Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Today was the first day of our partnership with the Burchfield-Penney Art Center.  The Burchfield-Penney is a local art gallery that features a similar philosophy involving open-ended questions, a focus on calming aesthetics and ties to nature.
http://www.burchfieldpenney.org/

Our partnership will run through May.  The students in grades pre-k through second grade will visit the Burchfield-Penney Art Center three times. They will have a docent visit their classrooms at School #33. The final visit will also feature a trip to the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, which is located across the street.

The students will be given time to draw and create art in the Art Center.  At the school, we will be reading excerpts of Burchfield's journals.  Burchfield lived in Buffalo and often took walks.  On his walks, he recorded what his senses felt. The students will have a chance to do that.  They will collect treasures they find (twigs, leaves, etc.) They will sketch outside.  They will photograph what they see.  From the photographs, they will create observational drawings and eventually watercolor paintings.  The students will be given journals and they will use the journals to record their experiences through the languages of art and the written word.



120- Esmeralda and N came in and painted their beautiful bridge.

116- I brought posters from the Burchfield-Penney into Room 116. They voted on the one they wanted to keep in their room. I was going to take a group to work on the balance project, but the students were really interested in the painting, so Mrs. Driscoll let me push in and direct an art critique!  We went through the four steps of art criticism, which falls under "text-based answers," one of the Common Core Standards for ELA in technical subject areas.  Some of the students really understood the benefits of looking closely at an artwork- a few mentioned that our critique made them change their minds from initially not liking it to appreciating it. 

At this point in the day, the Pre-K and I went to the Burchfield-Penney! 

"We're going to the future!" (One student kept saying "future" instead of "field trip.")

Sitting like the painting.

Developing new vocabulary words with a docent.

Seeing the recreated studio of Charles Burchfield.

This room had water flowing down the walls which matched the activity in the room. 

Sketching in their jounrals.

Learning about the installation.

"Mrs. Rose!  Look what I made!" 

Painting wet on wet. 

A beautiful artwork.

"We're drawing our shadows!"

The Burchfield has beautiful spaces.

Looking down from the second floor.

"I wish I could jump down to there!" One child said.

Daniel couldn't stop sketching. He was intrigued.

Making artwork.

Beautiful painting.

Very excited students!

112- Ms. Natal and I decided that we would take the study of the ocean to a different place.  "What is under the ocean, but shouldn't be there?" was the new question.  The students made a list of things that belong under the water and things that do not belong.  This was a stretch at first, but eventually they started picking up on the idea that human litter, shipwrecks, and "treasure" end up under the water.  I showed them this image from the Burchfield-Penney to inspire them and asked them to look for it on their field trip! :)

103- We reviewed our field trip experiences. The students made drawings with fine-tipped pens and then painted them with watercolor paints. I will post them later. 

104- My student teacher and I worked with small groups on observational drawings again, focusing on students who were struggling.to understand.  We made a few breakthroughs, most notably Marianys.  She was drawing a ladybug and her first six or so drafts were symbolic of what a ladybug looks like to her.  I showed her how to break the parts of the bug down into shapes.  She immediately drew the bug more realistically and then she noticed that my one table looks like the ladybug's closed wing!  She was so excited.  She circled the table, feeling the edge, then showed me it on the paper.