Personal Logos -- 5th Grade

I would love to say that I came up with this lesson - however, it isn't true.  I did this lesson back when I was doing my first placement for student teaching.  I was in a rougher school in the area, with a room full of 8th graders that were one of the worst groups the school had seen.  I was 5'2" and not really super confident in my ability to teach a crammed room of rough 8th grade students that were taller than me -- so instead of making my own lesson I taught a lesson my cooperating teacher had already set up.  Logos.

I have since morphed her lesson into a unit for my 5th grade students.

Day 1:
I start out with a slideshow of logos that have no words.  I tell students I want them to keep track WITHOUT talking of how many of these logos they know.  We go through the slideshow a second time and then students whisper what each company is.

We briefly talk about what a logo is, why it is important to a company and consumer.  I then explain they will be creating their own personal logo.

:Insert gasps, and whispered feelings of 'cool':

I explain they will be brainstorming today to find their logo.  (I am super against worksheets in the art room - but for this I needed a way to help and guide their brainstorming).  I pass out a worksheet in which they have to write their first initial 10 different ways.  Some students groan at this point, because apparently 10 is a lot -- I quickly show them on the board that simply writing their letter lower case, upper case, and then the same in bubble is already 4, and they all relax.

After 10 of their first initial they do 10 of their second initial.  Last but not least they do 10 different ways to combine the letters they have done.  I of course don't keep them confined to the letter they have done, but it gives them an out if they can't or won't think of anything past what they have already done.

At this point hopefully they find a combination they REALLY like, though sometimes they need a little help to think past the letters themselves.  If they find one they like I have them turn over the paper and try that design slightly different 4-6 times -- ie. changing the thickness of the lines, the angle of the lines, how long certain lines are.  When they are confident in what they want we move to the next step.

Day 2 -- Formatting

The next class time we talk about formatting.  My students have already had practice at formatting in the beginning of the year - so a quick reminder of formatting and away they go. I, again, have created a sheet to help guide their exploration for a final logo.   The worksheet has a circle, triangle, square, rectangle and oval on it.  The students must take their favorite design from the previous class and mold/bend it into each shape.  Most students claimed they liked it in a square until they got to the oval or circle.  Once they did this and decided which shape they liked best they flipped their paper over and drew it 4 more times.  The students then started to work on color combinations for their logos.

Day 3 --  Final Logos

The final day!!!  I printed out large shapes: square, circle, oval, rectangle, and triangle.  The students picked their shape, drew their logo, colored, cut it out, glued it onto a piece of choice construction paper.  I made a HUGE deal out of how awesome these should be.  I told them that a marker that was drying out was not an acceptable reason for why it wasn't colored well.  Poor cutting and glue bulging out the sides was not acceptable.  To really drive home my expectation if there was poor coloring, cutting, or glueing they would need to START OVER.


Their logos are AMAZING!!!  Not only do they look fantastic but the kids are super proud of them!




















Okay, so I haven't figured out how to attach word documents or PDF files for download - but for now here are pictures of my brainstorming worksheets:

1st Grade Pumpkin Patterns

The Novak Pumpkin Patch

My sister and Miss Piggy

When I was little my grandparents had a pumpkin farm where every fall the family would harvest and sell pumpkins.  They had all sizes of pumpkins and all sorts of 'scarecrows' like Miss Piggy!!  Even though there are now houses in the field and there haven't been pumpkins grown there in over 20 years people still knock on Gram's door asking where the pumpkin farm of their youth is located.  For me, having pumpkins this time of year is not only an inspiration for my students, but holds a special place in my heart.

I originally saw this lesson idea on pinterest, but it is actually from Adventures from an Art Teacher blog.  It is a wonderful lesson for patterns as well as tying in student's interest and excitement for pumpkins!

Students and I first talk about patterns and when it means.  They give me examples and I write them on the board. (big, small, big, small)  After a few examples I write up a few harder ones and have them give me a "thumbs up" if it is a pattern and a "thumbs down" if it isn't.  This gives me a good idea of who is struggling with patterns and who really understands.  I then make a super simple pattern of "medium pumpkin" over and over and over.  I ask them to give me a "thumbs up or down".  I get a lot of confusion on this one - it stumps a lot of kids.  Many say it's not a pattern - but we find out that it is a pattern!  The same pumpkin is repeated over and over and over.  I always have one student say, "but it's not a very good pattern" - exactly!  Then we quickly talk about making it the best pattern then can!



After they draw their pumpkin pattern they have to decide where their pumpkins are - inside, outside, night time, day time, under the sea, in space, in candy land... etc.

When everything is drawn in pencil they Sharpie outline EVERYTHING.  We of course discuss that sharpies are ONLY for paper and not fingers, tables, clothes - etc.

Now, normally I would have had students color these with crayon and watercolored over top of them - but being that I was hired only a couple of weeks ago I had not yet found watercolors while cleaning.... So, I had students color them with washable markers then 'paint' water overtop!  WAH-LA!  Pictures that look painted even though they were really colored!  The kids really loved watching the marker change to 'paint'.

Radial Name Designs - EMPHASIS - 5th Grade

This is a project I use to do when I had 5th grade a few years ago - now that I have fifth grade again it was time to brush it off.  I like this as a first project for 5th graders because, 1) The formatting stretches their brain at the beginning of the year, 2) It's complicatedly simple, and 3) Everyone can succeed with this AWESOME looking project and it sets them up for a good year.

To start out we talk about formatting - what does formatting mean?  Where have they heard "format" before?  Often I get students who say they have seen the word 'format' on the computer when they are writing in 'word'.  We jump off that to explain what format means!

I explain to them that they will be formatting their name into a triangle - I show them with my name.  I pass out triangles, pencils and send them on their way.  Most students after a couple of tries can get it - a student or two may need some one on one help.

After they format their name into the triangle they trace it with a sharpie.  Next, they get a square piece of paper (12in) and fold it in half, unfold, half the other way, unfold, then diagonal corners - if they do this correctly they will get 8 triangles the same size as their paper!  So fancy how I planned that! ;)

This part is the longest part - they then trace their name into each triangle.  After it is all traced they have to decide if they want a pattern, what colors, any designs?!  I required them to have EMPHASIS on one of the triangles.  I gave them relatively free reign on this project with the only requirements being: 1) one triangle had to have EMPHASIS and 2) the only white that is showing is where it's part of the design!

4th Grade - One Point Perspective with Roy Lichtenstein

My fourth graders have been working hard on their show 'We Haz Jazz' and needed something unrelated to their show to work on.  I decided that we should re-visit one point perspective before they go on to the 5-6 building.  I thought about doing the traditional exercise of using basic shapes and a vanishing point to understand one point perspective - but the thought did not last long - too easy, thus too boring.

Instead we did one point perspective words - they look like they are flying through space.  The students were really excited about the idea.  I started by talking about their landscape projects we did last year.  I told them they were practicing one point perspective and they didn't even know it!  They told me about how things appear to get smaller when they are further away and appear larger when they are closer.  I explained that one point perspective is the same thing.  I showed them with the idea from above - I drew a dot and square and connected the edges of the square to the vanishing point.  They 'whoa'-ed.  I repeated this with a triangle.  It was effective to have the students see the process even though I didn't feel they needed to do it themselves with the shapes.

I then proceeded to tell them that they were going to do this same thing but with a word.  The requirements for their word was this:
1) 4 or more letters
2) School Approprite
3) Robot letters (bubble letters but with corners)

I used my last name on the board as an example.  I drew my name in robot letters (bubble letters that had corners - my 'o' was a square instead of a circle) at the bottom of my paper.  Next I explained that we would be connecting the tops of our letters to the vanishing point with a ruler.  I showed them how to find all the top corners of their letters and connect it with their vanishing point to draw a line.

I told them that I would explain the next step individually when they were done with these first two steps.

When the students were done doing their letters and connecting the top to their vanishing point I made small dots on their letters where they would need to draw a line towards their vanishing point.  This is the trickiest part of the lesson.  I explain to each kid (which takes a little bit of time - but doing it was a class was just too much for their spacial brains to comprehend) that when they line up their dot with the vanishing point and draw their line - IF they run into another line then the STOP and move onto the next dot.  After a couple of sample lines the students understand and race back to their seat to finish.

When all the lines are complete the students draw their background and then Sharpie it all.

The following class the students and I look at a slide show of Roy Lichtenstein - our inspiration for coloring these.  While watching the slide show I ask the students to take notice of the colors he uses as well as what makes his work unique.  It doesn't take long before hands are shooting in the air and I hear an occasional gasp of air when they figure it out.

We discuss that he uses only primary colors: red, yellow, blue.  I explain that their pictures will also only have 3 colors -- they can pick them, but they only get 3 colors for their WHOLE paper.  Next the students make comments about the dots they notice all over his work.  I explain to them about Benday dots - many times a student will interupt and exclaim that, 'it looks like a comic!' in which I continue to talk about the special dots and how and why they are often used in comics.  I always ask if the benday dots are polka-dots and they always tell me 'no' with firm affirmation.  I then ask them why and how they know -- this gets a bit tougher.  (I love listening to kids learn to articulate what they know is true, but they don't know exactly how to say it.)  After a couple of kids we figure out that benday dots are in lines/rows and are the same size -- polka dots can be spaced any way and can be any size.  I then proceed to explain that somewhere on their paper there needs to be benday dots - I don't care where or how much, but they need to be there somewhere. 

The students are jazzed at this point in the second lesson and are ready to pick out their colors and get started.  As students work I walk around and offer encouragement and reminders - mostly that benday dots are in rows not random.

2nd Grade - Paper Sculptures

Abstract Paper sculptures with 2nd grades students:

Students Learn/Review
- Sculpture
- Abstract
- hot/cold colors
- problem solving
- patients

Students use markers to make basic shapes on both sides of their paper - hot on one side and cold on the other.  Next students trace those shapes over and over - almost touching the line before but not quite.  I tell the students to use the side of their marker instead of the tip - making the lines thicker and this part taking less time.  If students mess up - its okay, they are going to cut the paper anyway.

When the whole paper is filled with colors - the students either cut their own paper or I draw a line for them to cut.  The students need to cut a crazy line throughout their whole paper with out making and scraps.  (Most students opt for me drawing the line that they cut)

At this point students pick up different parts of their paper and glue them together or on their tag board.  The goal is to make an interesting sculpture from all sides.  I encourage the the students to bend, fold, twist, loop, and even cut their paper to make it even more interesting!

3rd - 4th Grade Graphic Design (T-shirts for Jump Rope For Heart)

This year I have tried to focus projects towards real life art jobs - more than just drawing and painting pictures in class.  When the PE teacher in my building told me that Jump Rope for Heart was holding a t-shirt design contest for next year - I thought, how perfect!  I immediately started to design a unit around graphic design and typography.

After I introduced the project the students were very excited!  I haven't heard my classroom so quite.  Students first did two rough drafts to get their ideas down on paper.  Their requirements were to have text, typography, that said either 'Jump Rope for Heart' or  'Be a Heart Hero' or something else that goes a long with the theme.  They also needed some type of graphic that makes sense for the project, and last they needed to fill space appropriately.

Next class the students working in partners to share their favorite design and talk about what they liked, what they planned to change and what they wanted their final to look like.  After their discussion they jumped into action and started their final design.

Final Requirements:
-Readable (text needs to be able to be read easily, also all words spelled correctly)
-Graphic that makes sense
-Fill space appropriately
-Colored with quality

3rd and 4th Grade Books

This was a new project I did this year with my 3rd and 4th grade students - a lot of fun.  The covers were completed in the first class period.  I wanted the students to expand their reasoning/critical thinking skills - so for their covers they had to create a non-recognizable line composition.  The trick with this assignment was that the students needed to tell me why they were done.  Some students needed some guided questions to help them articulate why they were done - many stumbled onto the answer by accident or out of frustration.  Students would try things like, 'I worked hard' or 'I did my best' or 'I filled the whole thing in' -- all great things - but not why they were done.  For many students who still struggled I compared their project to making cookies.  You spend all the time making the cookies and when they are done you take them out of the oven - if you keep cooking them they burn, or get ruined.  At this point many students understood that if they kept working on their project it would be ruined.

The next two classes were spent learning how to use a jig, folding and punch holes in paper and then binding their books!

These books are made in such a way that they are meant to be taken apart if desired.  This way the students could take out pages or add pages after they left the art room!!!

Students Learned/Practiced:
- Compostion
- Critical Thinking
- Patients
- Fine motor skills
- what and how to use a Jig
- Problem solving  

2nd - Radial Sun Designs

I modified an old lesson of mine - 3rd grade Radial Sun Window Clings for the 2nd grade Original Works fundraiser.  Instead of doing these on plastic window clings the students followed the same basic steps, but on a piece of 8.5x11 piece of paper.

The students learned/practiced:

- Radial Design
-Concentric Circles
- Shape
-Pattern
-Line
-Hot and Cold Colors

Lesson:  Students were given different sized round objects to trace in the middle(ish) of their paper.  Once the students do 2-3 concentric circles they fill each layer with simple shapes.  Many students will do a pattern of shapes.  We discuss how the shapes have to go all the way around the circle to make it a radial design.

Once the student fills the circles in with shapes and does a row of shapes around the last circle they draw lines across the paper in the background.  The students and I talk about different types of lines and how far apart they might choose to make their lines - they will need to color it!  

After all the drawing is done students trace with a permanent marker. 

Now comes the fun part.  The students and I review hot and cold colors.  The hot colors belong in the sun, or concentric circles and the cold colors should be in the sky - or around the concentric circles.

When students are coloring we emphasize not seeing any white since white is not hot or cold, and how they should color in and around their shapes instead of over top!

This is one of my favorite projects.  All the students succeed, the colors are bright, and they are stunning when they are completed!

4th Grade - Repeat Letters

 

I did not come up with this project on my own.  I saw a project like this for middle school or high school students on another art education website, though I can not remember which one - I apologzie. 

I modified the lesson for my 4th grade students.  I used this lesson in the beginning of the year for the 4th graders Original Works fundraiser.

 Students Learned/Practiced:
-Folding
-Pattern
-Bubble Letters

Lesson:
Students started out with a normal size piece of paper (8.5x11) and folded it in half twice both directions (hot dog/hamburger).  Students should have 4x4 rectangles.  Next the students needed to pick a word - I suggested last name, season, color, food, animal - something that someone would want to buy, since this was for our O.W. fundraiser.

The students then drew a letter in each box making sure to almost fill the box with the bubble letter.  The students continued this until they ran out of boxes.  NOTE: The words wrap around - in other words, the chosen word may get broken in the middle.

Once the students filled their paper they planned out their colors/patterns.  Each letter that is the same should look the same - so all the A's should have the same color/pattern - all the P's should be the same - ect.

We also talked about the idea that there should only be white were white is planned - so when they are coloring in a spot red - we should see no white through it.

Radial Sun Window Clings (3rd)

After a long snowy winter the students and I were itching for some sun, so we decided to try and lure the sun out from behind the clouds with some radial sun window clings.

Students Learned/Practiced
--Radial Patterns
--Warm/Cool colors
--Using permanent markers

I first explained what radial meant then they helped me design a sun with radial patterns. Next they traced the shape of their window cling on a piece of paper and designed their own radial sun.

The students then taped the window cling over their design and traced their patterns with a black sharpie. After outlining the students colored their suns keeping warm colors on the inside and cool colors for the background.

This assignment was successful for each and every student no matter their skill level. When they were completed I put them up in the art room windows until they went home with the students!

Personal Logos (8th)

Often my middle school students have an opinion that art is just drawing and painting from some old dead people. This project really helps bring art to their world. We learn what logos are, who makes them, and then they make their own.

Students Learn/Practice
--Power of Art
--Brainstorming
--Formatting
--Mounting
--Composition

I start this lesson out by giving a PowerPoint presentation. Each slide has one logo -- it generally takes only one slide for the student to start shouting out the companies of these products. At the end of the slide I ask them how they knew what those symbols meant. Many don't have words -- though a few do. They generally don't have an answer for me. I go on to explain that that is the power of art -- that they as consumers don't need the words to know where the McDonald's is or if a shirt your friend is wearing is NIKE. The companies have taught you their symbol. I then go on to talk about graphic designers and that people get paid good money to come up with these logos -- that is it a real world, real paying art job.

Next the students do a set of brainstorming activities with their personal initials so that they can come up with an original logo for themselves. Once the students brainstorm they are to take their favorite idea and bend it into different forms -- thus learning how to format. This is generally tough for the students because it changes their original idea. I tell them they don't have to use it if they don't like it, so just try... and often they find a shape they liked better.

The students then use final paper to place their logos. They color as they wish, cut out and mount of paper color of their choice. Often after this assignment they either make a stamp of their logo or a printing block of their logo.