What art lessons do you (teacher) teach 4th and 5th graders?

Barbaro

Barbaro

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What art lessons in general do you teach 4th and 5th grade students at your school?


Color theory? Saturation? Value? Intensity? Hue? Temperature? Tint?

teach them to draw with graphite? the chart of hardness scale? Self-Portrait?
 
Really? I didn't learn that stuff til college.

I don't remember earlier grades enough to remember if I'd have grasped the concept at that age or not. We might have learned about temperature, but that's all I can remember.
 
Well, I recall I was given art lessons like color theory, and how to mix colors (primary, secondary, and complementary colors) when I was in 5th grade. I am curious to know what art lessons the public school teachers teach now.
 
It seems that often it is the other way around: the children teach US about the powers of colors. I knew someone who was an art therapist for troubled children and she told me touching stories about their artwork.
 
Does your friend, art therapist at a public elementary school teach art terms like aesthetics, vanishing point and perspective instead of doing art therapy to help troubled children? Or does your friend do both?
 
Barbaro said:
Does your friend, art therapist at a public elementary school teach art terms like aesthetics, vanishing point and perspective instead of doing art therapy to help troubled children? Or does your friend do both?
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She is an artist who also works at the Children's Hospital in St. Louis. That is about all I know.
 
Beowulf said:
She is an artist who also works at the Children's Hospital in St. Louis. That is about all I know.
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Too much focus on theory and technique destroys the natural creativity of children and distorts the message they are giving through their artwork. Best just to provide the materials, and let them create.
 
I find techniques useful for what I want to express in art but I'm not slavish to techniques or theory.
 
deafskeptic said:
I find techniques useful for what I want to express in art but I'm not slavish to techniques or theory.
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Yeah. Most techniques are the spawn of something that was discovered during a creative period. They just kind of naturally evolve and are passed along.
 
I am currently in classes at The Art Institute and everything you just listed I am learning right now, lol

In 4th and 5th grade I remember learning color wheels and things like that, mixing primary and secondary colors and such just like you listed.
 
candybrowneyes said:
I am currently in classes at The Art Institute and everything you just listed I am learning right now, lol

In 4th and 5th grade I remember learning color wheels and things like that, mixing primary and secondary colors and such just like you listed.
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what kind of art are you studying? I've studied various stuff like drawing, oil painting and graphic design. Right now I'm currently teaching myself how to do design jewelry and learning about home decor. Tonight I'll fix a braclet that came apart when it got snagged on a gurney when I was being transported to the hopsital.
 
candybrowneyes said:
I am currently in classes at The Art Institute and everything you just listed I am learning right now, lol

In 4th and 5th grade I remember learning color wheels and things like that, mixing primary and secondary colors and such just like you listed.
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lol. The Art Institute is excellent. I was considering going to Art Center in Pasadena, but it costs an arm and a leg. I know a friend who went there has to pay off student loans for a while. Thanks for answering. One thing- Since you said you remember learning art lesson like color wheel. Did you find it useful when you were in 5th grade? I learned about it as a kid, I did not really care for it. Did you feel the same way?

I'm still curious to find out if the public elementary school teachers still teach them color wheels today.
 
Barbaro said:
lol. The Art Institute is excellent. I was considering going to Art Center in Pasadena, but it costs an arm and a leg. I know a friend who went there has to pay off student loans for a while. Thanks for answering. One thing- Since you said you remember learning art lesson like color wheel. Did you find it useful when you were in 5th grade? I learned about it as a kid, I did not really care for it. Did you feel the same way?

I'm still curious to find out if the public elementary school teachers still teach them color wheels today.
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My 4th grade neice brought home a color wheel she made in art class in public school. So around here, that would be a "yes". Not sure about other areas. Some public schools don't even have art class in the elementary grades.
 
Does your niece enjoy learning and painting her color wheel? What else was she taught beside her color wheel?
 
Barbaro said:
Does your niece enjoy learning and painting her color wheel? What else was she taught beside her color wheel?
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Yes, she did enjoy it and was very proud of it. They are also learning perspective in pencil drawing right now, and doing some watercolor work. She is lucky that their art program is fairly well funded.
 
That is what I want to know. Watercolor is a good medium for children to paint freely with their brushes and pencils. I'm glad to hear that the art program is doing well. Lately, I was asked to teach children privately because of the budget cut programs. I was even invited to go to the public elementary school to do a demo and art/computer graphics lessons in front of deaf children for the first time. Plan to invite them to come to the art show with me. I'm used to teaching adults. I am trying to figure out how to teach children.
 
Barbaro said:
That is what I want to know. Watercolor is a good medium for children to paint freely with their brushes and pencils. I'm glad to hear that the art program is doing well. Lately, I was asked to teach children privately because of the budget cut programs. I was even invited to go to the public elementary school to do a demo and art/computer graphics lessons in front of deaf children for the first time. Plan to invite them to come to the art show with me. I'm used to teaching adults. I am trying to figure out how to teach children.
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What a great experience for you. Children still have all of their natural creativity because the world hasn't stifled it in them yet. I would think they would be sooo much fun to teach art.
 
jillio said:
What a great experience for you. Children still have all of their natural creativity because the world hasn't stifled it in them yet. I would think they would be sooo much fun to teach art.
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Sometimes I think the whole purpose of our educational system is to kill off creativity. :P
 
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