Classroom Lessons

After reading the story “Shapes All Around” Nursery students explored collage making with the shapes from the story.

During Distant learning students were tasked to find objects around their home that matched the colors in the color wheel.

Pre-Kindergarten students explore the properties and limitations of paper. Here a student discovers paper can be torn, crumpled, and rolled into a tube to use as a telescope.

Pre Kindergarten students explore two of the three primary colors. Here a student discovers that red and yellow make orange, she then decides that this would be a great color to make a sun painting.

Kindergarten Students learn about the Primary colors. They are encouraged to discover what happens when you mix colors together. Some students focus on making paintings that show representational imagery (i.e. faces, rainbows, shapes…etc) while others are interested in experimenting with mixing the primary colors to discover they can create a different color. Each students is encouraged to work at their own pace.

Kindergarten students explore stamp printing and color mixing. Using their knowledge from a previous color mixing lesson they discovered that colors can also be mixed by layering with different colors on their stamps.

Kindergarten learned about blending oil pastels. Adding black and white to their circles created the illusion of a sphere.

After looking at touching and talking about different textures kindergarteners created a collage with their chosen textured material.

While studying the life cycle of butterflies in science class Kindergarten looked at symmetrical designs on their wings. Using lines and shapes each student created a unique design of their own.

Kindergarten learned about light and shadows. After cutting paper shapes they were able to explore creating shadows to create stories with their stick puppets.

Kindergarten learned about landscapes and the different parts that make one up (background and foreground). They explored blending colors together to make a sunset with charcoal and layered trees and mountains on top.

First grade learned about the artist Hokusai and his block prints. They created a landscape by carving the lines into a foam block, coloring the foam with washable markers, and printing it onto wet paper.

First grade explored painting with primary colors, black, and white. During this time they discovered how mixing these colors makes new colors, shades, and tints.

First grade students explore tracing different shapes found around their home during distant learning. These students discovered that attaching multiple shapes can create a house design.

First grade students learn how to create pinch pots in clay. After allowing them to dry each student added their own unique design with mixed colors, patters, and shapes.

First grade students learned about the “band-aid” attachment for 3D construction; A small rectangular piece of cardstock paper that resembles a band-aid.

Students used these “band-aid” pieces with glue to construct a three dimensional box. They then took construction paper and designed the outside of their boxes focusing on the element of shape.

Second grade learned about color theory. After exploring how mixing colors create new colors, tones, and shades, each student created a painting of something that they got better at this school year.

Second grade students learn about landscapes, different types of lines and their directions. Each student used different lines and directions to create their unique landscapes.

Second grade students learn about American Pioneers in their social studies class. Bringing their understanding of Pioneer clothing and activities each student made their own unique Pioneer puppets.

Second Grade was given the challenge of hiding a large piece of construction paper in their paintings.

Here are two students paintings. One shows a large shark in the ocean on a sunny day, the other a family on a road trip.

Third grade creates fierce or friendly looking animals with puppet making materials. After looking at photos of different animals and discussing what makes them look fierce or friendly students choose what to make.

Here is a third grade students fierce lion puppet. The viewer knows that it is fierce because of the Lions open mouth and sharp teeth.

Third grade students learn about Gustav Klimt and his unique motifs used in many of his paintings. After creating their own individual motifs each student created a quilt design in pen and watercolor.

Third grade students continue their education in clay work with learning how to use slabs. After learning the techniques of rolling out, cutting, and joining their slab pieces students create a box with these skills.

Third grade learned about 3 dimensional cardboard construction methods. After studying the equipment on our school playground they designed and constructed their own playgrounds using these engineering methods.

Fourth grade students explore the concept of “drawing what they see, not what they know”.

Here are students choosing a vantage point and looking at the shapes that make up the objects they are trying to draw.

Fourth grade studies the local native tribes from Long Island New York. After learning about their culture and tribal art each students designed and created their own wampum belt.

Fourth grade students use their understanding of three dimensional construction techniques and different types of attachments to design and create their fantasy bedrooms.

Fifth grade students learn about color theory, specifically the act of creating brown by mixing the primary colors, followed by creating light and dark hues with white and black.

Each student was tasked to match their individual skin tone using these mixing techniques.

Fifth grade students where asked where they hope to be in ten years. Some hope to be graduating collage, traveling the world, starting families, or playing on professional sports teams.

Fifth grade students were asked what they like to do with friends over the weekend.

After learning how to manipulate and attach clay pieces together each student created a scene where that answered the topic question.

One student shows her and her friends playing basketball together, another is getting ready for her dance class, and one student shows how she likes to spend time with her cat.

Fifth grade students explore creating a narrative with painting materials about a time in their life they got caught doing something they knew they shouldn’t have been.

One student shows the viewer about the time he was playing basketball in his room and broke one of his trophies. Another student depicts the time she was baking in the kitchen and made a mess with the stand mixer.

Fifth Grade students learned about contour lines and patterns. After drawing guitars from observation they filled the negative space with different patterns created by with lines and shapes.

During distant learning sixth grade students were taught about Tibetan sand mandalas. Each student was then asked to create their own mandala using found objects.

Sixth grade students used paper collage and painting materials to create a mixed media piece that depicts an extreme situation they experienced in their life.

One student shows his first basketball game on the school basketball team, another when she lost her tooth during a family trip to the Statue of Liberty, and one student shows her first time hiking up a mountain.

Sixth grade was given the challenge to create a ceramic pinch pot hidden in a sculpture.

The first student made a Turtle pinch pot, using the body as the pinch pot. Another created the head of a tiger, making the pinch pot out of the head and creating a lid to hide it. Finally this student created a frog eating a bug. The pinch pot base is the frogs mouth and head. The students also made two smaller pinch pots for he frog’s eyes.

Seventh graders created different value paper with patterns. After exploring how to create light and dark values with patterns students used those papers to create a collage self portraits.

Here is one students self portrait where she used dark values to show her dark hair and lighter values to show her contrasting skin tone.

Seventh grade students Learned about armature building (the framework on which a sculpture is molded with clay or similar material). We also discussed the element of texture and how it can be used to show the realistic texture of different animals.

This student build the bust of a flamingo and used the fringe technique to create the illusion of feathers.

Seventh grade students talked about groups throughout history and today that are often forgotten about by the majority of society. Each student chose to focus on one group that they wanted to research and illustrate in order to bring more awareness to these groups.

Seventh grade students discussed the meaning of abstract art. Then they were asked to create an abstract painting that depicted the way they felt when they woke up that morning. Each student used lines, colors, and shapes in a way to express their emotions.

Eighth grade students are given the challenge of creating a life size contour drawing a friend while using a three foot long paint brush.

Here are two students discussing the best pose for the model to take.

During distant learning eighth grade students were asked to design their own face masks. After discussing the face mask as not only an important safety device but also a new way to express their fashion choices, each student designed their own mask.

Students learned about Text and Font designs through the study of different artists that specialize in using letters in their art. They followed this discussion by looking at their names and how each name tells a unique story about who they are as an individual. Creating a design using their name to visually represent their individuality.

After studying the work and life of painter Chuck Close eighth grade students created grids on reference photos of their choice with matching grids on canvas. Using this technique to create a photorealistic copy of their reference.

Students studied color theory, focusing on monochromatic and complimentary color schemes. Applying pop-up collage techniques to create a landscape that showcases their understanding of color theory.

Students looked at different forms of activism and how artists have used design principles to create a poster that advocates for an important cause.
After researching one of the 5 causes presented to them (hunger relief, humanitarian aid, ocean conservation, overcoming racial biases, or houselessness) students designed a poster that advocates and promotes groups working to overcome these global issues.

Students studied anthropomorphic charter through cultures. Looking at religious figures in greek and Egyptian mythology to modern day cartoon and storybook characters.

Using puppet making techniques students created and constructed their own anthropomorphic animal puppets.

Students looked at masks through different cultures; how they have been used to tell stories, invoke an alternate identity, hide from public view…etc.

After discussing the qualities of their personalities they want to highlight, students used cardboard construction techniques to Crete an alter ego mask of themselves.

Students studied the artwork of traditional quilters through the American South. Specifically in the African American folk art circle. From artists like Harriet Powers to Bisa Butler, students looked at how folk artists through this area kept stories of their family and community alive through the art of quilting blankets that were passed down for generations.

Focusing on a personal memory of their own students used quilting techniques to immortalize their family stories.

Students learned about the artist “Imagine”, who focuses on celebrating her cultural identity through her artwork. Spacifically using Nepali letters that fill in her images.

After seeing how artist use imagery from their cultural and personal identity to celebrate the different things that make them unique, students created a stylized version of their name that used symbols to represent their unique identity. They applied this name design to a sculpted frame.

Students studied different symbols around the world that represent peace. After drawing a contour of their chosen symbol, students incorporated the meditative drawing style “Zentangles” students completed their piece by filling their symbols with zentangle designs.

Students studied the element of line; focusing on contour line. They practiced the drawing exercise that uses a singular line to create the outline and inner detail of an object. This continuous overlapping line created shapes through the portrait that students filled with a chosen color scheme using watercolor.