third grade Archives - Page 5 of 10 - Art is Basic

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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… →

Adventures in Shapes, Shading, Texture and Lines

By Marcia Beckett | March 21, 2014 - 5:26 pm |July 5, 2024 abstract, drawing, third grade

6 Comments

An abstract pencil drawing featuring various shapes, lines, and doodles scattered across the canvas with intriguing texture and shading in black and white.

First of all, thanks for being a loyal blog reader (or) welcome, if you are new! I have a personal update to share with you… I went on medical leave this week and Monday was my last day of work for the time being. My pregnancy is complicated and I could not work anymore. The baby is healthy, but physically I need to lay down as much as possible and it is really hard to sit or stand without a … Read more… →

Paper Mache Masks — 3rd & 4th Grade

By Marcia Beckett | February 17, 2014 - 5:35 pm |July 5, 2024 animals, fourth grade, masks, paper mache, sculpture, third grade

1 Comment

These paper mache masks by the 3rd/4th grade received lots of compliments when they were hanging in the hallway. The class was studying Native American history in their Social Studies and we looked at some Pacific Northwest Coast masks and we discussed the functions of masks in general throughout the world. We started with a mask form (made of paper mache) that I ordered in a class pack from Nasco. From this starting point, the students built up and embellished … 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… →

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

Mixed Media Self Portraits by 3rd Graders

By Marcia Beckett | November 24, 2013 - 6:06 pm |July 5, 2024 mixed media, self portrait, third grade, Uncategorized

Clay Flowers made by 3rd Grade

By Marcia Beckett | October 23, 2013 - 4:29 pm |July 5, 2024 clay, third grade

2 Comments

I’m in love with these gorgeous clay flowers my 3rd graders made. This summer when I was on vacation in Michigan, I saw some lovely clay wall hangings in an artsy shop. They were layered clay flowers and they were HUGE! They were so awesome. I thought my students could make something similar on a smaller scale. The kids learned how to roll out a clay slab. Then, they cut out various flower templates, traced them and cut them from … Read more… →

See a Heart, Share a Heart: 3rd Grade Photography Unit on Hearts

By Marcia Beckett | October 5, 2013 - 1:06 pm |July 5, 2024 book review, photography, third grade

5 Comments

See a Heart, Share a Heart: 3rd Grade Photography Unit on Hearts

I was given a review copy of this new book See a Heart Share a Heart. The author takes photographs of hearts he comes across in daily life, from a leaf to a sidewalk crack to a moth. After reading this book to my 3rd grade students, we worked as a team to find hearts or create heart artworks indoors and outdoors. When I say we worked as a team, the kids collaborated and talked about how they could find … Read more… →

Lego Art Projects

By Marcia Beckett | September 22, 2013 - 9:17 pm |July 5, 2024 1st grade, all grades, bulletin board, first grade, fourth grade, second grade, third grade

4 Comments

Our school is building an addition, so I thought projects related to “building” would be fun. Legos are the perfect building blocks! So, we designed our own mini-figures with this template. I originally saw this idea from The Art Teacher’s Closet. We also stamped with Legos (idea via Lego Stamping from Filth Wizardry). Thanks to wonderful bloggers for these two ideas! My students LOVED them! They were so excited about these proejcts. Place your piece of paper on top of … Read more… →

Colorful Mobile for Kids

By Marcia Beckett | September 2, 2013 - 8:02 pm |July 5, 2024 collaborative artwork, fourth grade, group artwork, mixed media, third grade

2 Comments

We recently finished a mobile that will soon hang in our window wells in the hallway. Third, fourth and fifth grade students created single strand mobiles using Twisteez wire, foam pieces, feathers, beads and other random materials. They made these at the end of the year last year when they had a few extra minutes in class. I got the idea from the Single Strand Mobile group kit on Nasco. However, we did not purchase that kit, because I figured … Read more… →

A Visit from an Editorial Cartoonist

By Marcia Beckett | August 25, 2013 - 3:08 pm |July 5, 2024 fifth grade, fourth grade, sixth grade, social studies, third grade

3 Comments

I still have some things to share with you from last school year. Towards the end of the year we had an editorial cartoonist visit our school. Every year our students draw editorial cartoons as part of the art curriculum. You can see some of the cartoons my students drew in 2013. When teaching about editorial cartoons, it is very important to show cartoons from both sides (in the U.S.= Republican/Democrat). It is also essential that you do not tell … Read more… →

Silhouette Paper Cuttings for 3rd and 4th Graders

By Marcia Beckett | May 29, 2013 - 8:45 am |July 5, 2024 collage, fourth grade, third grade

1 Comment

Silhouette paper cuttings depict a bird flying near a castle with two towers and a central, tall structure against a white background.

Did you know Hans Christian Andersen was an accomplished paper cutter? He created some very intricate and amazing silhouettes. I used a chapter from the book The Amazing Paper Cuttings of Hans Christian Andersen to teach about his paper cuttings. Perhaps if your students are reading fairy tales, this would be a great author/artist to incorporate. The third and fourth grade class drew silhouettes on black paper (using regular pencils) and cut them out. (Some chose to create their picture … Read more… →

Contour Line Shoe Drawings by 3rd and 4th Graders

By Marcia Beckett | May 28, 2013 - 8:26 pm |July 5, 2024 drawing, fourth grade, third grade

2 Comments

A child's drawing of a large boot features tiny buildings and people around it, including a castle, cafe, and shops. The scene bursts with the creativity you might find in 4th Graders' artwork.

Take off your shoes and make yourself comfortable. This fun lesson is perfect to teach observational drawing with minimal supplies and easy set up. 1. Take off a shoe. 2. Observe the lines, shapes and contours of the shoe. 3. Concentrate and draw all of the lines you see on the shoe. Don’t forget the little details, such as shoelaces, the tongue and any patterns you see on the shoe. *Optional Step* Enlarge the shoe drawings on a photocopier. 4. … Read more… →

Landscape Scroll Displays

By Marcia Beckett | April 22, 2013 - 9:09 pm |July 5, 2024 painting, third grade

American Landscape Paintings with 3rd and 4th Grade

By Marcia Beckett | April 15, 2013 - 12:10 am |July 5, 2024 American art, fourth grade, painting, third grade, watercolor

4 Comments

A watercolor painting of a hilly landscape with brown and green tones, depicting trees in the background, showcases elements of American landscape paintings.

Just a few quick pictures of American landscape paintings that the third and fourth graders created. A few summers ago I took a watercolor painting class which was very useful. I used some of the techniques I learned in that class to teach them about how to use the fan brush and sponges to create texture. The kids looked at photographs of landscapes from America and they learned about the Hudson River school of painters.