Eric Carle and Rocket Ships

This week my first graders finished working on their spring trees, and I got to start a new project. The new project is really fun because it is on outer space and rocket ships! My students are very thrilled and have a great amount of previous knowledge on this topic. Today we learned about the different planets and the parts to the rocket ships. These parts were of the stages, wings, space craft, satellite, and rocket boosters. To understand if the student knew the information I had them draw a picture of what we discussed. The students also drew the picture because it is their sketch of what they will be building out of clay next class. How exciting! The students asked me if we could really fly these rocket ships. I told them, we are only making rocket ships that our sculptures.

 

 

 

 

 

In my Kindergarten class we read an Eric Carle book, Head to Toe. This was a great read because the students were engaged by doing the movements and we also learned many words that were verbs. The students also enjoyed the illustrations. For our project we started making sheets of papers into paintings like Eric Carle. We made different lines, textures, and used many colors so our art work will be bright and beautiful. Next class we are going to cut up the pieces of paper into shapes so we can build an animal like Eric Carle. The students liked this project as well because there is no way to screw it up and no one has to be self-conscious about their work.

Primitive Art Day

   Today was a fun day for the first graders because we finished our primitive art lessons. We also got our cave man wall up, and one of our totem poles up. Putting up a totem pole is a lot of work. The celebration of putting up a totem pole is called a Potlatch. The students (today also know as the Haida clan) enjoyed this celebration because we had to review everything that took place in a Potlatch. We first decided we would have storytelling and everyone would be able to talk about their mask and how it relates to themselves. Many students really liked to speak while other students were very shy.

    Next in our Potlatch we did some dancing and eating some treats! The students were thrilled they got to have snacks in art class. What was special about our snacks was that they came in totem pole cups. The Haida clan would always get out special dishes when they had Potlatch to impress other tribes. As a class we then had to decide how we were going to arrange out totem masks and carry our pole out to display. This is very serious because no tribe could drop their pole, that would be considered bad luck. So carefully we marched with our large pole through the school and set the pole so it was safely standing. Our tribe has now forever left its mark in the Ark Charter School.

Totem Masks and Koi Fish

    This week was very refreshing because we have returned back to our regular routines. In my first grade classes we have almost finished our totem pole masks. The students really enjoyed the process and this week we painted them and added interesting textures. Some of the masks are very silly, and some are a little more realistic. The best part about the masks is that they really show off the student's personalities. The student cant wait to wear them. We plan on having a potlatch, which is a celebration when putting up a totem pole. We will be dancing, story telling, and putting up our totem pole as a class. How Funnn!!!!!!

 

In my Kindergarten classes we learned about the Japanese culture. We first got to write our names in Japanese, and then we studied the Koi fish. The students most loved the myth about how the Koi fish turns into a dragon once he has reached to the top of a river. This shows that he is determined and strong. When we began making the fish in class, the students of course insisted we had to paint dragons too. So we learned how to do a step by step drawing lesson on how to draw these animals. It was great to see the transformation of how they drew fish before, to how they draw fish now. Some students said "Miss Samantha, I can draw a fish perfectly without your help anymore, look how good my fish is!" It is so great to teach them something they are proud of.  Hopefully every class they wont be drawing fish thought because they wont stop their fish doodles. It is seriously their favorite thing to draw now.