Q2 Week 2 in Review

GRADES 1-2 DAILY "BELL WORK" FOR  QUARTER 2, WEEK 2 

 Frontispiece of the Codex Mendoza 

 Viceroyalty of New Spain 

(1541–1542)

 

Codex Mendoza 

   Viceroyalty of New Spain 

 (1541–1542)

Mosaic of a Double-headed Serpent
15th-16th century
Cedrela wood, Turquoise, Pine resin, Oyster 
Shell, Hematite, and Copal


All students complete "bell work" at the start of each class before any other instructions are given.  As soon as students are seated, they are to immediately put pencil to paper and begin drawing the image projected before them;  no questions, no comments; no distractions.  

****(Kinder will begin doing bell work near the end of second quarter)

All attention is focused on looking carefully and recording what students SEE.

This is SILENT work time.  Students are working independently, although I often interject with some guidance and state simple parameters.  Students are graded primarily on their efforts and participation, not entirely on the outcome of their drawing.

After drawing, we have a brief class discussion to learn more about the artwork.  We make some guesses at to what the work may be about; what the story may be behind the work.  We THINK about how the artist used line, color, shapes, etc. to communicate meaning and emotion.  We discuss how we may not all respond to the art work in the same way.  

The final step in our Bell Work exercise is to ask ourselves more questions about the art work.  We WONDER what the artist intended to communicate.  This is where Ms. Northway may need to do some research to share what she learned about the artist and her/his life experiences.  

 I typically show students three artworks by the same artist.  In this way, they become familiar with the style of a particular artist, and often can recall the artist's name. All of the children's drawings will be glued into small weekly/bi-weekly books to bring home.

PLEASE KEEP YOUR CHILD'S WEEKLY BOOKS IN A SAFE PLACE (and ordered in a BIG 3 RING BINDER) SO YOU CAN SEE GROWTH THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. 

UPCOMING "BELL WORK" FOR WEEK 3 Q2

Imagery from The Book of Kells:

//

After bell work, students use sketchbooks for more extensive, ongoing projects.

K-3  PROJECTS:  WEEK 2

KINDER

Project: Notan: Cut Paper Designs in Black and White

Elements of Art - Shape

   

Tessellations from Week 1

During Week 2, students created cut paper Notan designs.  Some are on display on the hallway bulletin board:

Hallway Display of cut paper "Notans"

LINK:

http://www.haigaonline.com/issue12-2/workshop/notan.html

We put thirty spokes together and call it a wheel; 

But it is on the space where there is nothing that the usefulness of the wheel depends. 

We turn clay to make a vessel; 

But it is on the space where there is nothing that the usefulness of the vessel depends. 

We pierce doors and windows to make a house; 

And it is on these spaces where there is nothing that the usefulness of the house depends. 

Therefore just as we take advantage of what is, we should recognize the usefulness of what is not. 

                                                                                                                      Lao Tzu

FIRST

Line Drawings: Pablo Picasso 

Elements of Art - Line

    

In a follow-up to the continuous line drawings of animals by Picasso, students will be learning how to do an upside down drawing.

No, I will not ask your children to stand on their heads to complete this task!

 Instead, I will show them an image of each of the drawings above by slowly revealing the drawing from under a piece of paper.  The drawing will be turned upside down, and slowly revealed as students draw, not knowing what it is they are drawing until the image is complete and paper turned right side up.  

This is an old drawing exercise that has been around many years.  

Think of your child when they were toddlers and how he/she may have thought it fun to bend at the waist......in their diapers...... and look at the world from an upside down point of view.  

It's never a bad idea to learn to look at things from a new angle/perspective; taking a slower, more contemplative look.  

GRADE 2

Project: Greek Vessels

Students began creating their own template of an ancient Greek Vessel.  This beginning phase of copying the outline and shape of the vessel has been painstakingly slow.  The reward for their diligent efforts will be the decorating phase of this project -- drawing griffins, lions and horses onto their Greek vessels. 

Students are learning how to correctly duplicate the correct proportions of the pottery image projected before them, onto their own paper.  (following along with their teacher, step by step). 

This method of enlarging and copying an image of pottery is achieved by learning how to grid their work surface to accurately enlarge the scale -- while keeping the same  proportions.

In the coming week, students will cut out their symmetrical template and trace shape onto good quality paper to decorate with designs inspired by the Corinthian period of Greek pottery. 

https://www.thoughtco.com/time-periods-of-pottery-ancient-greece-118838

https://www.thoughtco.com/iliad-the-mycenaean-culture-169531

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-arthistory/chapter/the-geometric-period/

  https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details/collection_image_gallery.aspx?assetId=294566001&objectId=399477&partId=1

https://www.hellenic-art.com/corinthian-pottery.html

 

https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/vase/hd_vase.htm

GRADE 3

Elements of Art - Line (contour drawing practice); Space (overlapping)

Project:  Celtic Initials - Inspired by the Book of Kells

(Letter T)

(Teacher Demo - Letter C)

All of the students' drawings, or "studies" of ribbons, knots and zoomorphic Celtic animal heads.....are beginning to coalesce into their own Celtic inspired initials.

This week, students began drawing a meandering ribbon  attached to a stylized animal head, twisting and turning around the first initial to their name.

As students worked, I prompted them to refer back to their previous drawing studies and handouts in their sketchbooks.  

In the coming weeks, students will copy their completed sketch and then COPY AGAIN onto a good quality, toned tan mixed media paper.