Thursday, March 22, 2012

Safari Hidden Picture Project


Glasses I made out of red film
and
construction paper.
Used for seeing the Hidden Picture


Hidden Picture
You can't see it until you put the Red glasses on!   I will give you three hints:
1.  It is an animal
2.  He resembles a horse
3.  He has a mane


Answer:  A zebra
When I drew him, I was looking at an upside picture of a zebra so I stared to drawing him upside down!  Believe it or not, it is easier to draw an animal upside down than right side up.

I learned how to draw an animal (my hidden picture) by drawing him/her upside down! It was absolutely amazing to be able to draw with such ease! I had never experienced drawing a figure, or picture in this case, upside down. Once my animal had been drawn with light strokes with a light blue colored pencil, we made a pattern to cover the entire page. Then with the use of the glasses we made out of construction paper and red film, I was able to see my animal as well as all of my classmates animals. We had 3 clues on a card at the bottom of each picture to help figure out what the animal was, before looking with our glasses to see what it was.

Set back:  the only problem I had was that the cpnstruction paper matte frame looked wider on one side.

This project can be used in a Life Science lesson to start the students out. Then each student can do more research on their animal to include: habitat, life span, endangered or extinct, it could be part of a presentation that the students will do once they get more facts. This project could also be done after a field trip to the zoo to help familiarize the students even more with the animals they saw.

Friday, February 17, 2012

Van Gough Projects

Van Gough Inspired Projects:


"South Dakota Breeze

through Corn Field"

Tissue Wrap Picture

FEBRUARY 2012

"DESERT SUN"

Finger Painting Picture

FEBRUARY 2012


Elizabeth Maunu  Feb 17, 2012 10:24 AM


The top project "South Dakota Breeze" was inspired by Van Gough's Stary Night.  It was to reflect movement which I used swirls to signify a breeze that caused movement in the cornfield and hit the side of the barn.  I used a 12x18 construction paper and used tissue wrap paper for the breeze and  corn field.  I used sparkly silver grease pencil to draw more swirls for the breeze.  I also used construction paper for the grass and barn.

The set back in this project was that I felt my barn was too big, not to scale.


In the finger painting "Desert Sun"  I used my finger to make squiggly lines to represent the hot sun rays beaming upward from the pink dessert sand horizon.  This was another Van Gough Inspired Picture.  The only set back I encountered is that I had a lot of paint on my fingers when I was done with this painting and had wished that I had another white sheet of paper prepared to do another with the remaining paint on my fingers!
Bulletin Board

As an extension project I would incorporate this project into Geography class. I would start out by teaching the different landforms, have students do the above projects, then request that they type an essay listing at least 3 additional landforms. Sometimes giving an official title to something that we are very familiar with can be confusing to students. Having them construct an art project with a landscape familiar to them helps them to relate that to a variety of landforms.
Vincent Van Gough
Stary Night

Vincent Van Gough

Vincent Van Gough





Friday, February 10, 2012

Art Design and Principles-Favorite Five

Principles of design –
Rhythm or movement
Movement - My son at the
Aberdeen Holiday Inn
     Action shot – The subject is in motion.




Principles of design – Emphasis
         Your eyes tend to see the focal point first....this little tree stands in my front yard.

             Elements of Art –
    Geometric Shapes

Geometric shapes: simple shapes found in geometry, such as circles, squares, or  triangles. Geometric- kitchen rug.


        Elements of Art-
       Organic Shapes
Organic Shapes: shapes based on natural objects, trees, mountains, or leaves…



Element of art - Color

Variety of Color-Living room Carpet


   or

Elizabeth Maunu  Feb 17, 2012 10:29 AM

The five pictures were taken from a power point I did on Art Design and Principles.  I posted the top favorite pictures I took.  The purpose of the power point is to have it prepared as an introduction lesson for students to understand the art designs and principals and to be familiar with the vocabulary associated with art.

The set back I experienced is that I had a hard time choosing just 5 favorite pictures.  The power point has so many great pictures too.
An extension project that I would assign to my students after introducing the concepts described above, would be a wall size mural. It would be the size of one of my classroom wall's draping from ceiling to floor. I would request that each student draw, or paint at least 5 of the art designs. I would incorporate this with a Language Arts reading passage and have the pictures that the students draw and paint, the story setting.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Foot Prints used to Introduce Yourself

"Foot Prints In the Sand"

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This is a great project to do for an "ice-breaker" when trying to get students (...or any group of people) to know one another. First ,you will start out with a marker to trace your feet and you will also need paper. Next, you have everyone bring in items that symbolize who they are. Allow any items that describe them. I used the following: A New Mexico Flag (Yellow with red, which is why I chose to use yellow paper) because that is my home state, white sands: NM White Sands National Monument, jewelery: I love to wear it, a heart: fell in love with my husband, diamond ring: married November 1991, pictures: my children, 1 girl and 2 boys, music note: love to dance and listen to music, hard rock pin: like Rock and Roll, and dolphin pin: loved living in Florida.

The set back I encountered is that I should have cut my feet pattern out, then added my personal items to the feet section, instead of surrounding it with items.  It was hard to move from place to place once it was done.  Two feet (attached in the middle) would have been better. I will remember to tell my students to place their feet together when they trace, that way when they cut it out it is easy to see that it is a One foot or Two feet silhouette.

Extension Project:  Language Arts/Social Studies essay to include the state you were born, the year it was founded, state bird, state song, state flower, population during the year were born, national monuments in this state and famous people from this state.

Past Teachers

In the past years the teachers that have had special qualities are the ones' that are friendly outside of class time, but are prepared to teach us the entire class period and roles between teacher and students were clearly defined.  Outside of class, teachers have been supportive mentors and were there for guidance and were willing to give advice.  On the other hand once we were in the classroom setting they are professional, goal oriented leaders.  The teachers skilled with classroom management would be the teachers I considered to have thought out our entire hour, before we stepped one foot in their classroom. They had expectations and I as a student felt as though the time in their class was organized, challenging and the time was used up wisely.  I remember these classes functioning even when the teacher stepped out into the hall to talk to a student or to a visiting teacher or principal. These classes seemed to have had a lot of time spent organizing where each and every supply went.  Where items belonged and routines were established and thrived on from the beginning of the school year.   The teachers with less skills in the classroom management area were the ones that had chaos in their classrooms when they were there and chaos times ten when we had a substitute.  A particular teacher comes to mind.....he had a couch in his room for reading time; however, he would lay down for maybe 5 minutes of our class time and say he had a head ache!   So you can imagine how many of us would come in a lay down and say we were tired, or needed to lay down because we didn't feel well...and he would allow us to.  Every 5th grade science class you could guarantee that someone was laying down for a quick nap, either the teacher or one of us.   I'm sure administration knew what was going on in their classrooms, I now, as a prospective teacher wonder if they had consequences whether good or bad?  Substitues must have dreaded taking over that class, we were so used to doing what we wanted, and what we didn't want to, for that matter.