First Grade

WELCOME FIRST GRADE!

WHAT WILL panthers learn
IN FIRST GRADE ART?

FIRST GRADE GALLERY

FIRST GRADE - WINTER CARDINALS

First Graders did a great job drawing these winter cardinals using oil pastels.

LESSON: What art elements were used in creating these beautiful hearts? I see color, lines, shapes, space and what else? Is a pattern an art element?
(No. A pattern is the repetition of an art element).

First graders began exploring color this week by meeting, Roy G. Biv! Using color and lines to draw their pencils, first graders became experts at recognizing the colors of the rainbow in the correct order!
Red-Orange-Yellow-Green-Blue-Indigo-Violet!

IF I WAS 100 YEARS OLD . . .

SNOWMEN AT PLAY SLIDESHOW!

poin·til·lism
ˈpwän(t)əlizm,ˈpoin(t)lˌizəm/
noun

a technique of neo-impressionist painting using tiny dots of various pure colors, which become blended in the viewer's eye. It was developed by Georges Seurat with the aim of producing a greater degree of luminosity and brilliance of color.

first grade rainbow snails!

How to reinforce this lesson: ROYGBIV!! Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet! The colors of the rainbow! See if you can help your child memorize these colors. Are there any primary colors in their creations? How about secondary colors? Have your child point these out to you!

first grade
circles

NOTAN ART

Nōtan (濃淡) is Japanese for "light-dark harmony." This video shows you how to make Notan artwork using a square of black cardboard and art supplies. It's a great exercise in composition - develop an eye for negative space, scale, shape, and balance. LHES First graders did an outstanding job creating Notan Art.

How many elements of art can you identify in these beautiful pictures of insects?

I'm a Texas, I'm a Texas, I'm a Texas star!!
I come from the West,
where the cowboys and cowgirls are
I can ride 'em, I can rope 'em
I can show 'em how it's done
Come on first grade let's have some fun!!

FIRST GRADE LOVES "THE CAT IN THE HAT!!" bY: dR. SEUSS

I love the below images of your children! Yes--in their old age! After balling up and unfolding a piece of art paper, student's were asked to do a self portrait on it showing how they think they'll look in old age. I find these portraits so interesting!

“Listen to the mustn’ts, child,
Listen to the don’ts.
Listen to the shouldn’ts.
The impossibles, the won’ts.
Listen to the never haves.
Then listen close to me--
Anything can happen, child,
Anything can be.”

- Where the Sidewalk Ends

CARDINALS IN THE SNOW

I saw a Cardinal in an evergreen tree, An aesthetic sight that dazzled me.
A red bird seeking shelter from the snow
Causing my heart to immediately glow.

The Cardinal stood out like a picture fair
As snowflakes struck its body there
Upon a branch of the evergreen tree,
Nestled among the needles proud and free.

By the Almighty's mysterious design,
A picture is created that I claim is mine,
For one brief moment, then the bird is gone,
But the beauty of the Cardinal will linger on.

~ Joseph T. Renaldi

using shapes to create snowmen! These are JUST beautiful!

the weather outside is frightful . . . well, for snowmen it is!

First graders practiced using shapes on these melted snowmen! I love these!

FINISH THE MONSTER

Students were given a partially finished drawing and they were asked to finish it. Didn't they do a great job!

COLLABORATING WITH KINDERGARTEN

The below tiles are sections of banners created by both Kindergarten and First Grade. The kindergarten class was asked to create shapes on each banner. Afterward, First Graders were asked to connect the shapes with lines. Both Kindergarten and First Grade applied colors revisiting what they learned about the color wheel. I love these projects! The banners are stunning!

TEXTURE LANDSCAPES! Art teachers love busy hands!

panther pride!
SOME possible year book covers by first grade!

lego Town

Students were asked to create Lego Characters for Lego Town! Students practiced their cutting skills while fine-tuning their motor skills. What other art elements did they gain exposure to? Patterns, forms, shapes, lines, color, to name a few. I love the expressions, especially the rosy cheeks on the character in the first picture!

lines that wiggle!!

Students were asked to create an art piece using lines and the alphabet. See their work below. I find these amazing and very reminiscent of the artist Joan Miro's work. We did NOT talk about this artist, but perhaps you might!

Visit: http://www.joan-miro.net/ for more information about this artist.

"I try to apply colors like words that shape poems, like notes that shape music. ” ~ Joan Miro

ART USING DOTS IS CALLED "POINTILLISM."

Pointillism is often considered part of the post-impressionist movement. It was primarily invented by painters George Seurat and Paul Signac. While impressionists used small dabs of paint as part of their technique, Pointillism took this to the next level using only small dots of pure color to compose an entire painting. For more information on pointillism visit: www.ducksters.com .

**THE DOT Peter H. Reynolds' book The Dot (Candlewick Press)**

PAINTING SEA TURTLES

Students were asked to pretend they were on a boat and found a sea turtle in the water. I asked them to paint what they saw. These are some of the most beautiful sea turtles I've seen!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

"Mama was my greatest teacher, a teacher of compassion, love and fearlessness.
If love is sweet as a flower, then my mother is that sweet flower of love."
~Stevie Wonder

SURREALISM AND SALVADOR DALI

What we talked about:
Painting in a "surrealism" style is to paint something that looks like it would be in a dream. The artist Salvador Dali was a master surrealist painter. Children got to see a print of ‘The Salvador Dali Elephants’, and they were asked to paint something similar using both cool and warm colors. I think they did a wonderful job!

CELEBRATING EARTH DAY!

icky insects!

LOVE THESE DRAWINGS OF INSECTS! SUCH A GREAT JOB!

RABBITYNESS

"Rabbit enjoys doing rabbity things, but he also loves un-rabbity things! When Rabbit suddenly disappears, no one knows where he has gone. His friends are desolate. But, as it turns out, Rabbit has left behind some very special gifts for them, to help them discover their own unrabbity talents! Rabbityness celebrates individuality, encourages the creativity in everyone and positively introduces children to dealing with loss of any kind."
~Peninsula Library System

What we talked about:
This book is full of symbolism. After reading the book together, we talked about the richness of being joyful and how being joyful can impact those around us. Afterward, the children worked on their interpretation of Rabbit's artwork.

CLAUDE Monet AND IMPRESSIONISM

What we talked about:
First graders have been learning about Impressionist artist
Claude Monet. After studying Monet’s paintings and viewing a video about his work, students started working on their own Impressionist paintings. We talked about landscapes, and the way Monet used art elements. We learned that impressionistic art rarely uses the color black—just soft colors painted closely together.