Cultural Artifacts & Clay Techniques

Who doesn’t love creating with clay in the art room? Clay is always a fan favorite for any grade level. I particularly enjoyed this unit as it combines basic clay skills with a study of cultural arts from around the globe.

Grade 1 students inquired into the transdisciplinary theme of How the World Works while investigating the central idea; how cultures manipulate the natural world. The students explored three basic clay skills while learning about three different cultural art forms.

The first cultural art form the students learned about was a type of folk art from Oaxaca, Mexico called Oaxacan Animals. The students observed and discussed a variety of Oaxacan Animals and their bright patterns to design a turtle in their sketchbooks. The clay skill they began exploring to create their Oaxacan inspired turtles was the pinch pot.  

 
The next culture we began exploring was from our host country of China. Grade 1 students looked at a variety of Ming Dynasty ceramic vessels. We compared shapes, styles, decorative patterns, and discussed the blue and white colors used in these types of designs. The clay skill the students used to create their own ceramic vessel inspired by Chinese pottery was coiling. Using a variety of coiling techniques, they created some very beautiful coil pots!

 
The last cultural art form the students investigated was African Masks. They looked at a variety of masks from different tribes in Africa, comparing shapes, patterns, and color. The students chose shapes and patterns that they liked to design their own African inspired mask in their sketchbooks. The clay skill Grade 1 students practiced when creating their mask was rolling and cutting slabs of clay. Some students even poked holes in their wet clay to ensure that they could add hair or jewelry to their final piece once it was out of the kiln!  

Rousseau Animals

I am absolutely in love with these Grade 1 paintings! As our last unit of the school year, we focused on art history under the theme of Where We Are in Place and Time by inquiring into the central idea of understanding others inspires us.

The students were introduced to Henri Rousseau by watching a Mati and Dada video about the artist. We also read the book The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau by Michelle Markel and Amanda Hall.

They then brainstormed about animals they were interested in and chose one for their final artwork. In their sketchbooks, the students listed their chosen animal and the animal's habitat. They thought about the best lines and colors that could represent their animal's habitat in an abstract way in order to plan their background.

The background was then created with oil pastels and water colors based on their sketchbook plan. Their animal was drawn large on a separate paper and filled in with water color as well. I had a lot of scrap painted paper that had been saved through out the year, and this was used to collage extra details into their background like grass, seaweed, or flowers. Myself and the students were so impressed with their final results, I couldn't be a happier art teacher!

Architecture Collagraphs

This year my Grade 1 PYP classes had the opportunity to investigate the wonderful world of architecture during our How The World Works unit. For our tuning in activity, we started out by investigating and comparing different architectural designs, asking each other: What makes one design more interesting or original than another? They loved learning about the inspiring designs by famous architects like Gaudi, Hadid, and Pei. 

Grade 1 students then set off creating some building designs of their own in their sketchbooks. The crazier the design, the better! They picked their favorite building after a few sketches and developed their idea into a larger drawing. We then stretched our creativity even further by investigating printmaking! Grade 1 students experimented with a variety of materials to see what kinds of marks each material made when printed. Here are some sketchbook examples below:

Grade 1 students then chose which materials they thought made the most interesting marks and set off creating a collagraph of their favorite building design on cardboard. This process took a few lessons to complete, and the students loved gathering, cutting, and gluing their own materials independently. 

Once their architecture collagraph was complete, we began the printing process! Here are some of their imaginative building prints after they have been printed and colored. 

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! 

Diwali

Oh Diwali, the festival of lights! What an amazing and colorful celebration to study about in art class! Starting mid October right up through December, my PYP 2 students have been inquiring into celebrations around the world, their central idea being, "People recognize important events through celebrations and traditions." We investigated this by comparing and contrasting a variety of cultural celebrations around the globe.

In the middle of November we began discussing Diwali and the beautiful Rangoli that is created during this holiday. We watched videos of how Rangoli is made with colorful sand to make amazing symmetrical patterns and designs.

 After videos and class discussion, each student was given a paper plate to create a a symmetrical pattern of their choice. When their drawing was completed and outlined with a permanent marker, the best part began! The students sprinkled "colorful sand" (glitter!) inside their designs with glue. They were careful to make sure their colors were the same on all sides, following their patterns.

We made a wonderful mess and their final Rangoli turned out fantastic!

After our glittery creations were complete, we began discussing clay vocabulary and how to make a pinch pot. Along with new vocabulary the students were also introduced to Diya, the candles or small oil lamps that are part of the festival of lights. After viewing and discussing a variety of photos, the students set off making their own Diya. Once their clay was fired, they painted them with fluorescent colors!