September 2016

September 2015

Weekly Website for PV:
 Each week we will explore a new art- related website.  This year, my theme is to emphasize careers that utilize Art.  Students are welcome to share sites and Miss Smeltzer will preview and share at the beginning of Art Class.  Students will have access to these sites through Google Classroom.

Weekly Activities in the Art Room:

Kindergarten-The Oops 
      Students will finish creating their name tags.  We will also begin learning about The Oops by Barney Saltzberg.  We will then be challenged to turn our own Oops into works of art!  We will also use some time to trace hands and color them for a durational artwork in 5th grade, (we trace and keep our hand until 5th grade then make a project out of our growing hands.)

1st Grade- Glad Monster/Sad Monster 
   Students will be learning how to collage and create the parts of a portrait.  We will read the story, Glad Monster, Sad Monster by Ed Emberley and Anne Miranda.  We will use this book to explore SEL, (Social- Emotional Learning) related to artworks and ourselves. Students will create a portrait by cutting and pasting monster facial features!

2nd Grade - The Dot

   We will begin class creating dots!  Yes--1-5 dots of varying sized and colors.  Then we will read the story of The Dot, by Peter H. Reynolds.  We will learn to problem solved and turn our dots into works of art.  We will also use some time to trace hands and color them for a durational artwork in 5th grade, (we trace and keep our hand until 5th grade then make a project out of our growing hands.)

    3rd Grade -Numbers and Jasper Johns 
  We will begin our first project exploring the symbolism of numbers and colors.  We will create a number and color design with our own personal touch. We will be folding, drawing, coloring and painting with watercolors for this project.  The book we introduced this project is called ONE by Kathrine Otoshi and the artist we found inspiration from is Jasper Johns.

4th Grade- Awful Alphabet and Initials
    We have learned the story, The Absolutely Awful Alphabet, by Mordicai Bernstein.  We are morphing alphabet letters into creatures. We will use our initials to morph them into our own personal images. 

5th Grade- Durational Hand Designs
 We are finally putting our hands we've collected over the years into a hand design.  This design will explore the art elements.  This year, Miss Smeltzer is mixing it up and giving students the option to decide between 4 design inspirations.  Can't wait to see how it turns out for each student!

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Art Adventures

Who? 3rd Grade, 4th Grade & 5th Grade students

Please note, that each month we will rotate between each grade level, (see below).  A maximum of 26 students will be permitted to participate in these activities each month since classroom space is limited.   Please return your permission slip as soon as possible to guarantee a spot in class!

 Where?     Prairieview Art Room

When?          Thursday from 2:40-3:45 p.m. - see below for specific dates

Why?        Each month students will explore art techniques and various art materials.  The goal of Art

                           Adventures is to give students interested in Art an extra opportunity to explore their artistic

                           creativity beyond the classroom Art experience.

If your student is interested in participating in this after school activity, please fill out the permission slip below, enclose the $20 lab fee for the year, and return to Miss Smeltzer by Thursday, September 15th .  

Art Adventures is an after-school activity; therefore buses will not be available.  If you need to carpool with someone, please name the person(s) at the bottom of the permission slip, (please no more than 2 others).  

5th Grade 4th Grade 3rd Grade

September 22nd  & 29th October 6th,13th,20th,& 27th   November 17th

December 1, 8, & 15th

January 5th, 12th,19th, 26th February 9th & 23rd March 2nd, 9th,16th, & 23rd

April 6th &13th May 4th & 11th

**In case of cancellations, make-up days are tentatively scheduled for May 18th &25th.

Please cut and save the top portion of this permission slip for Art Adventures schedule.

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Please label and return your permission slips to: Art Adventures with Miss Smeltzer

My son/daughter ______________________________________, has my permission to participate in the Art Adventures activity for 2016-17 school year.

Best Phone Number to reach you during Pick-up time of 3:45:_________________________

Email Address:________________________________________________

My son/daughter's classroom teacher is: _________________________________

Please check one:

________I will arrange to have a ride home for my child.         ________My child is enrolled in BACC and will go

 To BACC after Art Adventures.

*** Please enclose your child's $20.00 lab fee with this permission slip. Checks should be made out to Center Cass School District.

March 2016

      A quick note about Projects and Open House Art Show, (in Spring)....
In years past, I have collected an artwork from each student and hanged their work throughout the school.  This year I will collect an artwork from each student, but I'm reaching out to get assistance from a company called Artome'.   This company frames all student work and displays it in an organized and professional manner.  I'm mentioning it now, so you know that student work will be coming back to students like usual, but I will not be giving out certificates for kept work....I'm planning to keep a project from an entire class rather then a few from each project.  Please know I'm new to this and I will do my best to make this transition run smoothly. 

Weekly Website for PV:  Have your child show you our great website discoveries on their Google Classroom!

Weekly Activities in the Art Room:

Kindergarten- Mondrian Colors
Students are learning about Color theory and the works of Piet Mondrian.  As Kindergarteners we are learning about the Primary Colors and how when colors touch, they sometimes mix.  

1st Grade- Jackson Pollock's Abstract Expressionism
.   We are learning about the artist, Jackson Pollock and his style of Abstract Expressionism.  We are learning how Primary colors can make Secondary colors too! 

2nd Grade - Kandinsky Colors
 We are learning about the Pure Abstract artist, Wassily Kandinsky and his beautiful shapes of colors.  We are learning what a Geometric and Organic shape as well as color theory involving Primary, Secondary and Neutral colors.

    3rd Grade - Matisse Goldfish
  This project focuses on the works of Henri Matisse and his play with Warm and Cool colors.  We will be studying what are warm, cool, and neutral colors while we practice our transparent and opaque watercolor painting styles.  

4th Grade- Aboriginal Art
In this project we are learning about the Australian Aboriginal Culture. We are creating dreamlike creatures while using Tones and Shades of paint colors to emphasize the Aboriginal painting style.

5th Grade- Keith Haring
We are learning about the artist, Keith Haring and his simplified cartoon style which incorporates simple colors and messages through visual symbols.  We will also be painting on this projects too.  The challenge for 5th graders is that they only get the Primary colors with black and white to work with.  Students may use these colors to create and invent their own colors for their painting. 

January 2016

Happy New Year- 2016!!!

A quick note about Projects and Open House Art Show, (in Spring)....
In years past, I have collected an artwork from each student and hanged their work throughout the school.  This year I will collect an artwork from each student, but I'm reaching out to get assistance from a company called Artome'.   This company frames all student work and displays it in an organized and professional manner.  I'm mentioning it now, so you know that student work will be coming back to students like usual, but I will not be giving out certificates for kept work....I'm planning to keep a project from an entire class rather then a few from each project.  Please know I'm new to this and I will do my best to make this transition run smoothly. 

Darien Woman's Club Creative Youth Art Fair is here again!!!!
February 6th is the due date for the registration form. The Art Fair will be at Cass Jr. High this year on Sunday, February 22, 2015.  Please click below to link you to their event page and registration form!

Weekly Website for PV:  Have your child show you our great website discoveries on their Google Classroom!

Weekly Activities in the Art Room:

Kindergarten- Shape Snowflakes!

        Snowshape Snowflakes!  Students will practice cutting and using chalk to create white snowflakes on square paper.  Students will learn to draw and cut rectangles, squares, triangles, circles and hexagons. We will turn our shapes into snowflakes.

1st Grade- Monet Bridges
.   We are learning about the Impressionist artist, Claude Monet.  We are exploring bridges and learning what makes up a bridge and their purpose.  We will then paint like an Impressionist Artist.

2nd Grade - Sunday in the Park with George Seurat
Students are learning about the artist George Seurat and his amazing work with Pointillism. We will begin creating our own interpretations of park landscapes and then paint like a Pointillist Artist!

    3rd Grade - One and Jasper Johns
  This is a new project for us all.  We are exploring the meaning and connections we have with numbers and colors.  Students are creating work inspired by Jasper John's  Creating in Numbers.  

4th Grade- M.C. Escher Hands
     Once we complete our Picasso Portraits, 4th grade students will be learning about the artist M.C. Escher.  We will be learning and creating our hands in motion using contour lines and exploring value in Art.

5th Grade- Self Portraits
We are doing a study of ourselves....our selfie Self Portraits.  Students are learning about Leonardo Da Vinci's Proportions of the face.  We are using pencil, ebony pencil, charcoal to create ourselves!