4th GRADE--Aztec Suns

The 4th grade students learn about the Aztec Sun Stone. The Aztec Sun Stone was an enormous calendar that was 12 feet high, 4 feet thick and weighed 24,000 tons! The Aztec calendar was different than our calendar today because they had 18 months each containing 18 days, which still equaled the same amount of days in year. The Aztec Sun Stone was the inspiration for many people to create artwork revolving around suns. The students were able to see a bunch of different examples of drawings, paintings, ceramics, and sculptures all dealing with suns. The students had to create half of their sun using wavy or curved lines and the other half using straight lines. We also reviewed the warm/cool color schemes. Students were shown how to blend colors using oil crayons. Finally students had to create half of their sun with the warm colors and the other half with the cool colors. Then they used the opposite color scheme for their background. This created contrast and really made their suns pop!

4th GRADE--"The Scream"

The 4th Grade students learned about the artist Edvard
Munch and his famous artwork, “The Scream”. Students
learned that Edvard Munch is the person in the painting
but he is not actually screaming. He is in shock because
he thought that nature was screaming at him due to the
the bright red sky against the dark land. The two people
in the painting are Edvard Munch’s friends who continued
to walk. Students also learned that “The Scream”
was stolen twice, but they were able to get it back both
times without much damage to the painting. Students
were able to recreate their own scream using their picturein their

artwork.

4th GRADE--Camouflage Lizards

The 4th grade students reviewed the warm and cool color schemes. We also discussed what camouflage is and what it does for animals and people. Students were able to choose either the warm or cool colors to create a camouflaged background. Then they chose an animal that uses camouflage and used the same color scheme to create a camouflage effect in their artwork. Finally students reviewed what three-dimensional is and made their animal pop out of their work.

4th GRADE--Geogia O'keeffe Flowers

The 4th Grade students learned about the life and artwork of Georgia O’Keeffe. Georgia O’Keeffe grew up on a farm in Wisconsin and has become one of today’s most famous painters. Her mother thought art was very important, so growing up O’Keeffe had many art lessons and was encouraged to go to Art College. O’keeffe loved nature, so most of her paintings were of flowers, mountains, seashells and even animal bones. O’Keeffe often simplified her paintings, creating more emphasis on the beauty of nature. Eventually O’Keeffe moved to New York to start showing her artwork. After being in New York for a while, O’Keeffe took a teaching job in Texas and loved the clear skies and the bright sun there. After teaching for a few years Alfred Stieglitz, a famous photographer, offered Georgia to come back to New York and he would pay for her expenses and all she had to do was paint. It was hard for O’Keeffe to leave the beauty of Texas, but she could not pass up the offer and this was the beginning of O’Keeffe’s fame!

4th GRADE--Degas Dancers

The 4th grade students learned about the artist Edgar Degas through many books and prints of his pieces of artwork. We also reviewed the warm/cool color schemes. The students were able to create their own scratch board using crayons and black paint. Then we discussed pattern and unity as they were able to scratch different patterns into their scratchboard. Finally we talked about the art of dance and students created a dancer in the pose of their choice out of tinfoil.

4th GRADE--Mancala Boards

The 4th graders learned about Mancala through a powerpoint. They were able to view many different mancala boards from different cultures. After we discussed the game of Mancala the students were able to use templates to design their own mancala board out of clay. After their boards were complete they were able to use many different tools to create pattern and texture on their board. Finally the students were able to glaze their board with the color of their choice.

4th GRADE--Winter Landscapes

The 4th grade students learned what a landscape is and looked at many different examples of landscapes. They learned that a landscape is a picture of the land that can contain many different elements of nature. We also discussed the four parts of a landscape, which are: foreground, middle ground, background, and horizon line. The elements in a landscape that are bigger appear to be closer to us, or in the foreground. The elements that are smaller appear to be farther away and are in the middle or back ground. The 4th graders where able to choose different cool colors to create their winter landscape.

4th GRADE--Memory Quilts

The 4th grade students learned about the artist, Faith Ringgold. Ringgold was not only an artist, but she was also an author. Ringgold is known for using quilts for a vehicle for her stories. We learned about her memory quilts through the book, Tar Beach. Through this book we saw how Ringgold combines autobiography, fictional narrative, painting, and quilt making into one art form. Students were able to illustrate a childhood memory that they remember that had meaning to them. Then they had to draw a symbol that related to their drawing to create a print to add to their boarder. After, they had to create a pattern for their border using different colored squares and wallpaper to create a quilt-like effect. Finally they had to write at least four sentences describing their memory.

4th GRADE--Wright Stained Glass

The 4th grade students learned about the life and work of
Frank Lloyd Wright through a power point. They learned that
he is one of the most famous architects known. He not only
designed the houses and buildings, but he also
designed the interior spaces as well. He was born in
Wisconsin and built many of his projects right here
in Wisconsin. Frank Lloyd Wright was also known
For his stained glass he created. The students learned
About the different geometric shapes he repeated
in his stained glass. Students were then able to
create their own stained glass design in the style ofFrank Lloyd Wright.

5th GRADE--Aborigonal Art

The 5th grade students learned about the aborigonal people and their style of art. We discussed the importance of using dots for their art, and also why they used earthtone colors. The students looked at many different aborigonals symbols and created their very own unique piece of aborional art.

5th GRADE--Pop Art Clay

The 5th grade students learned about Pop Art through a powerpoint. We discussed the importance of mass media and how Pop Art deals with art revolving around popular items. Each student had to choose a piece of food and draw thumbnail sketches of their piece of food from multiple views. We also talked about the three clay techniques that they could use which are slab, pinch pot, or coil. After the students were shown each of these techniques they had to sketch which techniques they would use to create their clay piece. After their clay pieces were finished they were able to paint their clay food in a realistic style to complete their piece of "Pop Art."

5th GRADE--Birch Tree Landscapes

The 5th Grade students reviewed what a landscape is and the four parts: foreground, middle ground, background, and horizon line. We talked about the texture on birch trees and students used masking tape to create that texture on their trees. We also reviewed the cool colors and discussed different feelings and things that remind them of the cool colors. Students were able to use a wet on wet watercolor technique to blend their cool colors for their sky. Finally students used sharpies to create the final texture for their birch trees.