Andy Warhol ~ 5 Patterns in Nature
Students are taught the idea that anything in nature can be categorized into one or more of the Five Patterns in Nature. Spiral, Meander, Packing, Branching, and Explosion. (Examples: Spiral: a seashell, a spider web; Meander: a snake's trail through the sand, ripples in the water; Packing: honeycombs of a beehive, grains of sand; Branching: trees, veins on a leaf; Explosion: a sunflower, a snowflake.) 

Students reviewed the five patterns in nature and were introduced to the artwork of the American artist Andy Warhol. They created a grid using rulers and pencils and filled in their grid with abstract interpretations of the five patterns in nature. This is reminiscent of many of Warhol's screenprints, such as the famous print titled "Marilyn Monroe". Students noticed Warhol's vibrant use of color in his images, and they used bright markers to color in their own pictures.
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 2.4, 3.2, 5.1, 8.3, 10.1

Personal Archeology Watercolor Resist
In Mrs. Brown's Art class third grade students shared what they knew about Archaeology. They were then told imagine that 1000 years from today someone was going to begin an Archaeological dig in their backyard. What would they find? They brainstormed ideas of things that they could bury in their backyard to tell future civilizations about themselves. They then created a drawing using pencils, sharpies, and oil pastels that showed their important items buried underground. After their drawing was complete they painted over the entire image with watercolor paint. The watercolor paint resisted the oil pastels and gave the image the look and feel of being underground.
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.3, 2.6, 3.3, 10.1

Glue/Pastel Plant Drawing
Third grade students discussed that difference between observational drawing, and drawing from their imaginations. When it was time to start drawing, they each had a plant in the middle of their table for them to look at. They drew their picture with pencil first, then traced their pencil lines with Elmer's glue. After the glue dried it created little barriers that divided the sections of the plant. They filled in their plant with color using pastels. Students were encouraged to blend and mix colors. The result is a beautiful garden of plants!
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1

Silhouettes
Third grade students learned about silhouettes and look at some examples of them in artwork and in photographs. They then created their own colorful background using watercolor paints.  On top of their backgrounds they collages black construction paper to create a silhouette in the topic of their choice. 
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 2.4, 2.6, 3.3 

 
Fraction Fish
Third grade students learn about fractions in their Math class. They used their knowledge of fractions to create an underwater picture using cut paper circles. they were asked to identify different fractions in their pictures, such as 1 whole, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, some students even created pieces as small as 1/32!! They had a good time making their pictures while reviewing their Math concepts. 
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 2.4, 3.2, 5.1, 8.3, 10.1

Crazy Hair Day
As a fun project we created self portraits using crazy lines and colors to give ourselves a "Crazy Hair Day". The goal was to fill up the entire paper with hair!
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 2.6, 3.1, 3.3

Piet Mondrian Painting
After looking at the artwork of the Dutch artist Piet Mondrian, students used pencils and rulers to divide their paper into an abstract arrangement of shapes. They used tempera paints (primary colors only) to paint some of the shapes. The others were left white, like Mondrian's. They used strips of black paper to make straight clean lines once the paint dried.

Warm or Cool Shape Design
Students reviewed the difference between warm and cool colors. They traced their design with sharpie and then had to choose either warm or cool colors to fill in their design. Some students chose to divide their paper in half and do one half warm and one half cool.
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 3.2, 5.2

CD Cover Design
I was recently given 100's of empty CD cases. 3rd graders will design their own CD cover for a personal mix CD. They will come up with a list of songs that represent their life and personality, then they will design a front and back cover for their CD.

Fall Pastel Leaves
We gathered leaves from outside for this project and talked about the changing of the seasons. Students looked at the leaves and talked about the wide assortment of colors that can be found on fall leaves in New England. We also talked about the variety found in the shapes of the leaves. This project is a great opportunity to get students to experiment with pastels, mixing, and smudging. We stress the fact that all leaves are different so there is no right or wrong for this project. Having this mindset seems to give the students the freedom they need to experiment with different mixing and smudging techniques of pastels.

Facial Expressions
Students created several "self portraits" each with a different facial expression. They used mirrors to look for subtle changes in their facial features as they modeled different expressions and feelings.
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.4, 2.6, 3.3, 5.1

Clay Coil Pots
Student used clay to create their own coil pots. They are beginning to get into the more complicated methods of clay sculpting using "score and slip" to attach to pieces of clay together. They built up their coil pot to whatever shape they wanted. They used underglaze to add color to their coil pots, then they were dried and fired.
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3,1 4, 2.1, 2.3, 2.4, 3.2, 5.1, 5.2

Aboriginal Animals
Students studied the artwork of the aborigines and specifically focused on their paintings of the 'Dreamtime Spirits". They created their own painting by first using the dot technique mastered by the aborigines, then they selected an animal to use a focal point. Once they drew and traced their animal with neutral colored it was glued into the center of their dot painting.

Color Wheel Names
Student reviewed the color wheel and why it is arranged in that particular order. They then drew their name in bubble letters. They divided their drawing into six sections )one for each color on the color wheel) and colored in their name using oil pastels. They were then given Red, Yellow, and Blue paint and they used those three colors to mix and create all the colors on the color wheel.
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 2.5, 3.2, 5.1

Valentine Designs
It's also nice to celebrate Valentines Day with some create expressions. Hearts do not have to be cliché. In fact, the students did a great job turning a "regular old heart" into many different creative designs.

Picasso Portraits
Students explored the artwork of Pablo Picasso by reading a short story about him and looking at some of his paintings. They compared and contrasted his different styles of painting, naming characteristics of each style. In the end we focused on cubism and each student created a portrait in the style of Pablo Picasso. They used pencils and Sharpie markers to create their drawing, and Tempura paint to add color. The final paintings are very intriguing!
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.6, 3.2, 3.3, 5.1, 7.1

Yarn Weaving Cup
Student will use their previous knowledge of weaving to create a "Yarn Weaving Cup". It brings the concept of weaving to a new dimension for the students. They started by cutting some slits down the side of plastic cups, and then used yarn to weave in and out. 

I Saw the Number 5 in Gold
Students looked at examples of artwork from the artist Charles Demuth, specifically his painting "The Figure 5 in Gold". They then picked a number and created a composition using that number as the focal point. In the background they used equations to fill space which always resulted in the number they chose.

Abstracted Cats
Students looked at the artwork of Laurel Burch, an artist who was famous for her creative way of depicting cats. The third graders really seemed to enjoy this project and it gave them a fun starting point for experimenting with patterns and colors.

Outerspace Watercolor Resist
This lesson was suggested to Mrs. Brown by a students and it has become a popular drawing assignment among students. They create an outerspace picture being as creative as they want to be (aliens, etc..). After they are finished with their drawing the color it in using oil pastels, then paint the whole paper black to make it look like everything is floating in space.
MACF: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.3, 2.6, 3.3, 10.1