that is how we DISCOVER new things and learn. My favorite Chinese proverb is, "Tell me, I'll forget. Show me, I'll remember. Involve me, I'll understand". I truly believe that all of the CSES students gained a lot of understanding of the art making process and what it is to be an artist during this unit.
Below are some images of the VERY fun art making that took place during our Discovery unit. :)
I love these K-1 drawings... no rules just pure expression!
:)
Second through fifth grades discovery various painting application tools and textures that can be created by using them alone and together.
In action!
Loved this awesome texture created by one student using a mix
of all the application tools.
Students also learned a lot about color theory here. What colors mix well together... which ones make mud when mixed... and which look great together when just laying next to one another (complimentary colors).
The next lesson was focused on a fun abstract expressionist artist named
Jackson Pollock. We discovered him and his unique artistic process through using with Smart Board with a cool website called JacksonPollock.org. Students could create a collaborative "drip painting" like Pollock did using their finger tips. Every student in the class walked past the Smart Board, leaving their mark of their movement... just like Pollock did as he walked over his canvases! SO NEAT!
Then we discovered ways to create our own Pollock-like abstract paintings using some very odd materials... marbles and forks!
Kindergarteners discovered textures through finger painting and texture stamps. We had some great textures created here!!
Then on to our printmaking discoveries...
K-1 explored printmaking through creating bubble wrap prints! I need to get an image of the prints created with these... but here are some of them prepping the "printing plate"!
Second and third grades created styrofoam printing plates and fourth and fifth grades carved linoleum printing plates!
Today was our last "Discovery" unit day and when I told students this they all said "Oh man!" with disappointment. We all loved the freedom of experimenting with materials and making many new discoveries along the way! Of course I explained that Discovery is a theme that will go on throughout the entire year together because we will constantly be learning new techniques with new art processes and new art mediums as we create large artworks that spanned over a few weeks time of art making. But I think the students and I both agree that Discovery sure was the perfect big idea to start off a wonderful school year together in the CSES art room!
Now on to the new big idea... keep tuning in to find out what it is! ;)
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