Monsters! (Part 1)

Themes are a big part of the way I structure my curriculum. Not only does it keep me a little more sane, but I think it is a great way to show unity at the school. It also allows for a lot more interesting and elaborate displays because you can connect the displays or inter-mix the grades when hanging work.

This month I went with monsters! I do not know what it is about monsters that brings out creativity in students, their imaginations just seem to run wild! I ended up having a Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade monster project, but the 2nd grade is a bit more elaborate and is actually two projects. So, you will see more of that one later. Both of the projects here, Kindergarten and 1st, ended up being very successful and allowed me to include multiple concepts.

Kindergarten just finished up shapes in the regular classroom so it was a perfect time to integrate them into their art and it is never too early to talk about patterns either! I made the visual below to have them try to guess which was not a pattern and to talk about why the others were. My idea for the project came from this pinterest post and this one.

Kennedy Elementary School...

Just Shape Monster Display

Jefferson Elementary....

HOW CUTE IS THIS ONE!?

McDill Elementary....

This Kindergartener below totally shocked me by telling me he was going to use "the primary colors" in his pattern when I haven't even mentioned what those are yet! SO IMPRESSED!

For 1st grade I really wanted to teach the concept that with the same facial features a huge variety of expressions can be made just with small changes. The biggest success with this lesson came with the demonstration I did with my example. I had one finished example and one with all the parts laminated but not connected so I could show what moving and changing the directions of them did. I got a ton of giggles with this and students were really engaged. The favorite was changing the eyebrows and making a really silly monster. Seeing which personalities of students, made what personalities with the monsters was the biggest treat for me :)

I also tried to integrate Warm and Cool Colors for the first time. While it was a good introduction, I don't think the concept stuck with many students because it was so quick. Our next project will be in large part about the Warm/Cool concept so a few will have a one up that it did stick with...

Kennedy Elementary School...

Jefferson Elementary, with Shape Monsters...

 McDill Elementary, with Shape Monsters...

Student told me this was a zombie monster, that is why he doesn't have pupils....

Scariest one at all 3 schools!

Oil Clay!

Mrs. Annette Koepke, one of my best friends and a fellow Art Teacher for the Appleton School District, gave me the idea to let the students who finish early on a project use oil clay. Never dries out and students experience not getting attached to a work because it has to go back into the bucket at the end of class. The only rule being that they "actually have to make something, not just play with it", those being the exact words out of my mouth. My 6th graders today at Kennedy Elementary did an awesome job of making something!

Cobra family

Bowling ball and pins

Flowers in a basket

This student had the face done and I asked to take a picture and he said he needed to add a few more things, the boogers being one of them....Oh 6th graders! :) 

5th Grade Collaborative Trees

I'm always slightly hesitant with collaborative projects, you just never know the dynamics of the class and who will and won't follow the "rules" to make it successful. I took a big leap by having this as not only the first project for my 5th graders, but also in combination with not knowing them well or their work ethic and ability to follow directions. But they sure showed me! I only had a few students at each school that didn't stick with the guidelines but we still managed to work their project in. I have never gotten so many compliments on a display as I have these last few weeks with these beauties. I'm so proud of these kids, they even hung them up and fit them together themselves (with a little help from me and other staff). Got this idea from this pinterest post/blog.

Jefferson Elementary, two 5th grades worked off of both trees...

Kennedy Elementary, one 5th grade, one tree...

McDill Elementary, my favorite of the three, three 5th grades, one tree! This was really the best space for this project at all three schools...

3rd Grade Complimenting Complementary Pumpkins

I always try to find ways to teach color wheel concepts without the typical color wheel worksheets and projects. Students just seem to enjoy it, and remember it, more in a project about something other than the color wheel!

Since it is Halloween season and Fall, I chose to use pumpkins that were complimenting each other (Social skills!) to teach the concept of Complementary Colors. I also try to relate back to real life experiences..."Where do you see complementary colors together?" My best examples are Christmas colors, Bears colors, and Vikings colors, the kids get a kick out of this because they boo at me when I say Bears and Vikings (the little Packer fans that they are). And they are complimenting because complementary colors look good together. Here is the poster I made to go with it!

Here is the artwork!

McDill Elementary, just hung on a strip...

Jefferson Elementary, hung outside of the 3rd grade rooms above the lockers, these walls/boards are very difficult to hang on, they do not hold staples and tacks well, a lot are falling, do not know if I will try this again...

Kennedy Elementary, the best I pulled for the district Art show before I hung these up and got the pictures taken but these are still some of my favorites....