October 2010 Art Update - LINE
The first concept covered in CSMA’s Art4Schools program is LINE. Young students explore the variety of line and create patterns using repetition of lines. Older students begin to think about the meanings of different types of line and how they can be used to describe different textures, forms, and feelings. The Art program is taylored to every school. Click below to find out how students learned about this concept at your child's school
October 2010 Music Update
Young students learn about beat and rhythm, moving to songs and playing instruments. Older students (2nd -3rd ) are learning notation, creating their own rhythms with more advanced patterns and learning how to sing in harmony. Fourth grade has learned how to play 3 notes on the recorder, and position.. Fifth grade band have learned sound production, instrument care, reading music and making accurate rhythms and are playing Hot Cross buns and Mary Had a Little Lamb. Fifth grade strings have how to hold the instrument and correct posture, bowing, plucking, reading music, and fingering on the D and A strings. Fifth grade chorus are working on reading music and singing a variety of songs. All 3rd through 5th grade students have learned about Native American Music, Dance and culture in preparation for the Music in Action concert with Eddie Madrill.
Kindergartners at Bubb created drawings based on Leo Lionni’s book, “The Biggest House in the World.” They used line patterns and textures to describe a snail’s big spiral house.
First 
Granders created Line Monsters to explore their creativity and pattern making with line.
Second graders at Bubb listened to the story of the Princess and the Pea before they drew their own princess on a high stack of mattresses. Students used lines that curved, swirled, zig-zagged, and striped in order to decorate and add interest to their mattress piles.
Third Graders sang the folk song of Mr. Frog and Miss Mouse and looked at artists Beatrix Potter and Kenneth Grahame, who wrote Wind in the Willows. They used this as inspiration to draw their own versions of Mr. Frog and Miss Mouse and used line patterns and texture to finish their creative works.
Fourth Graders at Bubb used line to describe the world underground. Students learned about symbolism as they drew the roots of a tree that represented their lives. They added imaginary objects, orga
nic shapes, insects, and other patterns to finish their underground drawings.
Fifth Grade composed a still life of bugs in a jar using descriptive and realistic line in black fine point marker. Students played the role of scientists and used drawing to observe and take notes of their bugs… “Quick, before they escape!”
Kindergarten and part of the First grade at Castro drew snails with spiral shells. They used line patterns and textures to decorate the snail’s fancy home. Student’s even got to meet a real snail before they made their drawing to gain a better understanding of how they really look!
The other First graders and the Second graders at Castro listed to the story of the Princess and the Pea before they drew their own princess on a high stack of mattresses. Students used lines that curved, swirled, zig-zagged, and striped in order to decorate and add interest to their mattress piles.
Second grade students read the popular children’s book Millions of Cats then created illustrations of the story drawing many different types of cats filled with varying line patterns.
Third grade rooms 5 and 9 learned about everything Baroque as they created their very own fancy birds. Students used a variety of line to describe fancy feathers and textures that looped and spiraled all over their bird drawings.
Third grade rooms 6, 7 and 8 created black and white line drawings of Anansi the spider after reading a traditional Ghanaian folk tale about the adventurous arachnid.
Fourth grade, room 15, studied different textures such as scales, fur, and feathers and created samples before drawing a full animal using what they learned. For the final drawing, students looked at images of animals and lines that imitated the furry, scaly, or feathery texture of their animal to create a detailed, finished animal drawing.
Fourth grade, room 14, studied the ancient art of illuminated letters. Using pencils and felt-tipped pens, students illuminated the first letter of their first name with line and pattern within a theme. Students added gold paint to accent completed illuminations.
Fifth grade, room 10, studied and drew Victorian Houses own using a variety of line and texture to describe the shingles, planks, and windows of each detailed segment of the house.
Fifth grades, rooms 13 and 16, explored the mechanics of 2-point perspective drawing. Using pencils, rulers and pen students created compositions that demonstrated 2-point perspective of buildings below, at and above the horizon line.
Kindergartners at Huff created drawings based off of the story “Millions of Cats.” Using a felt tipped marker they practiced drawing many cats with beautiful line patterns.
First Graders used the story “Caps for Sale” as inspiration for their drawings. They made drawings of the main character wearing many different hats stacked on top of his head.
In Second Grade students drew trains complete with cargo cars that were full of a variety of inventive line patterns and expressive decorations.
Third Graders created drawings of the “Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.” They used texture and pattern to describe the lady, the fly, and everything swallowed in between.
Fourth Grade at Huff created drawings after listening to the story of the “Line and the Dot.” They practiced drawing expressive lines that described the emotions in the story. They also described texture using line to draw animals.
Fifth Grade used line to learn about Vincent van Gogh. After studying the artist’s use of line and pattern in his landscape drawings, they created their own landscape using only line to create an expressive scene.
Kindergartners at Landels created Line Monsters to explore their creativity and pattern making with lin
e. (Image by Wilson ?, Gr. K)
First Graders used the story “Caps for Sale” as inspiration for their drawings. They made drawings of the main character wearing many different hats stacked on top of his head.
The Second Graders studied rapidly changing and absurd weather as they read “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” and created patterns and texture using weather and food as inspiration.
Third Graders looked at a very serious 1631 self portrait by Rembrandt Van Rijn to discover that artists can convey expression in a work of art. They also learned that Rembrandt loved to use a variety of line to describe fancy clothing, large hats, and textures. Students then created their own expressive self-portrait using over-the-top fancy hats, clothing, and a diversity of line.
Fourth Grade looked at a page from the 1,200 year old Book of Kells from Ireland. The page is overwhelmingly decorated with both line and gold leaf to create an energetic and "illuminated" letter. Students created their own illuminated letter using a variety of line, shape and pattern to fill their page.
Fifth graders took time to study the outline of simple forms. They learned how to draw a cube, rectangular prism, cylinder, and two types of triangular prisms. This practice later moved into a lesson on the art of Wayne Thiebaud's famously delicious cakes in Cake Window, 1964. Using knowledge of simple forms, students drew and decorated cakes. They then used a variety of shading techniques to give their cakes substance and depth.
Kindergartners at Monta Loma created drawings based off of the story “Very Hungry Caterpillar.” Using a felt tipped marker they drew their own caterpillars and filled them with beautiful lines and patterns.
First Graders used the story “Caps for Sale” as inspiration for their drawings. They made drawings of the main character wearing many different hats stacked on top of his head.
The Second Graders studied rapidly changing and absurd weather as they read “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” and created patterns and texture using weather and food as inspiration.
Third Graders dove into the underground with their drawings as they created textures in their drawing of things they might find down below.
Fourth Graders at Monta Loma used the artist Keith Haring as inspiration to create their own figurative patterned drawings. They then used the first letters of their name to create beautifully decorated Illuminated Letter drawings.
Fifth Grade used line to draw scientific illustrations of things found in nature. Looking at shells and seed pods while they drew, students practiced drawing the textures and forms of the natural world.
Kindergarten and first grade students were inspired by the story Millions of Cats to create pen and paper compositions full of cats. To each cat the students added a variety of line to create texture or pattern.
Second grade let their imaginations and taste buds lead the way in the creation of their very own town of Chew and Swallow. After reading the book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs second graders used felt-tipped pen to illustrate food falling from the sky.
Third and fourth graders studied the ancient art of illuminated letters. Using pencils and felt-tipped pens, students illuminated the first letter of their first name with line and pattern within a theme. Students added gold paint to accent completed illuminations.
Fourth and fifth grade students explored the mechanics of 2-point perspective drawing. Using pencils, rulers and pen students created compositions that demonstrated 2-point perspective of buildings below, at and above the horizon line.
First Graders at Theuerkauf created Line Monsters to explore their creativity and pattern making with line.
In Second Grade students drew trains that were then decorated using line variety and patterns.
Third Graders used line to create projects for Theuerkauf’s Earth Day Project. They made drawings using the theme of “Save the Ocean.”
“My Wish” was the concept for the Fourth Grade line lessons. They created self portraits in this project that was also for Theuerkauf’s upcoming Earth Day Celebration.
Fifth Grade used line to create a project for the Earth Day Celebration. Their project was the “Healing Hand” in which they explored culture, pattern, and contour line by creating Mehndi Hand drawings.
1st and 2nd grades: Extablishing rhythms, call and response music, moving to rhythm and learning songs using rhythm instruments, and music games.
3rd grade: Identifying rhythm patterns to songs, movement, music notation, studying native American music and working on seasonal songs.
Kinders and 1st grade: Learning to sing and match pitch with solfege (do re mi…sol). Also reading music in rhythm and using rhythm instruments. They are moving to music, creating patterns, singing songs and writing rhythmic patterns they have composed.
2nd grade: Solfege do re mi so and learning fa. They’ve learned rhythmic notation, quarter rests and half notes, have done rhythm games, clapping patterns, circle song games and dances.
3rd grade: Expanded solfege, Syncopated rhythms, dances, rhythmic notation and introduction to Native American Music and Dance in preparation for the MIA concert.
Kinders: recognizing, moving to and performing beat. Voice and sound exploration, creating and reading visual representation of sounds.
1st and 2nd grades: Solfege (do re mi), octaves, recognizing music on staff and rhythmic values, learning ostinato, and holiday songs for October (Miss White, Hagnalena Magnaleena, A Very Unusual Night). Have begun holiday music for concert. (Peace song, Jingle All the Way, Holiday Bells)
3rd grade: Identifying rhythm patterns to songs, movement games, music notation, scales with solfege, and learning songs (Jazz, Winter Fantasy) and studying Native American music
Kinders and 1st: Familiarizing and acquainting students to music by singing, playing rhythm instruments, and participating in musical games. In addition, 1st graders are working on beginning rhythm and solfege (do re mi), moving to the beat, playing instruments and musical games.
2nd grade expanded rhythm, working with a staff and music notation. Learning rounds and songs for October.
3rd grade: Working on rounds, ostinati and dance steps, and studying Native American culture and music.
Landels and Theuerkauf
Kinders: Learning the difference between singing and speaking voices, steady beat, rhythm and silly songs, Ebeneezer Sneezer and Shake My Sillies Out.
1st grade: introducing beginning rhythm and solfege with songs See Saw and poem Loose tooth. Movement to the beat in songs and chants.
2nd grade: introducing “do” using songs, I see the Moon, Cobbler, and “quarter rest” in Rocky Mountain. Moving to the beat and rhythm.
3rd grade: Introducing syncopated rhythms with folk song Liza Jane, and ostinato using songs Scotland’s Burning and the Ghost of John. SDC(3-5): Playing instruments and singing, concentrating matching pitch, alone and together.Singing Grandma Moses, and Halloween song “The Dreadful Tales of Jelly Belly” which has complex rhythms and instrument accompaniment using tone blocks and rhythm instruments.
Monta Loma
1st grade working on dynamics (high, low, soft, loud, fast, slow) and the difference between beat and rhythm. Have listened to Greig’s Hall of the Mountain King. Beginning solfege sol and mi.
2nd grade: rhythms and notations, repeats (Hop Old Squirrel) using movement, doing solfege (do re mi fa sol), singing Finga alafia
3rd grade: Learning expanded rhythms and writing them down to dictation, singing Let Us Chase the Squirrel, round Sing Sing together (harmony), understanding legato, staccato and dynamics. Studying Native American Music.