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1st Grade Art Lessons

K   1   2   3   4   5


Primary Color Super Heroes
Students in Mrs. Brown's Art class sang the "Primary Color Song" to remind them of the three most powerful colors.  They were reminded that the primary colors can be used to make any other color.  Students created images of "Primary Color Super Heroes" using cut paper and glue.   They were encouraged to be creative with their superheroes and could make either humans or animals.  They added details to their Super Heroes using markers. 
MACF:1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.4, 3.3, 5.1
 



Paper Bag Tree Sculpture
Students discussed the characteristics of a fall tree and what shapes the branches make when they are without their leaves. We then created a 3D tree using a brown paper bag.
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.2, 2.4, 3.1, 5.1



Oil Pastel & Watercolor Tree
Continuing with our discussion about trees, we created oil pastel and watercolor paintings by drawing the letter "Y" as the branches of the fall tree to create the effect of a tree without its leaves.
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 2.4, 2.6, 3.1, 5.1



Model Magic Color Wheel ~ Little Yellow and Little Blue
We read the story "Little Yellow and Little Blue" about two colored dots who hug so tightly they mix and become a green dot.  After reading the story students got small pieces of red, yellow and blue colored Model Magic and they were able to
mix their own secondary and tertiary colors.  After they were done they arranged their clay into a color wheel then they were allowed to make anything they wanted out of the Model Magic.
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.2, 3.2, 4.3, 5.1



Clay Fossil Fish
Students talked about fossils and learned new vocabulary words including "Paleontologist". They created their own fossil fish using seashells and clay. After the clay was dried and fired they painted them using tempera cake paints.
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.3, 2.4, 3.1, 5.1, 10.1



Pointillism Butterfly
Students created their first pointillism picture using the subject of butterflies as their inspiration. They used a butterfly tracer to map out the shape of the butterfly, then they filled in the wings and body with patterns and color.  They also need to think about mirror symmetry since the patterns on a butterfly's wings are always the same. The challenge to their project is that the entire thing must be done only using "dots", much like the artist George Seurat.  From a distance the colors come together to form the patterns, lines and shapes. It is a time consuming project that helps teach students patience and discipline.  When they are complete the students are always very proud of the work they did!
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.3, 2.5, 2.6, 3.2, 5.1, 5.2



Elmer the Elephant
Students read the book "Elmer the Elephant" about an elephant who is sad because he is different from the rest of the elephants. At the end of the story all the elephants proclaim that they love Elmer just the way he is and they want to celebrate him by having a parade in his honor and having everyone dressing up in patchwork colors like him. Student got a chance to create their own Elmer inspired elephant using tissue paper and glue. The used collaging techniques to stick the tissue paper to a large peice of white paper. Then they drew their own elephant and cut it out. They added a few details like eyes and ears, and in the end we had our own Elmer's Day Parade!
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 3.3, 4.2, 5.2, 10.1



Paper Weaving with Large Strips
Weaving is an important skill and also a challenging one for children in first grade.  For this project we start off with a simple over under weaving using strips of paper two inches wide.  After the weaving is complete the students cut out shapes to create a more interesting design when the weaving is put together.
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.2, 2.5, 3.2



Faith Ringgold Quilt
Students learned about the artist Faith Ringgold. They looked at images of her famous quilts and discussed the importance of the imagery in the middle of each one.  Students then created their own paper quilt. To practice their scissor skills they cut a huge pile of small squares. Then they used those squares to create a border around the outside of the their artwork. When they were done with the border they drew an picture in the middle that was based on a memory, just like Faith Ringgold did with her quilts.
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.4, 2.6, 3.3, 5.1, 5.2, 6.1, 6.2, 7.1, 8.3



Pilgrim Quilt
Around Thanksgiving the students create a quilt square with drawings of the things that they are thankful for.  They use rulers to make a border around the outside, and they use pencils and markers to create the images.  In the end an entire classroom can display their squares together to form a large Thanksgiving Quilt.
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 2.4, 2.5, 3.3, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2, 6.2, 7.1, 10.1



Stitching Designs
Students were introduced to the basics of stitching using yarn, large needles and burlap. This introductory lesson will help prepare them for more complex stitching in the upper grades.



Fairytale Puppets
Students in first grade learn about folk tales and fairy tales and in Art Class they get a chance to create a puppet and act out a play using a puppet theater.  Each class is divided into small groups and each group is responsible for creating all the puppets needed to perform their story. They create their puppets using mat board, pencils and crayons.  On the last day of the project each group will act out their story and the rest of the class will watch. We always have so much fun doing this and it is often a favorite among students!
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.2, 2.4, 3.3, 4.2, 6.2, 7.1, 10.1



Greek Vases, Carp Kites, and Maracas
Every year the first grade classes study the countries of Japan, Greece, Kenya, and Mexico.  To incorporate some of these countries into the Art Curriculum students will create a piece of artwork that is inspired by the work of artists in that country.  These pieces of artwork are often displayed in the classrooms during the "World Fair Day".
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 2.4. 2.5, 2.6, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1, 5.1, 5.2, 6.2, 7.1, 8.2, 8.3, 10.1



Raggedy Ann and Andy
Students had fun making Raggedy Ann and Andy doll collages. We looked at some photos of the original Raggedy Ann and Andy. Immediately many students had a connection. The next class several students brought their real Ann and Andy's to class.  This project gave first graders practice cutting and glue, while also experimenting with a variety of materials.


 
First grade students did a creative project where they got to draw with glue! After the glue dried it created little barriers that divided the sections of the drawing. They filled in their drawing with color using oil pastels. 
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 3.3  



Observational Sunflower
Students were given vases of sunflowers to look at and draw. They were introduced to the idea of observational drawing... rather than drawing what you "think", you draw what you "see". After their pencils drawings were completed they added watercolor paint. (The above example was not done by a first grader. I will add a first grade image after they complete the lesson this year).



Georgia O'Keefe Flowers
Students examined the life and artwork of American artist Georgia O'Keeffe. They created paintings of flowers using crayons and watercolor paint. They were told to think about using bright colors and large flowers to create compositions similar to the artwork of O'Keeffe. They also learned the anatomy of a flower.



Pattern Frog
This is a fun project that gives students a chance to get back to drawing. They create a frog shape and fill the body with many colors, lines and patterns. When they are done coloring it in they can cut out the frog! Students are encouraged to use lots of bright colors and do as many patterns as they can think of.
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 2.4, 2.5, 3.2, 3.3, 5.1

K   1   2   3   4   5