Clay Owls

Third graders created these cute thumb clay owls and brown paper bag tree sculptures in Art class a few weeks ago! They loved it!

Klimt's Tree of LIfe

In Art class, third graders learned about the life and art of Gustav Klimt (Mrs. Bartolazzi’s favorite artist) Students learned that Klimt’s father was a goldsmith and taught him how to work with gold. This inspired Klimt to use gold leaf in his paintings. We noticed that most of Klimt’s artwork are portraits and landscapes. We studied the beautiful "Tree of Life" by Gustav Klimt and talked about all the unique details he added to the painting. Students then designed a tree, adding their own embellishments with gold paint, marker, colored pencils and sequins. Check out all their unique details!

Shape Alligators

In Art class, first graders have been busy learning about the art element of shape. Students learned there are two different types of shapes we talk about in art; geometric and free-form. Geometric shapes are shapes that have a specific name and are shapes we talk about in math (such as triangle, circle and square). Free-form shapes are shapes from things in nature (such as the shape of a cloud or leaf). First graders drew an alligator step by step using shapes! Students then used a steady hand to outline their drawing with sharpie. Finally, first graders painted their alligator green using yellow and blue liquid watercolors! Fantastic job first graders!

Thank you Veterans!

3-D Houses

In art class, 4th graders studied architecture and looked at how buildings changed over time through power point. Students learned about a variety of architectural styles and the famous architect, Frank Lloyde Wright. Students had to create a 3-D house using at least 3 architectural styles that we studied. To make this project even more fun, we worked with the 4th grade classroom teachers and made our houses light up with the circuits students created in science class. How fun is that!?! 4th graders could choose what kind of house they wanted to make, but many of them chose a spooky house! Such a fun project!

Keller Art Room

This year I am back at Keller Elementary. I taught here 3 years ago for 3 years. I am happy to be back! Here are a few shots of my room!

Dot Day!

International Dot Day is staged to encourage people of all ages to harness their creativity. It takes place September 15 each year. The inspiration behind the event is the children’s book The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds. It relates the tale of a teacher who challenges one of his students to take courage in her abilities and from a dot on a page the youngster goes on to make her mark. Real-life teacher Terry Shay brought this book to his class in the late 2000s and it was this that sparked Dot Day to life. It has grown from this one classroom to now be a worldwide celebration each year. Teachers can encourage students to get busy on the day with writing, drawing, painting, or other creative outlets and share this with the Dot Day website to inspire others. It’s not just for students though and anyone can get involved to show their talents! First graders at Keller created their own dot artwork after reading the book The Dot. Students even added their own swirl gold frame around their artwork, just like the artist in the book.