Dorothea Lange, Migrant Woman

5th graders studied the work of Dorothea Lange and her role in telling the story of those who suffered during The Great Depression.  We chose to focus on her most famous and iconic photograph called Migrant Woman.  After brainstorming about what the students thought was happening in the photo, each person was assigned a portion of the photo.  The students then used enlarging techniques as well as  sketching tools to create areas of dark, medium and light value.  These tools could also be used to add detail and areas that are smooth or textural.  It was really amazing to piece each section together and complete the puzzle.  We concluded that the finished product reminded us of Picasso!

At the end of this unit each student participated in an exercise called Freeze Tag Tableau.  We acted out Migrant Woman and the students were able to verbalize their knowledge, and ask any questions they had that were not answered from viewing or discussing the photograph.
If you would like to view their work, the display for this project is located at the top of the stairs on the second floor of the school.

Vincent Van Gogh Inspired Still Life Flowers!

1st, 2nd & 3rd graders leaned about the life and work of Vincent Van Gogh.  We focused on his particular painting style and studied his series of sunflowers.  The students noticed that his flowers were very floppy, and that he layered his paint on the canvas in a very thick manor.  We used Van Gogh's sunflowers as inspiration to create our own still life vase of flowers.  Each student learned how to draw the vase and table in perspective, and then one by one, they sketched loose and floppy flowers to complete their images.  The next step was color application!  These images were completed with oil pastel and watercolor paint.  Some students added details and patterns to create more interest.  I think Van Gogh would be proud!  You will find them displayed in the school lobby and in the auditorium.

The Last Remnant of Summer!

Early in the school year our 3rd 4th and 5th grade students took on a sketching challenge.  I brought in all the peach pits left over from my family's summer peach eating.  These fruits have disappeared from the grocery shelves, but the peach pits remain and that is what the students focused their attention on.  They examined these little seeds and took notice of their textural surface and oval shape as well as how the light impacted the cast shadow.  I was very impressed with the results!  They are hanging in the school lobby.

Kindergarten Line Collage!

Kindergarten students started off the the school year with a bang!  They have been learning about all types of line!  I was very impressed with how quickly they learned the difference between horizontal, diagonal and vertical lines.  They were even able to create wavy and zig zag horizontal, diagonal and vertical lines.  Each student used the color paper that was provided to create line collages that demonstrated what they had learned.  The really used their fine motor skills to cut and shape all of their line types.  You will find them hanging near the Kindergarten pod and in the auditorium!