Art Curriculum
Steven Andresen
This section provides a detailed listing of lessons I have taught in grades one through six that are adapted for grade level and language skills. Examples of past students’ work are used to create a rich anticipatory set bursting with possibilities. Aided by vocabulary and language, the lessons help to develop geometric understanding, fine motor skills, critical thinking, and artists techniques. In addition to the scaffolding of art lessons, I have also integrated art across the curriculum in conjunction with reading programs and sociall studies (Picasso inspired cubism, totem poles, patchwork quilts, etc). and social studies. All in all, through creating a serious and relaxed environment (sometimes listening to classical or jazz music), my students are allowed to fully exercise their right brains (often neglected), create, explore, learn and have fun. Their cheers when I walk through the door inspire me to do my very best as a teacher.
1. Introduction to Art – Rules, the brain (left and right side), uniqueness of creation, “no mistakes in art”, “many answers to one question”.
2. Straight Lines – Using tools, properties of lines, creating an illusion of 3D space. Seeing straight lines in the world around us.
3. Curved Lines – Many uses of curved lines, una linea (one line), mucho trabajo (meditative line drawings that are a lot of work), use of the spiral, curves in nature.
4. The Art of Literacy I – Letter designs. Looking at letters (and numbers) as symbolic shapes, configurations of lines. Artistic exploration into letters.
5. The Art of Literacy II – Visual words. Combinations of shapes (letters) into meaning (words). Artistic exploration into words, monograms, and symbols.
6. Using the French Curves – Working with drawing tools. Using creativity and imagination in drawing curved lines.
7. Crazy Checkerboards – Introduction to the “P” word (patterns in our lives). Students create a counterchange pattern with two colors.
8. 10 x 10 Symmetry – Introduction to the “S” word (symmetry). Using counting and other strategies, students draw a symmetrical design on a 10 x 10 grid.
9. Papel Picado Symmetry – Using scissors and glue, students fold, cut, and paste colorful pieces of paper to create symmetrical art.
10. Symmetry with Pattern Blocks – Short video, “Notes on a Triangle” (Canadian Film Board). Students create symmetrical designs with pattern blocks.
11. Pattern Blocks II – Students learn to build small units with pattern blocks which can then be repeated (like hexagons in a honeycomb) to tile the plane.
12. Pattern Blocks III – I share with students some 50+ pattern block tilings I have created. Students recreate tilings by coloring copies.
13. Circle Art – Introduction to the Safe-T compass. Vocabulary of the circle (diameter, arc, radius, etc.). Students create art using imagination, circles and arcs.
14. Circles I – “The Flower”. History of the Flower (4,000 years). Division of the circle into 6 parts. Using straight lines to discover equilateral triangles, hexagons, six pointed stars, and a stunning symmetry.
15. Circles II – More circle constructions. Dividing the circle into 6 parts without “The Flower”. Students create “Stars Forever”, hexagonal boxes, etc.
16. The Color Wheel – Students draw circles, then divide into 6 parts. Using primary colors (red, yellow, and blue), create color wheel, mixing to derive secondaries (orange, green and violet).
17. Rainbow Drawings - Students discover that a trip around the color wheel (red through violet) is identical to the rainbow pattern (light spectrum). We use this coloring pattern (6 colors) to create literally iridescent drawings.
18. Art of Sharing - A little break for students. I bring in a portfolio of 15-20 of my own paintings, both studio and plein air landscapes. We discuss questions around art and what it means to be an artist.
19. Life Drawing – Introduction to sketching, seeing and drawing quickly what you see. Students are taught to look for shapes, lines, letters, etc. that can help them to draw the figure. Students volunteer to be models. A big favorite.
20. Drawing the Face – Using a student model, we learn how to draw the face. I work very large on the board and students follow along on paper a step at a time, until we finish a remarkably “realistic” face.
21. Two Profiles – Using a model, we see how the profile is different from the frontal view. Students draw 2 profiles on a large sheet of paper and create an interaction (word bubbles making conversation, etc).
22. Masks and other Faces – Students draw and decorate “realistic” faces or create faces out of letters, shapes, or things. We also learn to look for faces in the world around us (fronts of cars, clouds, cheese graters, toasters, etc.). Students are shown a variety of masks from around the world. Video.
23. Black and White Notan - A design lesson from Japan. Using a background of 9” x 12” paper, students attach all cuttings of 6” x 9” black paper. Students create art that is half black and half white and there is often symmetry.
24. Collage – Faces – Students create collages of faces or masks.
25. Collage (2 lessons) – Students watch an inspiring video about Romare Bearden’s life and work with collage. Students work on collages and finish the second week.
26-35. Other Lessons
When time and settings permit we do art lessons using other media like watercolors (usually 3 lessons including crayon wax resist), oil pastels and charcoal. Fourth and 5th grades do more advanced circle designs, use coordinate graphing to produce images, learn one-point perspective, and spend about 3 weeks creating tessellations (ala Escher).