Self-Portraits Andy Warhol Style

3rd Grade has begun a self-portrait unit.  To add a little fun, we are learning about Andy Warhol too, and all of his wonderful color in his Pop Art!

Today we had the mirrors out and learned how to draw ourselves....using the mirror.

We talked about space on our paper when we draw.  This class did AWESOME using their space!  No mini-me people in the entire class!  YEAH!!

Next week we will be drawing four different views of our-self on bright paper!  I can't wait to show you how this lesson progresses!

Newspaper City

The 2nd grade class has been busy learning about cities and newspapers.  Newspapers?

We learned that a newspaper is laid out in columns, and the columns look like SKYSCRAPERS!  Our first class session was used to paint the background with watercolor.  Students drew their roads on with Sharpie marker and then painted water, grass, and stripes to fill the space on their 12" X 18" paper.

The next week we all got a newspaper.  Each student searched for buildings and skyscrapers, cut them out and glued them onto their roads.

Our final class was a SHARPIE DAY!
We started by adding details to our buildings.  What do we see on buildings from far away?
We added cars and trucks.  What size are cars in the front of our picture compared to the back of our picture?
We added street signs, stoplights, signs, bridges, etc.
We added people if we had time.  What can we see of people if we are standing so far away from the city?  Do we see a lot of detail?

This is what we got.....

Welcome to Newspaper City!

Learning About Piet Mondrian

Those fabulous squares!
Primary colors!

http://poster.4teachers.org/worksheet/view.php?id=164038

We watched this wonderful video in class to learn the history and growth of Mondrian's paintings.  The students thought it was interesting to see how he progressed in his art.  The video was done by Sheila Graber and published to You-tube on April 6, 2012.

I look forward to sharing their art in the next few weeks.

Where I have been....

A year.

An entire year since I posted last.  I know it has been a long time and a few of you have asked where I have been in our facebook conversations.  Well, I have been at my computer, but pounding out different messages and keeping my head above water.

I jumped back into my art which led me down another path that I have been trying to find for a few years.  I finally found a program to finish my education degree!  I am still teaching the chickens at Trinity, along with studying full time.  If I can stay on task, I will have my certificate in May of 2016!

I am so excited to make a goal happen and I love the experience being a student again.

Thank you to my students and parents that are supporting me in prayer.  With your love and support, I know I can make this happen!

Thank you

The Path I Am On...

I am an artist......

....and I have been blessed to be able to share art with the children at an awesome Lutheran school in Iowa.

I have traveled with my family for years, adrift in the world, looking for my path.  He has always guided me.  There has always been a reason for all of the places we have lived.  God has always sent us with a purpose.

We can fight it and try to go our own way, but HE always knows which direction we should turn and what path we should take.

A man sat at my kitchen table one day and said, "Hey! TLS needs and art teacher! You should go apply."  I had just finished a retail management gig and just wanted some me time. Me. My art. Find myself.....

I said no.

The air conditioner quit.

Three hundred dollars later, I received a phone call from the principal.  Really....I really want some ME time.  I am not a teacher, just an artist.  I don't think this is a great fit.  No, thank you.

Does the house feel hot to you again?  Yup....you guessed it.  This time it was another part altogether and a five hundred dollar bill.

Are you kidding me Lord?

I don't know why the principal called again.  He said he was getting desperate and just wanted to see if I would come in a talk a bit.

Yes.  Sure.  I can come talk.  I think I am being nudged a little in that direction anyway.

That was eight years ago.

I am on HIS path.

Feeling Blessed

What a day!  I am still full of excitement as I attempt to settle down for the night.  I presented two classes today for the Lutheran Educators Association Convocation in beautiful Milwaukee.

What.....A.....Day!

Thank you to all that stopped me in the hall to thank me.....

Thank you for the words of encouragement.
Thank you for the warm wishes.
Thank you for the prayers.
Thank you for the love.

You are all fabulous!

I plan to begin posting the slides from each session in small sections.  Please - don't forget to send me questions or if you need help adjusting or adapting a lesson.

I am so grateful for all of you and give thanks and praise to Him for putting me on this path.

Julie

The Bones of a Tree

4th Grade looks at trees each year.

We look at the bones. The structure.

The kids are very quick to realize that, as a tree grows,

the branches get smaller.

 Each time the tree splits into branches, it creates a "V".  Makes perfect sense to them ..... until they try it.  Every time a branch splits, it remains the same thickness, but gets shorter.  The pictures resemble brier patches that never end.  They are beautiful designs in themselves, but not the idea of the lesson.  I really wish I had a picture of these shrubbery, but this year in my frustration of the lesson, I whipped out my favorite thing in the world.....

......a strip of paper.

I folded it into quarters and began to cut long strips into it, stopping at folds. 
I cut in half down the middle (I cut about 2/3 of the way down).
I cut those halves in half to the halfway fold in the paper.
I cut the four strips in half again to the 3/4 fold.

It looked like a strange strip of paper until.....

I folded the branches out...... and it is a tree.  Each branch getting smaller, until I am not able to cut it in half anymore.  The kids decided this was worth a try.

Each branch is folded back to glue one section at a time.

I can't wait until the trees are finished. We began to add color with markers, but scraps of paper was pulled out, and now the collage is beginning on top.  I loved when they asked for "just one more class" to finish adding some paper piecing and collage materials to make them look just right!

We have to wait a couple of weeks for the final outcome.  I will be off to the 2013 Lutheran Educators Association Convocation this week to present two classes.  I am just a tad bit excited about going, but I can't wait to see how the kids finish their trees when I get back....