Tracing Templates

Cutting templates

Two piles of templates

Folded templates

Tracing a template

Using a ruler to match the lines

Tracing 16 white templates

Cutting them out

I created this lesson during my practicum experience in college. I used it during my student teaching and implemented it to my students. I change the lesson (here and there) but I am always pleased with the outcome. You can adapt this lesson to an any level-elementary or middle. It covers a variety of standards of learning and its a multicultural inspired lesson. What we make are Chinese Lanterns. First we go over a brief presentation about the culture of China , Chinese New Year, Chinese symbolism and Festival of Lights. Next, students trace out templates (basically circles with four notches) and use a ruler to line the notches together. Students draw symbols on the templates (symbols that relate to them or if they have a particular interest) and fold down tabs. Students should have sixteen white templates (with the drawn symbols) and eight red templates. Students glue the tabs together to create a cube-like lantern. Add yarn and tassel to hang. I had students also put a wish a red scroll and place it inside the lantern.

To adapt for elementary level-have students trace four white templates and two red templates to create a single cube lantern. Dr. Burton suggested they could trace circles and squares to get that four-tab finish.

Aboriginal Art

Original Aboriginal Art

Oil Pastels

Denise

Rafeeq

Tyler

Hallway Display

First image is from http://www.gippsland.monash.edu.au

This is probably one of my favorite lessons..I know, I know..another Aboriginal inspired project. I’ve seen some wonderful Aboriginal inspired lessons but I like my version because students have to think about composition, symbolism and color. Students used oil pastels in this project and black construction paper. I showed the class transparencies of original Aboriginal art and posted a list of Aboriginal symbols. They were to use several symbols (they could have include an animal if they wished) and create an interesting composition. The work that came out this looked like  abstract paintings or a complicated graphic design. Amazing!

Image Transfer

Water and magazines

Color Swatches

Tape

Taped images soaking

Rubbing

Image transferred

This fun lesson is from Powell. He showed fellow art teachers an image transfer how-to lesson. I decided to use the image transfer lesson in my class. I gathered all the old National Geographic magazines I had (from Crayons to Computers and from Lin) and purchased some plastic ziploc containers from the dollar store and filled them with water. Students were to cut images from magazines, tape them, and soak them in water for five-ten minutes. Next, students rubbed the paper pulp off from the tape and the image is transferred. Students glued their image transfers to left over color swatches. Powell used cereal boxes to create a collage.

Future Etsian

Denise's pencil pouch

So my lovely Denise came up to me during class to show me her pencil pouch she made at home. She weaved magazine pages together and used tape to create this awesome pouch. I told her she needs to sell them at Etsy. I definitely see a future Etsian in the works!!

Fill-in Lessons

Silhouttes

First Image is from photobucket.com.

So I have a problem and I’m sure I’m not alone on this one. The gap between students who are done quickly and those who seem to take their sweet time is a mile long at my school. Yes, I’ve done all the suggestions I need to do to prod them along or add more to their work but the gap remains long and wide. To keep the students who are done before the assigned time, I made them do silhouette outlines of their friends, faculty and administration. They have a fun time doing this and I see groups of young adults and adults gather in the hallway to guess who is who (we didn’t add names).

Tis the Season

Strips of wallpaper

In December Mrs. Washington stopped me in the hallway and asked me if the students can make holiday ornaments for the tree she was putting up that week. This was another good fill-in lesson I could do with the students. However, I was swamped with a heavy loaded project and had no time to create a lesson. The reliable internet came to my rescue and I was able to find these ball like ornaments that looks striking when made. I took pages from the wallpaper books I got from Crayons to Computers and showed the students to cut out strips of the wallpaper, cut them to size, hole-punch at both ends, add fasteners, spread the paper around to a ball, and add string. Students loved this one-day lesson and created more to bring at home.

Value & Shading Techniques

Practicing Value

Student drawing

This was one of the first sketchbook assignments they had to do. I teach all three grade levels at the same time and though my lessons are more project-filled, students need to know the fundamentals of art and principles of design. I had them practice shading techniques and create value.