Chalk Pastel Landscapes

Well I know I mentioned in this post, that I was wondering about the relevance of centering an entire project around one single 'element' of art, and I have come to the conclusion, that it is most definitely okay to do that with kindergarteners. They get super excited about simple things....oohing...and aaaahing...about using a black crayon, if you pitch it to them with the right sparkle in your voice.

With this project, I am able to take a simple line drawing and encourage students to create a beautiful work of art. Now, I admit, I sort of stole this idea from School Arts magazine, and made it my own.

Landscapes are such a simple concept for art lovers...but for 5-year-olds, I've  figured out that  I actually have to teach them what a landscape is. Since it is a pretty easy concept, I use this lesson to implement procedures that I will use all year. This is a very successful lesson, that I have taught nearly 100 times (have I mentioned that I have 11 classes of kindergarten and 2 classes of first grade...often I will do this 13 times in one week!)

Below, I will outline my procedures for putting on a paint shirt, using the drying rack, washing hands in the water bucket, and what to do for 'free time' for those that finish early.

To begin the lesson, I show students how to put on paint shirts for the first time. In my classroom, I have a laundry basket full of old janitors shirts, the kind the button up the front. I demonstrate (with a student model) how to put it on backwards, and have a friend put a clothespin on the back, not too high or else it could choke them, and not too low, because they could sit on it!

After observing how to put on the paint shirt, we quickly play a game! I have students play the line game to review the lines that were learned and practiced the week before. To see more about this game, read here. 

Line Landscape:

1. Say: Today we will be using chalk to create a beautiful landscape. Say that with me: Landscape! Again: Landscape. Not LAMBScape, LANDSCAPE!

2. A landscape is an 'outside scene', I explain as I point to a couple of magazine photos hanging on the board. I point out how there is a horizon line, with purple mountains meeting the sky, and there are beautiful purple flowers, a lake reflecting the sky and that the photo was probably taken in the early morning. I also point out a few other details from other landscapes, found in magazines.

3. Today, we will be using 3 simple lines to make our landscape. A zigzag, a wavy and a straight line. I draw these on the board as I say each one. Then I have students draw each line in the air with their finger.

4. Students get to choose between purple and blue paper. I say, I'm choosing purple because I want mine to be an early morning picture, just like the mountain landscape I showed them. Step One is to use a black crayon to draw a zigzag line. 'What do you think the zig zag line is for?', I ask. 'Mountains!' the class replies. 'Yes, mountains,' I say as I draw the foothills and the straight line at the bottom. Then I add a moon or a sun, clouds and a little stream or road curving from the bottom edge towards the middle.

5. To finish the landscape, we will be using chalk pastels. 'Raise your hand if you have used sidewalk chalk'...'then you know how dusty chalk can be! Well, chalk dust can be very messy and it can stir up kid's allergies, so I put my chalk in a tray with a little bit of water. It is still sort of messy, and cold, and wet, but it keeps the dust from floating up in the air and making kids cough!'

My Demo...I do one in front of every class.

6. I demonstrate how to color the landscape. I show how to layer two colors on the mountains...I explain that some colors don't show up good at first until they dry (like white!), and I explain that if they get a tiny hole in their paper, because a spot of water makes it rip, to leave it alone because I can always tape it on the back next week, after it is dry.






7. Procedure for Drying Rack: When students are finished, they will put their landscape in the drying rack. Usually, this is the first time they have used the drying rack, so I model where it is and explain that they must 'ALWAYS, ALWAYS START AT THE BOTTOM', I have them chant that with me a few times.

8. Procedure for Water Bucket: 'Once your painting is in the drying rack, you will need to wash your fingers. Over here, we have the water buckets. (I don't let my kinders use the sink, see why here). I have a GIRLS water bucket and a BOYS water bucket. There are two sponges in each bucket.....That means two girls can wash their hands at the same time...and two boys can wash their hands at the same time! If there are already two girls in the bucket, you must wait in line behind them being careful not to touch anyone or anything with your messy fingers while you wait.

9. I point out how to get a paper towel and wash hands, and where the trash cans are. 'Only after your paper is in the drying rack, and your hands are clean should you take off your paint shirt!'

10. If someone finishes early, they might have a chance to color a paper to take home today. Somewhere in the room, I have a copy of the 'Starry Night' by Vincent Van Gogh. I have students try to find it...then I show that they can color a 'coloring sheet' copy of it with crayons. Students should not use the chalk to color it, I put the copies near crayon baskets, that they can get for their table.

12. After demonstrating everything, and modeling the procedures, I am ready to distribute materials. I have 3 tables start putting on paint shirts (without my help, I've just modeled it for them, I let them try it alone.) The other three tables stay where they are as I go around and let them choose between purple and blue paper. I distribute the black crayons and then assist with putting on paint shirts, while at the same time, I'm constantly saying things like: "When you make your zig zag line, make sure it goes from one side to the other!' and "Draw three lines, zig zag, wavy and straight...then add your other details."  As the paint-shirt students start sitting down, I begin giving them their papers and letting the ones who have been drawing get up to put on their paint shirts.

13. As soon as everyone has their paint shirts on, and are finished drawing, I remind them to PUT THEIR NAMES ON THE BACK. I check each table for names, before I hand them their tray of chalk. Then I say, 'Everyone say this with me: ew, sick disgusting!' Now they have all said 'ew, sick, disgusting about the wet chalk, they are not allowed to say those words again!

Not a 'landscape'....but it is a cool line design!

14. I monitor as students work....pointing out that they don't have to color the sky, because the sky can be left the color of the paper....but they do have to color everything else. Biggie: STUDENTS MUST COLOR ALL THE WAY FROM THE ZIG ZAG TO THE WAVY LINE. Otherwise, they will leave a big patch uncolored, and the zigzag line area doesn't look like mountains.

Sometimes I use 'non' examples to encourage kids to follow directions. But, often, those are my favorites

15. Students often need help putting papers in the drying rack. I don't let them handle the chalk trays, because the water spills...so I have to pick those up from each table....and I have to monitor the water buckets so that students do not play around, or drink the water....Weird I know, but I've looked over to see those handwashing sponges hanging out of kids' mouth's before! I've also seen kids dipping their head into the water so that their hair gets wet, or using the water buckets as their own personal bath tub, washing up to their armpits! I've also had many instances of water fights and serious splashing issues!

16. When students line up at the end, I use that time to point out Vincent's painting (usually above my door) and I have them point to their own copy: the moon, the cypress tree, the church, the swirling night sky.

 Thanks for reading!!

Lines: To be or not to be.

A simple hand-drawn line poster to reinforce lines used in art class.

My 5th grade brother said something this week that I think is worth noting as an art educator. He said, "Nellie, I wish you would've taken the art teacher job at my school. Since Mr. Tanner retired, we got a new girl this year and she is making us do very babyish projects.'

Gage is very anti-baby anything, he thought the movie Where the Wild Things Are was babish, so I asked him what he meant by that. He said that she was making them do projects using LINES.

Gasp! Lines are babyish? To a fifth-grader, lines probably are babyish. And boring.

Immediately I knew that his art teacher has either recently graduated...or she was in school around the same time I was....art education curriculum at the university level is very interesting to me.

My mentor teacher graduated about 15 years ago and at that time the emphasis was on multicultural curriculum and she infuses lots of culture and art history into her curriculum.

Other art teachers who have graduated either just after my mentor teacher or just before I started, seem to have a big background in the elements and principles. I don't have any hard numbers or facts, I've just sort of noticed this trend in talking with colleagues. 

Pencil tray, lid to a plastic shoe box. Stacks easily.

When I graduated, about 7 years ago, the emphasis was on D.B.A.E. (Discipline Based Art Education). I don't organize my lessons to conform to the aesthetics, art criticism, art production, and art history as put forth in the Getty Model....

I think art is different than other subjects and the art experience has to be more fulfilling than say the mathematics experience. In college, when it came to designing lesson plans my education department forced everyone to conform to the Madeline Hunter model I have done a bit of studying on the new push to improve arts education using 'the big idea' which makes a lot of sense but its difficult to wrap my brain around this method since I teach so many sections of kindergarten, it would challenging to implement.

After Gage said that LINES were BABYISH, It made me wonder how many times teachers fall back on the elements and principles to drive their art curriculum...and how that effects student interest in art.

It made me wonder if kids would be able to connect to art on a much richer level if more art history were incorporated, as much as possible, with less of an emphasis on the elements and principles. Perhaps there is no perfect art curriculum...you will never please every student with every project, but I do hope my brother gets to do some fun stuff this year. Maybe he just needs an attitude adjustment, a little bit of a challenge, or something really fun to spark his enthusiasm.

I definitely use the elements and principals because they are emphasized in the Missouri Grade Level Expectations for Art at the Kindergarten Level...and well, you have to start somewhere with probably kids who have no experience with art. A basic lesson about lines is a great starting point for 5-year-olds because it is sort of a jumping off point....projects incorporating shapes generally follow because they are learning their shapes in their classrooms and it is a great reinforcement to use shapes in art.

Below is the project I do with my kindergarten (and sometimes first) grade classes the third week of school. Generally, there is a short week because of Labor Day...so not every class will do this project. But I make up enough strips so that if I need to be gone, I can use it for a sub plan for the classes that missed art due to the holiday, later in the year.

Classroom organization: use a box flat to separate papers by class.

I admit, I saw this lesson on another blog....but I do not know where. I am not the original author. If someone leaves a comment with the link, I will add it here.  

Explain that nearly every week in art, we would be using lines. We can make lines with chalk, crayons, marker, with a paint brush, etc. Point out the line poster and draw lines on the board: zig zag, wavy, straight, rainbow, curly-q, spiral.

I thought it would be fun to play a couple of games using lines. Let’s play the line hunt game: Find lines around the room, use the line poster to pick out different types of lines: straight, zig zag, wavy, curly-q, spiral, rainbow line. Have students quietly point to a straight line found in the floor tiles, concrete wall bricks, ceiling tiles, etc. Have students point to wavy lines, around the room. Try to spot spirals and have students point to places where they see spirals. 

Let’s play another game. Have students stand up. Play the line game: make different types of line with their bodies: zig-zag (walk like an Egyptian), vertical, horizontal, diagonal, diagonal the other way (arms out like an airplane, tilted in both directions), wavy arms, rainbow line, upside down rainbow, crazy spiral….just stretch it out for a few minutes, repeating each line several times. Here are some images of the various lines in the game.

         Line game. Top row: 1. Vertical 2. horizontal 3. Diagonal 4. Diagonal the other way                                                        Bottom 1. Zig zag, 2. wavy 3. Spiral  4. Rainbow Line

Have students sit down. Explain that we are going to use lines to make a design. Explain that each table will get the color that matches their table: red getst red, blue gets blue, etc.

DEMONSTRATE THE FOLLOWING:

a.     Demonstrate how use the buckets to find a variety of colored strips.

b.     Write name on back of black paper in pencil. Lay the colored strips out on the black paper. Try to use a variety of colors. Students could also glue a strip to the back and write their name on it in sharpie if you don't want to pass out pencil trays. ;-)

c.      Use glue sticks to adhere strips to front of the black paper. Remind students not to eat the glue or smear too much or tear up the glue sticks. I also explain that the glue needs to make a 'skid mark' on the strip or else there won't be enough glue...the paper will fall off.

d.     Demonstrate how to use sharpies to draw different types of lines on each strip. Say: do not take the sharpie and scribble all over the paper. On each strip, draw a different type of line. Demonstrate a different line on each strip, use my examples as a reference.

Once you have demonstrated how to do all the steps, pass out the buckets, then the black papers and pencils for names, then the glue sticks, and lastly, the sharpies. You may have to go around the room coaching students about how to ‘draw’ the line designs on the strips of paper. Sometimes they don’t really understand what to do with the marker.



Save their creations, either show them how to put their papers in the drying rack, starting at the bottom, or stack them, making sure the really ‘gluey ones don’t stick together.

If time allows, use the line drawing example to show students how to draw an underwater scene to take home.  It is important that students can draw a line all the way across the paper. Demonstrate how to put a wavy line at the top, straight line at the bottom, spirals can be turned into snails….a rainbow line can become a jelly fish…and students can add a zig-zag line for seaweed. IF they have lots of time left, let them draw other things like fish, sharks, spongebob, etc. 

Example of drawing at the end, if time allows.

Supplies needed for this lesson: buckets/tubs with colored strips--one per table, use a variety of colors in each bucket, colored construction paper cut into 1X6 strips, Glue sticks, Pencils, Black 6 X 12 paper, Sharpies, White paper for free time

Stained Glass Windows Kindergarten and 1st Grade

Resources to consider:
I showed them the stained glass window of St. George and the Dragon. My school has a couple of copies of the book by Margaret Hodges, Illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. I had those in the room along with books about knights, princesses and castles.
Intended Grade Level(s): K-1
Estimated Class Period(s): 2
Materials Required: 12X12 white paper at least #80 weight, rulers, pencils, examples of stained glass and stained glass windows
Goals & Objectives: The goals of this lesson are to use a variety of colors and tempera paint with control, use shapes and lines in a composition.
Kindergarten PP 1.A Produce a line using crayon, pencil, or marker EP 1.A Identify and use lines 1.B Identify and use shapes I.E Identify and use color
1st Grade PP 1.B Apply paint with a dragging, not pushing motion EP 1.A Identify and use straight, curved, thick and thin lines 1.B Identify and use triangle, circle, square, rectangle and oval shapes 2.A Identify and demonstrate the concept of middle or center AP 2.A Identify the following in artworks: lines, shapes, colors, patterns
2nd Grade PP 1.B. Paint lines with control of the brush, Clean paint brush before changing colors EP 1.A. Identify and use zig-zag, dotted, and wavy lines 1.B. Identify and use geometric shapes EP 2.D identify and create a complex pattern
PP 3.G Create an original artwork that communicates ideas about the following themes: Nature, Places, countryside


Project (Steps, Examples, etc):

1. Introduce the unit with some examples of stained glass and some pictures of stained glass windows. Explain that stained glass is often used to tell a story in a church or other special building. It is also used in lampshades and candle holders. I showed them an example of a stained glass candle holder. (Tell the 2nd graders the story of St. George and the Dragon and point out books in the room, I actually had 2nd grade do a combination of k-1 lesson and the 3-4 lesson. One week they drew up a design for a stained glass window, the second week, they drew a simple line design and painted simple shapes, adding black tape to watercolor paper for the frame and the 3rd week, they painted the watercolor paper and added a black glue to the lines on the other painting. )
2. Tell my experience with stained glass and explain how the window we are painting will be very simple. Show them the project they can work on if they get finished early. This is a cornucopia. They will color it with markers.
3. Demonstrate how students will trace a ruler on their paper to make a design that looks similar to a simple stained glass window. I remind both K and 1st that rulers are not weapons or toys, they should not be used as drum sticks, they are for drawing or measuring only. Students will use a ruler to create shapes and write their name on the back of the paper. I had them do 3 with me and then they could add 3-4 on their own. Younger students may need to help each other hold the ruler in place on the paper so it doesn’t move while they are tracing it. Older students should use more lines and more complex patterns in their design.
4. After students have drawn the design and I have assisted the ones that need a little bit of help. MAKE SURE NAMES ARE ON BACK! I demonstrate how they will use tempera paint with BLACK only the first week. I also show how they will clean up. The entire painting will not be finished today, ONLY the BLACK lines. They will need a piece of newspaper on the table under their painting. This is the opposite of how a stained glass window is made. A craftsman or artisan would actually cut all the glass, lay it on a pattern and then solder it together. I also had them put a piece of news paper under their painting to make clean up little easier. I demonstrated how the paint drips and they will need to wipe it on the edge of the jar. Also, if one or two are at risk of painting the entire paper black, I mention that they are only painting lines, not filling in any shapes. After modeling the appropriate behavior, sometimes I review to make sure that they understand. At this point I have them put on paint shirts and I begin distributing paint to every table. I also remind them that some paint may get on their fingers and this is understandable, they can clean them at the end, but no ones hand should be completely black today.
5. Students will put their painting in the drying rack and clean up tables and hands when they are finished.
6. If a lot of time remains, students could color a picture of a cornucopia stained glass window using markers. (I hope to scan my drawing and upload it for you!)






Week 2
1. Review information about Stained glass windows from last week. I pointed out an example of solder, explaining that we are adding the 'colored glass' part now...the black is already in place, this is the opposite of how a real window would be put together, but an artist could use our design as inspiration for a real window.
2. Demonstrate how students will finish painting the shapes on their paper so that no white is showing. I stress that they should make sure to go back and touch up any spots that they accidentally leave white.
3. Demonstrate how they will paint between the black lines in the white spots paint being careful not to swoop their brush across wet spots. This can make a big mess out of their paper. I also demonstrate how the paint looks if the colors get mixed accidentally! Sometimes tempera paint looks bad when 2 colors mix. I show them what to do if the paint drips on their paper in a spot accidentally: they put a big dot of the correct color on top or leave it for next week and they can touch it up later. I also have silver (or gold) paint available for this project, it is very pretty! I hold up each color so that they can see it and I stress that it dribbles really bad if they don’t wipe their brush on edge of the jar.
4. At the very end, pass out black paint. They are to use the black as a final step, for touching up white spots or correcting paint that gets on black lines, ONLY. After students put pictures in the drying rack, they will have a little bit of time after clean up to look at books or to create a drawing on a free sheet. Also, have a St. George and the dragon stained glass window for them to color if they would like.


Assessment and Reflection: Students will design the Stained Glass Window painting based on a teacher created rubric as it aligns with district objectives and goals. Students should be able to complete the drawing and painting with little or no teacher assistance and the finished product should have good craftsmanship and details appropriate to the grade level.

Sample Photos (If Available):