This blog displays various art projects I have completed in my art courses during college and can be used in an elementary classroom.

Linking Fractions (My Group's Lesson)

5/2/2023

My group presented our lesson which was Linking Equivalent Fractions. Our lesson preparation consisted of the audience statement, unit introduction, lesson plan itself created using the Madeline Hunter format, the student learning objectives, rubric, and the budget for the lesson. Embedded below is a document consisting of these components.


Linking Equivalent Fractions Lesson Plan Document

We also presented our lesson using Canva (linked in the button below).

In our presentation, we included the Kansas standards as well as the National Core Visual Arts Standards that we based our lesson and activity on, the student learning objectives, our introduction which consisted of recalling information that they "learned" the previous day, some examples of fraction picture models, and some key terms that are needed when working with fractions. 

Then, we modeled how to find equivalent fractions, and talked about why it is important to make sure the wholes are equal. After that, we completed the check for understanding before moving on to the guided practice. Within the guided practice, the gradual release model was implemented through "I do, we do, you do." The teacher demonstrated how to find an equivalent fraction and represent that using a fraction picture model, then had the students participate in one, and lastly, the students had the opportunity to practice on their own. If they finished the given fraction, they could then come up with a fraction of their own to practice with. As a class, we then looked at some fraction picture models and discussed why each one either was or was not representing an equivalent fraction. 

Then, we completed one more check for understanding before moving on to the art activity portion of the lesson. 

Our art activity was making chains by linking equivalent fractions. On one side of the strip of paper was the fraction for that strip, and on the other side, we had already sectioned the strip according to the fraction's denominator. The students were tasked with using three different forms of media (e.g. colored pencil, marker, and paint sticks) to decorate their strips as they pleased. However, they had to create the same design for each section of their strip according to their fraction on the back. For example, if I wanted to draw flowers using the example media above, and my fraction was 3/4, I would have to make the same design and media on three of the four sections. This means that whatever I do in the first section, I have to do in the other two sections. Then, the students would have to travel around the classroom and find someone who had a fraction that was equivalent to theirs, and then they linked them like a chain by gluing the pieces. 

Below are the examples that my group made.

Participation in a Group's Lesson

4/25/2023

In our class, we were tasked with creating a lesson focused on a content area (math, science, social studies, language arts), while also integrating art into the lesson. These lessons were completed in groups. 

I had the privilege of participating in another group's lesson. Their lesson covered similes, metaphors, and hyperboles within poems. During the lesson, we had the poem read to us, and then we underlined similes, metaphors, and hyperboles within the boxed parts of the poem. We started with the teachers (group members) demonstrating some examples, then doing some as a class, and finally doing the rest in small groups. 

During the lesson, we were taught the following:

Similes:  Comparing one thing to another thing using the terms "like" or "as."

Metaphors:  Applying a word or a phrase to an object or action, that is not applicable; the term "is" can also be used.

Hyperbole:  Exaggerated statements that are not meant to be taken literally.


Below is the poem our lesson was based on. 

Key: 

Smilie - Blue

Metaphor - Green

Hyperbole - Yellow

After completing the poem part of the lesson, we then started our art activity. Our art activity consisted of selecting a simile, metaphor, or hyperbole from the boxed sections of the poem, and then drawing a picture that represented what we had selected. I chose the metaphor "...daggers on his toes." Below is my representation of that metaphor. 

Learning Style 

3/28/2023

I took a learning style quiz to see what my learning style is and if it has changed since before I came to college. The quiz site that I used is linked in the button below. 

The three different learning styles presented in this quiz are auditory, tactile, and visual. Below is a brief description of each.

Auditory

These learners learn best through hearing and listening. They tend to store information by the way it sounds and have to speak information to know it. These learners may appear to not be paying attention because they are either humming or talking to themselves and/or others. However, they only need to hear and listen to gather information, so they are still paying attention through their hearing. 

Tactile

These learners learn best through hands-on activities, and this can also include drawing or moving. Essentially, they learn through movement of various types. They most likely will need frequent breaks, will speak with their hands and gestures, and can have a difficult time sitting still. These learners will also move around and tinker when they become bored. 

Visual

These learners learn best through reading and pictures. They enjoy seeing what they are learning. These learners are usually neat and clean, enjoy colors and stories, and can easily get distracted by sounds.

Incorporating all of these styles into a lesson plan is extremely important because then all students can learn the same material, but through styles that work best for them. Some examples could include videos, online interactives, reading materials, auditory reading materials, hands-on activities, graphics, etc. 

The results of the quiz stated that my learning style is 40% auditory, 35% tactile, and 25% visual. Based on other learning style quizzes that I have taken at different periods of my life and age ranges, I have always been a tactile learner more than other types. I agree with those quizzes because I learned best when I got to participate in hands-on activities. With this said, I disagree with this quiz. I feel that I do not learn through auditory means, be that videos or lectures. I feel that when I am sitting and listening, my mind is not fully focused; the information tends to go in and out or my mind begins to wander towards other things. Whereas, when I am tasked to physically do something, I feel that I am forced to be completely focused, and I can acquire more knowledge and apply what I do know to what I am doing.

Squiggle Art

3/2/2023

Squiggle Art is a fun way to be creative as well as allow for uniqueness because the design can be whatever the person desires, and no design will look the same! 

Materials needed:

Here is part one of my squiggle art. When creating a squiggle art, select an area on the paper to be the origin of the line. Then make one continuous line using the black glue, not stopping the movement until finished with the design. 

My design says "Move." When creating my squiggle art, I did not intend for that to happen. I was simply moving my glue in a continuous motion all over the page. It was not until a classmate pointed out that my design said "Move" that I noticed it, and now I cannot unsee it! 

It is important to let these dry before beginning the painting. We let ours dry on drying racks for a couple of weeks while we participated in other art projects or lessons about art. At that point, we then came back to our squiggle art to begin the painting process. 

In this picture, I am beginning to paint my squiggle art. Within the painting aspect of this art project, students are free to use colors of their choosing from the watercolors available. They can also place those colors where they choose. The purpose of this is to stay inside of the black glue and not go outside of it. Therefore, paint the closed-in areas.

These are the paints that I used. They are tempera watercolor paints, tempera paints can also be found in the liquid variety as well. The great thing about tempera paints is that they dry quickly on surfaces like cardboard or thicker paper like I used. There are many other surfaces that they are used for as well. They also come out of clothing and wash off surfaces such as desks pretty easily. 

Tip:  Do not use too much water on the brush to get the colors started because it will weaken the color very fast when applied to the desired surface. Instead, just ever so slightly dip the brush into the water and that will be sufficient for getting colors started.

This is the water dish we used (a.k.a. dog bowls). These were great to use because two students can share since there are two sides. The way my partner and I used this bowl was having a clean water side and a dirty water side. We would clean off the color on our brushes in the dirty water, and then dip our brushes in the clean water to start a new color. Another great thing about using dog bowls like this one is that it is designed to not be knocked over. 

This is my complete squiggle art. On the left of the paper with the 'M,' I left a chunk of white because it is not touching another black line. Whereas, the rest of my squiggle art is painted because those areas are all closed in. In my squiggle art, I was trying to not have a color next to the same color or in the vicinity. However, as I got closer to completing this, I was running out of areas to put colors, so there are colors that are next to themselves or in the vicinity.

Ailen NAme

2/15/2023

Alien Name is a great way to make art using a name - we used our first name. What is special about this project is no two aliens will be alike, which is such a good representation that no two people are alike. The aliens will vary because we all have different names, and the alien will still vary for those that have the same name whether it is spelled the same or not because handwriting is different we will choose to color our alien differently. This is another great representation that even though two people have the same name, each person's name is unique to them and who they are. 

Materials needed:

I first started by folding the paper length-wise (hotdog style/motel style). Then, I wrote my name in cursive on one side (it does have to be cursive because it has to be a continuous motion to create the alien body - may be a better activity for older grades). After that, I folded the paper again, and using a ruler, I scraped along the paper with pressure to transfer charcoal to the other side. I opened it up and touched up any areas that charcoal was not transferred to.

*Using charcoal can be messy - be prepared, use aprons, etc.*

Now, I was ready to add color. I chose paint sticks because I think they are amazing (they are washable and dry in seconds)! In the above photo, I also chose to outline my name with an orange paint pen to provide some more color.

*Do not advise the use of paint pens for kids*

*The one thing I do not like about charcoal is when all else is dry, the charcoal will still smudge*

Four Steps of Art Criticism

2/15/2023

(1) Description - What do I see?

(2) Analysis - How is the work organized or put together? 

Statements are made by connecting an element of art and a principle of design. 

Elements of Art:

Principles of Design:

(3) Interpretation - What do I think is happening?

(4) Judgement - Is this a successful work of art?

By following the four steps of art criticism in order, students can learn how to form their opinions on a piece of art. The amazing thing about art criticism is that once the facts have been recognized, students are free to create their own opinions and thoughts based on the facts displayed. 

My example is shown below.

Bingham, G. C. (1845). Fur Traders Descending the Missouri The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, New York.

Description: 

Title - Fur Traders Descending the Missouri (1845)

Artist - George Caleb Bingham

Type - Oil on canvas

Within this painting, it appears to be either early in the morning around sunrise, or late afternoon to early evening around sunset. The evidence that supports this statement is that on the left side of the painting, it seems to be brighter as if the sun is rising or setting on that side. 

Analysis:

Interpretation: 

When I look at this piece of art, I feel a sense of calmness come over me because in the painting, it appears that they are canoeing across a body of water, and I enjoy kayaking which brings me a sense of calmness and relaxation out on the water. Additionally, I do not think that the artist intended to create this artwork in this way. I feel that he was planning to paint the scenery of the Missouri River, similar to how it is in the background, but the Fur Traders happened to be passing by and were in his line of view, and he chose to include them.

Judgment: 

I believe that this artwork has a benefit for its viewers as I feel that it communicates a sense of calmness. I also believe that it communicates the idea that we need to take time to slow down and enjoy the moment that we are in as the painting displays men traveling across a body of water by canoe, which is not going to be fast. Therefore, they have no choice but to go slow and enjoy what is around them in the present moment.

Color Wheel

1/31/2023

The Edible Color Wheel is a fun (and tasty) way for students to learn about the color wheel. This was completed in groups of about four. 

Materials needed:

This first photo is the complete project. It includes the three primary colors, the three secondary colors, and the six tertiary colors. The vanilla wafer in the center is brown, which is comprised of two complementary colors, red and green. Complementary colors are two colors directly across from one another (i.e. red and green, yellow and purple, orange and blue).


​On the right side of the color wheel is a five-point scale using the color blue. A five-point scale is various tints of one hue (color) starting from the lightest and going to the darkest. Blue and Red tend to work better. 

Primary:

Secondary:

Tertiary:

This is the instruction sheet, which includes the step-by-step process of making an edible color wheel.

Here is the vanilla wafers and vanilla frosting. Having more vanilla wafers than the amount needed is beneficial. When the time comes to create tertiary colors, I found that placing a little bit of both the primary and the secondary color on a vanilla wafer and blending them with my finger or a clean spoon works best. 

Continuing my comment above, here is an example of where creating a tertiary color would take place. I would place a small amount of red and orange on the vanilla wafer, and mix with my finger or a clean spoon, creating red-orange.


The reason that I do not want to mix the orange into the red cup or vice versa is because red, being a primary color is going to be used on another vanilla wafer with the secondary color being purple/violet, ultimately creating red-purple/violet. This is the same for the orange as it is a secondary color, it will be mixed on a vanilla wafer with yellow, a primary color, resulting in yellow-orange.

Get to Know You Sculpture

1/21/2023

Get to Know You Sculptures are a way students can get to know one another through art. 

The sculptures are designed using various components:


Here is my "Get to Know You Sculpture." I chose this purple-pink colored paper for my base, and chose to use paint sticks for my "wild card,' which dried immediately. My sculpture consists of two orange spirals, an orange zigzag, a purple arch, a black arch, a yellow zigzag, and my "wild card." Students may use their "wild card" for one personalized fact about themselves. My "wild card" was used to represent me being the only one in my immediate and extended family to not wear or have prescriptions for glasses. 

This is the fact sheet. This one is geared toward college students, but for elementary students, the facts would have to be altered. Examples of appropriate facts for elementary students could be:  favorite color is blue, has pets, loves to read, plays a sport, enjoys P.E. class, etc. 


This project is also free and interpretive. For example, for the square that says, "goes to bed early," if I feel that the time I go to bed is early, I can include that in my sculpture. Another student may go to bed at the same time and think of that time as being late, so they would opt not to include that in their sculpture. Neither of us is right nor wrong - it's our interpretation. 

​With this project, the students can use as many pieces of paper as they would like to represent a fact. For example, an orange spiral represents the ability to wink. I have chosen to include two orange spirals because I can wink with both eyes. If a student extremely loves reading, they may opt to use two or three, or six strips of the corresponding paper.

The beauty of this project is that students can place their strips of paper however they choose. Arches can go over arches, spirals, and zigzags. These designs can also go up in the air and attach to other strips instead of staying low close to the base like mine. When sharing time comes, students can share about strips of their choosing.