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Marisa Renee Brown

Elementary Experience: Westminster Public Schools

Lessons

Each of the following lesson plans includes:

  • objectives that are aligned to Colorado State Visual Arts Standards

  • procedures with opportunities to access the materials in multiple modalities

  • transferrable concepts and enduring understandings

  • differentiation and extension in the form of accommodations and modifications

  • literacy, numeracy, and technology integration

  • formative and summative assessments

  • opportunities for student choice and voice in the artistic process

Kindergarten: Printmaking Foregrounds & Backgrounds

In this lesson, kindergarteners experimented with printmaking techniques to create an image with a foreground and a background. They used multiple types of printmaking techniques in this lesson and talked about the similarities and differences in these types of printmaking. To begin their experimentation, students used found objects to print designs and pictures. Then, students used a paint roller to create a background. Finally, students used a monoprinting technique to create their foreground. They cut and glued the two pieces together to create a final artwork. To end the lesson, students held up pictures of the different types of printmaking and talked with a partner using a Kagan structure to compare the techniques. Students also pointed to their foregrounds and backgrounds to demonstrate their understanding of that concept.

Second Grade: Weaving Around the World

For this project, second graders explored different cultures that create art using weaving by watching videos and using interactive puzzles. After learning about weaving around the world, students created a weaving in honor of those cultures. To create their weavings students decorated and glued craft sticks to make a loom. Then, students warped their loom with rubber bands placed around the frame. Finally, students used yarn and ribbon to weave the warp on their looms. After many weeks of persistence, students were able to create a weaving that honored the culture of their choice. This lesson concluded with a Kagan structure where students shared their process and the culture they chose with a partner. 

Intermediate Grades (3-5): Printmaking Gradients & Reduction Printmaking

For this lesson, third through fifth graders learned about pure colors, or hues, tints, and shades. To practice printmaking, students created a styrofoam print that used a color plus white or a color plus black to create a tint or shade gradient with their brayer. First, students created a plate by drawing in pencil on styrofoam. To print this plate, they used a brayer and two colors of printmaking ink. From there, students began to work on reduction printmaking with multiple colors where the plate is printed then cut apart and printed again with different colors on the separate pieces. Before creating their final reduction print, students created a plan for their plate and then engraved their styrofoam plate with a pencil. Finally, students reflected on their use of color in their artwork by writing an artist reflection.

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