fifth grade Archives - Page 4 of 9 - Art is Basic

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Hybrid Machine-Animal Drawings

By Marcia Beckett | August 23, 2015 - 8:21 am |July 5, 2024 abstract, collage, contemporary artists, drawing, fifth grade, sixth grade

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Illustration of a tree figure and a green bear with a water gun, labeled "Hybrid Machine-Animal Drawings.

After looking at the art of contemporary artist Nicolas Lampert, my students combined two or more different objects or creatures to create hybrid drawings. Here are the steps to this lesson: 1. Start by discussing the machine animal collages and the machine insect collages by Nicolas Lampert. Ask questions such as” How do you think Nicolas made these pictures? How do they make you feel? Why do you think he combined animals or insects with machines? How would these … Read more… →

Tissue Paper Bowls – Paper Mache

By Marcia Beckett | April 1, 2015 - 8:17 am |July 5, 2024 all grades, fifth grade, fourth grade, paper mache

5 Comments

Two colorful, hand-painted tissue paper bowls with floral designs on a white background.

I’m excited that I am now part of the Elmer’s Crafty Blogger Crew! I have long been a fan of Elmer’s products and already frequently use their glue sticks, glue bottles and paper mache paste. I decided since I am elbows deep in paper mache already, I would create some fun paper mache bowls. Learning Activity Topics: art in three-dimensions, paper mache, translucent quality of materials, layering Activity Description: Students will use paper mache paste to layer tissue paper and … Read more… →

Our Silhouette Mural is Finished!

By Marcia Beckett | March 26, 2015 - 3:08 pm |July 5, 2024 all grades, collaborative artwork, fifth grade, fourth grade, sixth grade

9 Comments

Bright silhouettes of children with colorful educational themes painted on their bodies decorate a white school hallway wall, showcasing a beautifully crafted silhouette mural.

Our silhouette mural is finished! It went pretty quickly once we got started. Each of the figures represents different subject areas at school. Students in grades 4-6 did most of the painting and I had some students in 7-8 grade do touch-ups, edging and fine details. I made a video slideshow of the steps we made to paint the mural to show for the whole school. The school presentation has lots of photos of students in it. I made … Read more… →

Inspired by Artist Justin Vining: Abstract Whimsical Landscapes

By Marcia Beckett | March 21, 2015 - 5:24 pm |July 5, 2024 abstract, contemporary artists, drawing, fifth grade, fourth grade, mixed media, painting, watercolor

Triangle Collage on Canvas for School Auction

By Marcia Beckett | February 19, 2015 - 3:05 pm |July 5, 2024 African, collage, fifth grade, group artwork, printmaking, sixth grade

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Triangle Collage on Canvas for School Auction

Every year, my 5th/6th grade class carves rubber stamps with symbols they have designed. This year, we stamped extra prints on tissue paper with acrylic paint to make collaborative artworks. To stamp, simply use a foam brush to lightly paint acrylic paint on the stamp. Then, the tissue papers were decoupaged (with hard-finish Mod-Podge) on these fun triangular canvases called Squangles. These are going to be put in our school auction at the end of the year. We made three … Read more… →

Mosaic Stepping Stones and Coasters

By Marcia Beckett | October 14, 2014 - 4:06 pm |July 5, 2024 fifth grade, fourth grade, mosaic

7 Comments

I have been wanting to make some more permanent artworks to beautify the school grounds. I had pairs of kids working on these stepping stones. This was such a fun project I am planning on making more in the coming years ahead to add to our collection. I have never made outdoor stepping stones before, so I asked for advice several times on the Art Teacher Facebook group. I just want to give a shout out to them for answering … Read more… →

Radial Name Designs: 5th & 6th Grade

By Marcia Beckett | July 31, 2014 - 10:21 am |July 5, 2024 drawing, fifth grade, sixth grade

1 Comment

These gorgeous radial designs were made by fifth and sixth graders by using their name. You can see all the steps to make these in a previous blog post. The only difference is that now we use light tables (or hold it up to a window) to trace the design over and over again. We focus on learning about the characteristics and history of Islamic art, which connects with their studies in Social Studies class. We love using the … Read more… →

Foreign Language Art Postcard Contest

By Marcia Beckett | June 26, 2014 - 5:59 pm |July 5, 2024 drawing, fifth grade, fourth grade, third grade

Art and the Brain: How do kids imagine their brains?

By Marcia Beckett | May 12, 2014 - 12:15 pm |July 5, 2024 all grades, fifth grade, fourth grade, middle school, science, third grade, Uncategorized

4 Comments

Art and the Brain: How do kids imagine their brains?

[cryout-pullquote align=”left|center|right” textalign=”left|center|right” width=”100%”] How do you experience your brain? What does your brain do for you? How can you express the feelings of your brain? [/cryout-pullquote] Students at our school connected with a scientific researcher to create diverse and artistic representations of their brains. I teach art at a school for gifted and talented children. Our students are highly interested and curious about science, so when I was contacted by Ayla Kruis to work with her on a project … Read more… →

Carving Rubber Stamps with 5th and 6th Graders

By Marcia Beckett | March 25, 2014 - 11:03 am |July 5, 2024 fifth grade, printmaking, sixth grade

4 Comments

Pattern of multiple blue geometric lace designs on a light blue background with one gold design in the upper right corner.

Before I left for my maternity/medical leave, my 5th and 6th graders were carving rubber stamps. They were turning out so well and I can’t wait to see all of the finished projects. Here are some of our stamps from previous years. We looked at African Adinkra symbol stamps and the students created their own personal symbols. We print our stamps by applying acrylic paints with a foam brush. A light touch is best. Students can also test their stamps … Read more… →

Have You Ever Drawn Flowers with Watercolor Pencils?

By Marcia Beckett | January 31, 2014 - 5:36 pm |July 5, 2024 1st grade, all grades, drawing, fifth grade, first grade, fourth grade, science, second grade, sixth grade, sketchbook assignments, third grade, watercolor

1 Comment

Have You Ever Drawn Flowers with Watercolor Pencils?

The week after winter break was up in the air. Due to construction, we weren’t sure if we were going to be able to use our art room and we didn’t know if we would have easy access to supplies. I planned for most of my classes to complete observational drawings during that week period, since they all could use the same supplies and learning to observe the edges and shapes of objects is great training for the eye. It … Read more… →

Faux Stained Glass Paintings on Transparency Sheets

By Marcia Beckett | January 16, 2014 - 10:30 am |July 5, 2024 fifth grade, sixth grade, Uncategorized

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Faux Stained Glass Paintings on Transparency Sheets

In the “better late than never” category, last Spring we made these super fun faux stained glass paintings in the 5th/6th grade class. For this project, you will need clear transparency sheets, Sharpie markers, Gallery Glass Paint (the kind used to paint suncatchers), regular acrylic paints (optional) and cardstock picture frames (also optional). I had a bunch of transparency sheets in my classroom already and I got the glass paint FREE from an art re-swap, so I knew I wanted … Read more… →

Egyptian Clay Sarcophagus Art Project for 4th and 5th Graders

By Marcia Beckett | January 11, 2014 - 3:52 pm |July 5, 2024 clay, fifth grade, fourth grade

2 Comments

Egyptian Clay Sarcophagus Art Project for 4th and 5th Graders

This is a clay lesson that has been a big hit with my students. You can see my previous posts about this project here and here. The 4th/5th grade class studies ancient Egypt in their social studies class and they are excited to learn more about the art and architecture in my class. I show them a Powerpoint with an overview of Egyptian art and then they work on drawing a sarcophagus design of their own. I encourage them to … Read more… →

15 Favorite Posts from 2013

By Marcia Beckett | December 27, 2013 - 2:57 pm |July 5, 2024 1st grade, all grades, art teacher tips, art teaching, fifth grade, first grade, fourth grade, kindergarten, second grade, sixth grade, third grade

Poppy Posters for Veteran’s Day

By Marcia Beckett | November 7, 2013 - 6:31 pm |July 5, 2024 American art, fifth grade, sixth grade, social studies, Uncategorized

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A collage of kids' drawings featuring poppies, American flags, and messages of thanks and remembrance for Veteran's Day.

Monday, November 11 is Veteran’s Day in America. My 5th and 6th graders had the privilege of a visit from a lady from our local senior center whose husband is a veteran. She talked to the students about the symbolism of the poppy and read to the students the poem “In Flanders Fields.” The students were invited to create a small artwork that honors all of the veterans. They also had the opportunity to write a poem in response to … Read more… →