7th Grade Pop Art Candy Paintings

This is an obvious favorite of my 7th graders. We begin this project by learning about Pop Art through a powerpoint presentation. 

Next students practice their painting techniques and font styles:

Students are then tasked with letting me know what candy/snack is their favorite. I go out and buy them each their choice (that way they are drawing from observation, and they have something to work for, besides a grade) 

They begin by sketching their candy in their notebooks. After their rough sketch, they jump right into the project! Each student is given a piece of paper that is proportional to their candy choice (anything from 18x24 to 24x36.) They draw with pencil first and then begin painting. 

Although some of the paintings are not completed, I wanted to include them because they are turning out so well. At the end of the project, they are allowed to eat the candy/snack  as a reward for their hard work. 

Where Art Meets Science

One of my 6th graders suggested to me that we do a project where they create original characters using the elements... of course she meant earth, wind, fire and water, but I instantly got a better idea! There are 28 students in my 6th grade semester class and after talking with their science teacher, she informed me that at the beginning of the year they learned about the first 36 elements on the periodic table. PERFECT! 

I randomly assigned each student one of the first 36 elements (they picked them out of a hat) and then we learned about character development and some of the things that go into that. I created a prezi to go over that information. 

http://prezi.com/uwbochoxg_am/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

After we got some background knowledge, we moved forward with the project. With all the video games and instant satisfaction of cellphones and other technology, creativity and the ability to create something from scratch is few and far between. 

I gave each student a print out of their element, including information about the element, that they had to use to create different characteristics for their character. I encouraged them to go through the info and highlight words they thought were important and that they could use to design their character.

I was really impressed with their ability and creativity with this project. My 6th graders ROCK!

Paint Day present for Mother's Day!

Let's face it, not every student we teach has a Mom at home. some students live with other family members and some live with family friends. Most kids however, have a mother figure living with them- it might be grandma, or auntie, or sister, or cousin, but they usually have someone who is helping to take care of them. 

This year I got the idea to have a mock Paint Party with my students and the resulting canvas would be a great Mother's Day gift for their mother, or someone in their lives who has acted as a mother to them.

I covered the tables with brown roll paper, and set up an easel at every spot. I put a 9x12 canvas on each easel and placed a paper plate by each students spot. I gave them a small brush and a big brush and white, black, blue, violet and pink paint. 

I used a big piece of foam board at the front of the room that I used for an example as I painted along with them. 

Overall I was really impressed with their work and I really hope their mother figures will love their paintings!