Fourth Grade Has a View!

We started this unit by examining a variety of artworks identifying that although very different from each other, they were all a view from a window.  Student's viewed Magritte's surreal canvas blending into the window view, photographer Lee Freidlander's views from car windows, and contemporary artist Jules de Balincourt vibrant abstract landscapes.  The challenge for each artist was to think of their favorite view from a window such as their house, the bus ride to school or an imaginary view they wish they could see.

 They Cast Long Shadows, Jules de Balincourt, 2018

Those Who Wonder and Wander with the Water and Wind, Jules de Balincourt, 2019

Apartment View, Wayne Thiebaud, 1993

The Open Window, Henri Matisse, 1905


Lee Freidlander, 2018


Florence Henri,1929


The Human Condition, Rene Magritte, 1935


Wind from the Sea, Andrew Wyeth 1947

We had the choice between a variety of drawing materials such as chalk pastel, oil pastel, pencil, pen and ink, and colored pencils.  After learning some techniques students chose which was the best for their art and many decided to use more than one.

Student Examples

The Faces of Woods Road School

On the first day in the art studio, we discussed how a self portrait is when an artist creates a picture of them self.  We brainstormed all the different materials artists can use for their portrait, such as paint, pencil, crayons, markers, wood, newspaper, etc.  After discussing the art room routines and rules we had a little time over to create our own self portrait using crayons and markers. We defined the word monochromatic as when an artwork includes only one color, even though there may be several hues of that color. We concluded with this colorful mural that encapsulates the wonderful faces of Woods Road School. 

Nature Windows with Pre-K

The first unit we started in Pre-K  is inspired by nature and after doing some rubbings of patterns and natural objects we did a nature walk.  Each student were provided with some contact paper  and searched the playground for different natural objects such as leaves, grass, and flowers to attach to create their nature windows.  The students and teachers enjoyed being outside and the results were beautiful.  I came across this idea from Collage Workshop: Rip, Cut, and Create with Inspiration from the Eric Carle Museum.

Mrs. Banker is Back!

  

I have been so fortunate enough to take off the entire last year to care for my daughter Violet, who was born last July 14th, 2018.  I took that time to bond with her as well as with my son Sebastian who is 3.5.  Over the last year, I was able to drop my son off at school everyday and participate as a class parent, often doing little art exercises with his classmates.  After reading  Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert , it was my goal to get back into my own art making and I was able to create two works of art of my children that I am really proud of.  Below are the artworks I created.

During the first half of my maternity leave when my son still took a nap in the afternoon that lined up with my daughters second nap, I did a lot of  research on art curriculum and put much thought into how I can make a more meaningful art studio for the kids.  Most of my efforts at first went towards my little preschoolers, who  I see most often and am always looking for new and exciting content.  It was my goal to create a curriculum that was more holistic, with units that connected each lesson seamlessly.  In the past, due to the frequency I would see some of the classes, I often found myself scrambling and thought what I was teaching did not tie into the whole as much as I would have liked.  Below are some great books that helped me revamp the curriculum this year and I can't wait to get started!

Another change will be how I teach fourth grade.  I am trying to move more towards a TAB (Teaching for Artistic Behavior) style of teaching to give the students more choice and opportunity to create work that is meaningful to them and that they can connect their own personal experiences to.  It is a little overwhelming for me but I am excited for the change and I think it will benefit the students. Click on the link to find out more about TAB style of teaching.