In 2011, the 2nd grade created pop up communities with scrap pieces of foam board. Due to the thickness of the foam board, all pieces were precut and compiled into a scrap box for students to choose from. Each group received a board to use for their base for building. Originally, students were asked to create the community in 2D (flat to the board), but lucky for us at Wilson, our students are incredibly gifted and took it upon themselves to stand their communities up! After these communities were created, students worked together to paint them. They looked spectacular!
MASK Making
The 7th grade uses plaster strips and scrap materials to create masks every year. The themes change with classroom themes every year, but students have the freedom to incorporate their own designs, shape, form, and decoration according to that theme. The outcome is always awesome! Student individuality really pops out with these masks and we often find building is the specialty of many of our students!
STORE Fronts
This was a collaborative lesson with the 8th grade math department. Students had to design floor plans for a store in their math class. In the art room, they had to create a 3D store front. Their store front had to include the store name, windows, doors, and a store front design. Students had the option of interior decorating, adding fences, roof tops, and flowers, trees, or grass. Some students even created roof top patios, and out door benches and tables!
Showing our CREATIVE SIDE!
Through the year, students use MIADs as a great time to develop personalized pieces that reflect works of famous artists in addition to their own individual style! Here are some pieces students have created outside of our lesson plans!
A n i m a l Masks
Large African Animal S c u l p t u r e
Large Sculpture Sea Animals
Woodrow Wilson's visual arts program exposes students to all art forms including 3D design. Our 3D design projects open students up to building and sculpting with paper mache, plaster, clay, wood, foam board, paper, and recyclable materials. We work in large and small scale to express to our students that we can create anything we put our minds to! The sculpture pictured is a wonderful example of what our little artists can do! In the 2011-2012 school year, I worked with a group of 13 3rd and 4th grade students to create 3 large sculptures, as seen to the left. As a group, we decided on sea animals and incorporated large sculpture reflecting artist, Claes Oldenburg in combination with the design of artist, Romero Britto. This project was created using paper mache and a very messy flour and water paste. These large sculptures were used for our main bulletin board display in the front entrance of the school and looked beautiful thanks to our very talented little artists!
CULTURE Dolls
During the third marking period, the 8th grade students are introduced to doll making and celebrating cultures from around the world. Students are encouraged to pick a culture of their choosing and may even choose their own! They are then asked to create a doll to represent that culture. Some cultures use dolls for sacrifice, religion, and spiritual ceremonies. Students may also recreate a doll to reflect that cultural aspect. We use plaster, wood, and fabric to make these dolls. Students learn to sew, build, and carve! Once their doll is built, they can decorate it to represent the culture!
Medieval Castles
The 6th grade worked in small groups to create castles from the medieval period. Using foam board squares, students worked together to bend, cut, and manipulate the board into their desired shape. They measured pieces to make sure their walls matched. Students used a hot glue gun to secure the pieces together. Working together served the 6th grade well with this project because they were able to collaborate and share their knowledge of medieval architecture.