Elements of Art

Wow, it has been quite awhile since I have shared all the fun things we have been inquiring into during PYP art classes! I just finished up an absolutely wonderful unit with my Grade 1 students, and thought it would be the perfect way to start posting again! Here is what they have been inquiring into....

Transdisciplinary Theme: How We Organize Ourselves

Central Idea: Combining elements creates unity.

Lines of Inquiry: The properties of the elements of art. The relationships between the elements of art. 

Key Concepts: Function & Connection

Grade 1 students investigated each element of art individually through a variety of activities and art techniques including: painting color wheels and value scales, going on scavenger hunts, searching for texture rubbings, and creating line and form sculptures. Students also loved learning through related story books and fun videos while recording their findings in their sketchbooks along the way.

After they had experimented with all seven elements, Grade 1 students observed and discussed kinetic sculptures and mobiles by artist Alexander Calder. They discovered that Calder's mobiles include all the art elements we had discussed!

 

 The students then set out to design their own standing or hanging mobile with their choice of materials. They planned out how they would use all the art elements while designing in their sketchbooks.

 Through creative problem solving, students constructed their mobiles by carefully choosing materials that reflected their design plan. Every student ended up with a unique masterpiece that demonstrated an excellent understanding of the seven art elements!

As a PYP art educator, a goal I am working towards is opening up my units to allow for more student choice. I want my students to take ownership of their learning in an effort to make their art work more meaningful and authentic. Myself and my students loved this unit, we had a blast learning together through this creative process! 

Texture Monsters

At the beginning of the school year the focus for P1 students is learning about and experimenting with the elements of art, then using that knowledge throughout the rest of the year to inform their work.

This lesson was started after the students played a short game involving different textures. I had a box filled with different materials and labels on the classroom carpet with words like "soft" "hard" "rough" or "bumpy". The students took turns taking an item from the box and deciding which texture word it fit with best.

After our game and discussing how each item felt, I began demonstrating what visual texture is by using a textured plate and rubbing it with crayons. The students practiced doing this multiple times in their classroom sketchbooks as seen below:

When the students finished their texture rubbings, we met back on the carpet and read the book Where The Wild Things Are. As we were reading together, I would stop and ask the students what kinds of textures they could imagine with the different monsters throughout the story.

After reading and discussing the variety of imaginative monsters, the students worked in their sketchbooks to create their own creature with a variety of line and visual texture using crayons, markers, and textured plates.

Here are a few examples of their finished textured monsters. I love the creative results!