Mr. Mondrian

Every year I love teaching about Piet Mondrian. One reason is because I love his artwork. Another reason is that almost every grade is capable of creating a beautiful Mondrian. Last year I taught Mondrian to 4th graders and we painted. This year first graders are discovering Mondrian. Instead of painting, we are using colored tissue paper. Our vocabulary words are:

• Primary Colors
• Squares
• Rectangles
• Vertical
• Horizontal
• Outline

For our black lines, we used big fat black crayons. These always look greate displayed as a large cluster.

Green Landscapes

Students at Chets Creek created landscapes using their crayons. I did this lesson in kindergarten and first grade. We studied color and how artists don't just use one color. Our art words were:

• Value



• Shape



• Line



• Harmony

Students worked hard to color their entire paper in. Some students work really hard and colored their paper two or three times so that they did not show any white spots. The results: BEAUTIFUL!

Here is the video of our work:

Way to go Chets Creek!

Counting By Numbers

Here is the final video of our "Number" project. These turned out really great! While finishing these, students also participated in our Art Game Show in which the class was divided into two groups. The group with the most correct Art answers won.

Here is the link on YouTube:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFC67KaoG4o

Paul Klee City

2nd and 1st graders at Chets Creek Elementary are creating cities just as Paul Klee created his. Our vocabulary words are:

• Shape


• Geometric Shape


• Color


• Value


• Blue Print


• Architect

First, we talk about who an architect is and what a blue print is used for. Then, we pass out rulers to create our geometric shape. I tell the students to image they are building with Lego Blocks. Once our cities is drawn, we color them in. 1st graders use markers and 2nd graders use oil pastels. These look beautiful once they are complete.

Number Fun

1st graders are starting a new project. This is their first project where they use their rulers. This is great practice for 2nd grade. For this project, students are to think of a number between one and 20. They then draw their number large in bubble letters in the center.

They then outline their lines with a black crayons. Next, they color in their number with one color. All of the lines they have made with their ruler has created lots of different shapes. They are finally to color in their shapes with different colors.

We are using rubbing plates to create different textures. Our vocabulary words are:

• Line


• Texture


• Shape


• Center of Interest


• Outline


• Dark Colors

1st Grade Money!

1st graders are starting a new project. For this project they will be making and designing their own money. They start with a large sheet of paper. On this paper, we begin by drawing either ourselves or someone we would like to be on our money. Then, we create frames and borders around the rest of our money. We can make our money worth as much as we want. For this project we are learning about:

• Symmetry


• Balance


• Border


• Frame


• Outline


• Wash


• Value

We are outlining with a black marker. Then, we will paint our money with watercolors using only one color. I know this will be difficult for first graders, but we are going to try our best.