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We don't often do holiday-themed projects, but this color-mixing experience allowed students to add a festive twist if they wished! This lesson was inspired by one of my very favorite books, Hailstones and Halibut Bones by Mary O'Neill. It's a book of poems inspired by colors! Here you can read a few examples or listen to a recording of the poems. My favorite is the one called What is White? Here's part of it: "White is marshmallow and vanilla ice cream and the part you can't remember in a dream. White is the sound of a light foot walking White is the beautiful broken lace of snowflakes falling on your face." The poems use beautiful figurative language to describe qualities of each color. The poems often describe the colors as having a taste or a smell, and we used this idea as the foundation of the poems students would write on their own. But first, students had to get inspired by mixing their perfect color! This was a good review of basic color theory concepts- or "color science" as we call it. Each student received a plate with the primary colors (red, yellow, and blue) plus white and black. I reminded students that all other colors are made from combinations of these basic colors. Students were tasked with creating the most beautiful and interesting color they could imagine. We did the mixing and blending right on top of these index cards, and by the end of the day, students had an assortment of every color of the rainbow! It reminded me of visiting the paint-sample section of Lowe's or Home Depot! Next, students chose a color to describe in a poem. I gave them a template to help them get their ideas organized, and encouraged them to focus on describing each color using all five senses. This took some creative thinking, since colors don't literally have a taste or a smell- but it was fun to use our imaginations! Most students chose to use a holiday or winter theme when naming their colors and writing their poems, although that was not one of the requirements. Here are some of the most creative examples. Our students came up with some beautifully descriptive phrases! Christmas Tree Green Christmas Tree Green is the color of a beautiful tree. Christmas Tree Green sounds like the little bitty branches falling off the tree when my cat walks under it. Christmas Tree Green tastes like a mint sizzling in my mouth. Christmas Tree Green smells like a fresh cut pine in the forest. Christmas Tree Green feels like a lumpy bump on a piece of wood. Christmas Tree Green makes me not want to go to sleep on Christmas Eve because Santa will be here soon. -Ava Christmas Fire Orange Christmas Fire Orange is the color of little flames crackling in the fireplace. It looks like a sunset going down. It sounds like popcorn popping. It tastes like a cinnamon swirl. It feels like a bright star on top of the tree. -Selena Snowflake Snowflake is the color of sky in winter Snowflake looks like the frosting on a sugar cookie Snowflake sounds like rain falling from the sky. Snowflake tastes like a blueberry snowcone. Snowflake smells like a flower blooming in the garden. Snowflake feels like the clouds over our home. Snowflake makes me smile all the time. -Natali Firewood Firewood is the color of the twinkling fire sparking from the wood. Firewood looks like the morning sun rising into the night sky. Firewood sounds like the leaves flying through the breeze of wind. Firewood tastes like the cookies my mother bakes on Christmas Eve. Firewood smells like the smoke coming from a burning fire. -Abigail Frozen Mint Leaf Frozen Mint Leaf is the color of the frost on the mint leaves on a cold day in the garden. Frozen Mint Leaf looks like the deep minty blue ocean along the coast. Frozen Mint Leaf sounds like the joyful laughter of kids playing at the park. Frozen Mint Leaf tastes like the mint leaves with frost on them. Frozen Mint Leaf smells like peppermints on Christmas Eve. Frozen Mint Leaf feels like sheets of ice in your hands. Frozen Mint Leaf is to celebrate the most popular time of year, Christmas, as the snow falls like the feathers from doves flying around your house. -Caleb Frosted Cranberry Frosted Cranberry is the color of bright red covered over by white. Frosted Cranberry looks like a bright red-violet. Frosted Cranberry sounds like the glass ornaments on my tree. Frosted Cranberry tastes like the sweetness of a warm fire and the coldness of the snow outside. Frosted Cranberry smells like my teacher’s Scentsy in our room. Frosted Cranberry feels like a white Christmas. Frosted Cranberry makes me smile when I see it. Frosted Cranberry is so many things to me. -Addyson Winter Pine Bark Winter Pine Bark is the color of white Christmas cookies on a picnic plate. Winter Pine Bark looks like a tree’s bark with snow drizzled on it. Winter Pine Bark sounds like a white wolf howling in the snow. Winter Pine Bark tastes like gingerbread with sweet icing on it. Winter Pine Bark smells like sweet baked Christmas cake with red icing. Winte Pine Bark feels like a Christmas tree covered in ice. Winter Pine Bark makes me think about the presents that are coming. -Chloe Christmas Pine Christmas Pine Green is the color of a fresh pine tree ready to decorate. Christmas Pine looks like a velvety dress for a Christmas party. Christmas Pine sounds like a silent night. Christmas Pine tastes like a happy family dinner. Christmas Pine smells like waking up to see presents under the tree. -Echo Snow White Snow White is the color of the puffy white snow laying on the winter ground. Snow White looks like the snow I dream of in my sweet Christmas dreams. Snow White sounds like me remembering very sad days. Snow White tastes like sweet cotton candy. Snow White smells like mint candy canes and blue frosting. Snow White feels like cold sugar and winter snow. -Irina Everest Green Everest Green is the color of spring leaves falling. Everest Green looks like Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s green vegetable paintings. Everest Green sounds like flowers popping up in cartoons. Everest Green tastes like basil with a little hint of pepper. Everest Green smells like peppermint leaves dipped in watermelon juice. -Ardynn Golden Tree Golden Tree is the color of an empty tree in the snow with no leaves. Golden Tree looks like a gold medal. Golden Tree sounds like a cool breeze through the snowy trees. Golden Tree tastes like a perfect golden sugar cookie. Golden Tree tastes like a delicious cake baking. Golden Tree feels like a snowflake on your nose. Golden Tree makes me feel excited. -Maliyah Christmas Present Pink Chirstmas Present Pink is a color glowing with beauty. Christmas Present Pink looks like a bright pink box under the Christmas tree. Christmas Present Pink sounds like tearing paper as you rip it off the present on Christmas morning. Christmas Present Pink tastes like a fresh strawberry dipped in cream. Christmas Present Pink smells like a cotton candy scented candle. Christmas Present Pink feels like a box with a great big bow. Christmas Present Pink makes me as happy as when I see my present. -Ava Mint Joy Mint Joy is the color of fun. Mint Joy looks like candy. Mint Joy tastes like a mint melting slowly in my mouth. Mint Joy smells delicious. Mint Joy feels like a pillow made of snow. Mint Joy makes me happy. -Carlos Frozen Crystal Shard Frozen Crystal Shard is the color of blue and it looks like an icicle. Frozen Crystal Shard sounds like it’s going to fall and be really sharp. Frozen Crystal Shard smells like it’s been in a freezer for years. Frozen Crystal Shard feels very cold… Brrr! Frozen Crystal Shard is a very cold crystal and it makes me want to lick it. -Jadyn Reindeer Coat Reindeer Coat is the color of Rudolph’s soft fur. Reindeer Coat looks like a willow tree’s pale bark. Reindeer Coat sounds like the crackling and popping of a warm bright fire. Reindeer Coat tastes like a fresh baked sugar cookie. Reindeer Coat smells like sweet orange and cinnamon. Reindeer Coat feels like a cozy blanket. Reindeer Coat makes me happy. Reindeer Coat is Christmas morning. -Echo Sparkly Present Sparkly Present is the color of red Christmas sweaters. Sparkly Present looks like Santa Claus riding in his big red sleigh. Sparkly Present sounds like kids opening their presents from Santa. Sparkly Present tastes like red Christmas cookies with lots of sprinkles. Sparkly Present smells like yummy brownies with chocolate icing. Sparkly Present makes me excited for Christmas morning. Sparkly Present is shiny and sparkly and glittery. -Chloe Evening Snow Evening Snow is the color of slippery snow on your porch. It looks like clouds in your room. It sounds like the crackling of a fire. It tastes like the batch of brownies your mom just made. It smells like cinnamon. It makes me happy on a sad night. -Mya Peppermint Peppermint is the color of mint ice cream. It sounds like Christmas carols in my head. It tastes like candy canes in my cocoa before bed. It smells like the pumpkin spice candle my mom bought. It feels like being in bed on Christmas Eve. It makes me feel so happy in my dreams. -Mya Rudolph Red Rudolph Red looks like a hot fire on Christmas Day. Rudolph Red sounds like the beeps on my new phone. Rudolph Red tastes like coffee sitting on the table. Rudolph Red smells like the candy cane candle in the window. Rudolph Red feels like the teddy bear from your grandma. Rudolph Red makes me want to fly with Santa! -Lydia Christmas Tree Green Christmas Tree Green Is the color of the soft armchair I sit in by the fire. Christmas Tree Green looks like the needles that fell off the Christmas tree. Christmas Tree Green sounds like a soft breeze on Christmas Eve. Christmas Tree Green tastes like chocolate from my stocking. Christmas Tree Green smells like the cookies mom is baking for Santa. Christmas Tree Green feels like hot chocolate in my mouth. Christmas Tree Green makes me want to play in the snow. -Olga Cranberry Juice Pink Cranberry Juice Pink is the color of Christmas ornaments. Cranberry Juice Pink looks like wrapping paper on my presents. Cranberry Juice Pink sounds like snow falling on the ground. Cranberry Juice Pink tastes soft and velvety like the cake I’m eating right now. Cranberry Juice Pink smells like a pie fresh in the oven. Cranberry Juice Pink feels like a snowball in my hands. Cranberry Juice Pink makes me shout with happiness. -Olga Ice Queen Ice Queen is the color of ice that has melted into pieces. Ice Queen looks like snow, but blue. Ice Queen sounds like winter in my ears. Ice Queen tastes like ice cream melted in my mouth. Ice Queen smells like frozen berries. Ice Queen makes me think of the snow outside my house. Ice Queen is the music in my ears. -Sayla Silver Ornament
Silver Ornament is the color of Santa’s sleigh on a frozen winter night. Silver Ornament looks like fog in the night sky. Silver Ornament sounds like snow falling on a cloudy winter day. Silver Ornament smells like cookies fresh out of the oven. Silver Ornament tastes like mint candy on Christmas morning. Silver Ornament feels like the soft warm blanket on my bed. -Bethany
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Third grade students tackled a big subject in their latest project . . . Art as a method of bringing social change. We began by talking about some of the reasons artists make art- sometimes it's simply for enjoyment or to bring beauty to the world, but sometimes it's for a greater purpose, like to educate viewers about a topic or encourage them to think about something from a new perspective. Students were already familiar with the idea of an author writing for a specific purpose- such as to entertain, persuade, or inform- and were able to apply those concepts to art-making. I asked students to think about our society, and to choose something they didn't like about the world we live in. I offered a few ideas to get them started, such as bullying, pollution, or animals in need, but encouraged students to think of an issue that has affected their own lives. Their goal was to create an artwork that would communicate a message about their chosen topic and would inspire change in their viewer. This project was very student-driven. I offered students access to many different art supplies and encouraged them to choose what they were comfortable with and what would best communicate their ideas. Students could choose from paint, markers, colored pencils, white or colored paper, and various collage materials. Allowing the students this much choice really helps students to be invested in their work and committed to doing their best. Here are some of the finished projects. While the artworks are not as polished as I would like them to be, I think the message behind these works makes them each successful. Several students chose topics that were very personal to them. I was proud of them for being risk-takers and being willing to share their feelings! "I am sad because there are kids that do not have friends. I wish kids would have friends and never be lonely. Some kids don’t have friends and that makes me sad. I wish kids were not lonely. I would like to help people that don’t have friends. I would like to change the world by giving everybody friends and nobody being mean." "Please help the dogs. Help dogs that are homeless. Help them by giving them food and water. I drew a person giving food and water to a dog. We can help collect money and food for the animal shelter." "My change is for my family to stop fighting. Then we will be a happy family. Then we will have a good life. My picture shows my family. We are being nice to each other in my painting. It shows hearts so you will see we are a happy family." "We need to stop killing deers. Hunting is bad because it hurts the animals. We should keep the deers alive because they are beautiful and Santa needs the deers." "The change I want to make is to change the world by being a teacher. I want to help children learn about math. My art has six children and a teacher and the children have notebooks open and they have pencils in their hands and there are chairs and desks and a board. Teachers are important because they help us learn." "We need to stop oil in the ocean. Otters and beavers get stuck. They also get stuck in the soda holders. They choke and they can’t get out. People have to save them. My art shows an otter. There are blue tears on his face. The black oil is all around him." "I want to see everyone accepting each other. I want to see new colors and people liking the new colors. I showed this because people need to change and love each other in life. We can change our ways in life and make better choices." "My change is to make people not be on the road in a storm. You will get a message when a storm is about to happen and will get cover. People will all have homes and be protected and be safe." "My change is to stop littering. My art shows if you don’t stop it this is what’s going to happen. Just look at it- there are no trees, there is nothing left because of littering. You should start now or later. If we do this everything will last forever. It will help Earth a lot." "People should stop smoking. It is dangerous. It smells bad. It hurts our lungs. It makes us very sick. It makes your lungs black. You will have a crazy voice when you use a machine to talk." "My change is to make stuff not cost much money. Some people don’t have enough money to buy stuff. In my picture stuff costs $60. There are three men holding a suitcase and their faces are mad. We should tell the president to lower the prices. We can also tell the people that work at the stores." "My change is to stop killing animals. I feel depressed when I see one die. My art shows a person killing a dog/cat. Then it shows two dogs eating. It says let them eat food too. It also says to donate money to animal shelters to start the change. You should spread the word to other people." "I want people to stop drinking. I know people that drink. I don’t want them to get in trouble. My painting shows that my uncle died in a wreck with a tree. I know where he crashed. It is too late for him. But not too late for other people. This painting shows my mom. She is crying because my uncle died. The sign shows no drinking. I painted the tree and the crashed car." "People are crashing cars and they die from the crashing. They don’t want to die. They crash because they don’t watch where they are going and they are on their phones and they don’t see where they are going. My change is for them to stop looking at their phones and look where they are driving." On the last day of the project, I introduced students to some master artists whose work addresses social issues. Typically I show other artworks at the start of a project; however this time I intentionally waited until students' work was well underway. I wanted them to think for themselves rather than copying imagery from another artist. Here are a few of the works we looked at: Keith Haring: themes of love and peace Keith Haring began his art career by creating large chalk drawings that he displayed in subways cars in New York City. His work was seen by the many people riding the subway each day. His imagery often shows love and friendship. As his career grew, he began painting murals in buildings like schools and hospitals. His later work focused on raising money to find cures for illnesses. Marisol Escobar: feminist issues This sculpture is a portrait of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The small figures he is holding in his hand appear to be birds; however, when you look closer you realize they have people's faces. They faces are those of his wife and two daughters. The bird shapes are a reference to his wife, Lady Bird. The contrast in size makes him seem very powerful, while the female figures seem less important- almost like pets. This artwork points out the unbalanced power between the male and the females. Romare Bearden: celebrating African-American communities Romare Bearden was part of the Harlem Renaissance in New York City. Some of his most famous works are his collages featuring African-American neighborhoods. He wanted to celebrate the communities and give others a glimpse of what life was like. This image, which is part of a large artwork called The Block, shows a group of street musicians performing outside a barber shop. Kerry James Marshall: civil rights Kerry James Marshall was a child in the 1960's, and grew up during the civil rights movement. His artwork celebrates the leaders of the time and the sacrifices they made. In this painting, a woman is creating a shrine to the leaders of the time. She is dressed all in black to symbolize mourning their loss, and is painted wearing wings like an angel. Chris Jordan: waste, excess, and consumerism This artist is the most contemporary, and the one that students were most interested in. Chris Jordan creates digital collages representing all the things we waste every day. The above artwork is a copy of Seurat's painting Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte- but when you look closer, you see it's made up of soda cans! He explains that this artwork is made of 106,000 cans- the amount the US uses every thirty seconds. The gallery on his website is quite interesting, and really puts into perspective the resources our country wastes. Here are his other works I showed to students: Building Blocks: representing the 1.2 million students who drop out of high school each year Car Keys: shows the 260,000 gallons of gasoline used by U.S. cars in one minute Plastic Bottles: the 2 million plastic drink bottles we use every fifteen minutes We finished up with this video featuring an artist from Uganda, "Mr. Art", and how he hopes to inspire change in his city of Kampala through his artwork. Second grade artists have recently completed these beautiful portraits of their families. These paintings will be featured at second grade's Art Show next week. This is always a favorite project, and one that I love sharing. We've done family portraits in second grade for several years now, and it's a special tradition!
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