Totem Pole Activity

For this activity we created a totem pole. We started the activity by talking about what we know about totem poles. We then got a little background information about it, like how they are made, what kind of colors they use, and why they are made. After we finished the background information, we were asked to pick an animal we wanted to incorporate onto our totem pole. I chose to do a beaver and this was my final project. We had to have at least three different colors incorporated into it and at least 2 3D shapes on it. The ears and nose are 3D and I used the colors brown, blue, and purple. It was a really fun activity.

An extension activity for this would be to create the totem pole and then have then make a story to go along with it explaining what your totem pole means. This would be an activity for a language arts lesson. 

Decorative Tiles

For this project we were asked to create decorative tiles from clay. We were taught about the basics of creating clay projects and there was lots of group instructions. We were told to knead and score our projects and we could create whatever we wanted. I created a "K" and wrote me name on the side. I used the colors purple and blue for my tile. It was hard to get the "K" to stick to the tile because we needed to stitch it to the project. It was air drying clay so we didn't need to fire it, which made it really easy to put together and paint. It was a fun activity.

For an extension activity I would incorporate math because I could have the students write numbers on them and they could be hung up around the classroom for the students to see everyday. We could also do it for the alphabet. This would be an activity for younger students. Students would be given the activity at the beginning of the year and for younger students I would have the clay cut out and just have them write or create the letter or number for the clay. Then they can also color it whatever color they like.

Weaving a coaster

For this project we were asked to weave coasters. We learned about weaving and listened to the book called Gathering Blue. They took us step by step through the process and we wove the yarn on a piece of cardboard. It was a fun activity.

For an extension activity, I would include this project with a math lesson. We could integrate patterns in the coaster and patterns in a math lesson.

Greeting Cards Printmaking

This was the lesson Courtney and I co-taught together. We had the class create holiday landscapes and then print them on a sheet of paper and then glue the print on the card. We introduced printmaking and talked about Andy Warhol and his history with printmaking. We then explained the process of printmaking. There were many instructions with this lesson, so we made sure to take the time to instruct on each step.

An extension activity, would be to include a requirement for the inside of the card. We could require students to write three sentences, using correct grammar and capitalization within the card. This would be an activity for art and language arts. 

Paper Mosaic Creations

For this lesson we created paper mosaics that showed the season we were giving. We thought of something for out silhouette that represented out season. I chose to do a pumpkin spice latte for the season of fall. After we came up with our silhouette we needed to start gluing down the paper pieces to create a background for our silhouette. We needed to show some of the colors that represented fall. They cut out all the pieces for us but in a classroom they said they would have students cut it out and maybe use a full piece of construction paper. 

As an extension activity we could incorporate a math lesson with the shapes. They could still have all their seasons pictures on the sheet but they would need to include at least 4 different geometric shapes in the background. So for example instead of just using squares they would need to include a triangle, rectangle, or circle into the drawing. 

Fall Creations Kandinsky

This was our second peer teaching project. We learned about Kandinsky and how he created abstract art. They showed a picture of Kandinsky's work and they told us that we will be doing a drawing similar to this one. We had to use two geometric shapes and two organic shapes. We also had to include at least three different warm and cool colors. It was a really fun lesson and the instruction was very good. Throughout the lesson we listened to classical music because thats what he listened to when he created his art.

I would integrate this lesson into a math lesson because it is incorporating shapes. It would be a fun project to do after a math lesson about different kinds of shape. This could be integrated into a lot of different grades.

Cactus Drawing

This was our first peer-teaching activity. We created cactuses. First we were asked to draw our pot and cactus with pencil. After we made our pot and cactus we created texture on the cactus and creating a pattern on the pots. After we had our texture we went over everything with a black sharpie. When we were finished going over everything in sharpie we made sure to erase all eraser marks. We then needed to tape down our paper so that when we used our water color our paper didn't crumble. Then we could paint our sky with warm colors in water colors. We also pained our base brown to represent the table it was sitting on. After we used water colors we needed to make sure it was dry and then we could finish coloring the rest of our picture. After the picture was complete we framed it and got it ready to be displayed. While we were working on our pictures we also listened to native music. 

An extension activity for this project would be to have students write about their cactus. They could make up a story about where the cactus came from and making sure to talk about the Native culture.