1st grade Gee's Bend Quilt Collages

Gee's Bend is a small community in Alabama that believes in tradition and family.  The women of Gee's Bend became famous when their quilt designs were noticed and admired.  1st graders discussed the "function" of some art and thought about the purpose of artwork.  Students listened to poems written about the culture of quilt-making and the traditions that are past down from generation to generation. 

Students created a collage using construction paper.  We discussed how to create interesting designs using patterns and elements of art.  Students practiced using good craftsmanship by keeping their artwork neat and clean. 

I will display them all together like one big quilt, but here are a few individual examples. 

1st grade House Sculptures

What is the difference between something flat and 3d?  What do you call a 3d artwork?  How can you turn something flat into something 3d?

These are all questions discussed with 1st graders in the past few weeks.  Students know the difference between geometric and free-form shapes, as well as the difference between shapes and forms. 

Students discussed the South African culture, Ndebele, who are famous for their brightly painted homes.  Students identified patterns, lines, and shapes in the designs.

Students turned an ordinary paper lunch bag into a bright, bold, colorful sculpture inspired by the Ndebele people. 

1st grade Landscapes

Thanks to The Crayon Lab for the lesson, 1st graders discussed the parts of a landscape and the artwork of Wolf Kahn.  Students know vocabulary like Horizon Line and Depth.  Students understand that artists show depth by making objects smaller and higher on the page.

Wolf Kahn's landscapes are very free and loose and certainly very colorful.  1st graders used liquid watercolors to brighten their landscapes with vivid colors.

1st grade Clay Installations

1st graders learned about an interesting Japanese artist named Yayoi Kusuma.  She is the highest paid woman artist in the world!  She is known for being eccentric, and often creates large installations with polka dots!

1st graders learned various clay making vocabulary words like pinch pot, texture, kiln, and glaze.  Students created a pumpkin form with textured polka dots like Kusuma.  After learning about what an installation is, students also created a paper background with similar dots so that the pumpkin blends in with the installation.

1st grade Color Trees

This was a popular idea in the art teacher internet world this year.  I think it was a great way to get 1st graders thinking about color and what it can do.

Students practiced mixing secondary colors as well as light tints.  Students discussed the artwork of abstract artist, Kandinsky, as well as Klimt.  Both of these artists are known for their use of color and artwork involving trees.  Students compared the artwork of these artists and created their own colorful tree. 

Sometimes it's easy to get stuck in the perspective that students need to memorize information and then be able to repeat the rhetoric.  Learning certain vocabulary words is very necessary, but I tried a different approach to color theory this year. 

My first graders understand that color mixing creates new colors.  They understand that there are different degrees of color and that combining them in different ways creates a different effect.  My students might not always remember exactly which 2 colors create purple or which 2 colors create orange, but I guarantee that they can figure it out by looking at a color wheel.

Sometimes knowledge is figuring out how to find the answer rather than actually knowing the answer.

1st grade Watercolor Collages

1st grade students read Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain, a Kenyan folk tale.  The students created a stormy sky effect by using liquid watercolors and salt.  Students cut out shapes to create African animals and other Kapiti Plain details.

1st grade African Necklaces

1st graders learned about the Maasai people from Kenya, Africa...known for their large beaded necklaces. 

Students compared the African Necklaces to jewelry we see and use in our culture.  Students created patterned paper plate necklaces

1st grade Architects

1st graders read Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty and illustrated by David Roberts. It's a clever story about a young boy who dreams of becoming and architect. We also looked at pictures of Atlanta buildings and discussed what an architect thinks about. Students turned a flat paper bag into a 3d building sculpture.

1st grade Ceramic Turtles

1st grade students created textured pinch pots and turned them into turtles. Students created a paper tetrahedron habitat to hold their animals. Students practiced mixing tints and shades for the water background.

1st grade Secondary Collages

1st graders practiced mixing primary colors into secondary colors in the textured style of Eric Carle. Students created symmetrical insect collages using thier mixed paper.

1st grade

1st graders have been learning about Joan Miro and his use of lines and shapes. Students discussed landscapes and horizon lines, and created a Miro inspired Line landscape collage.