The Coat of Arms or Family Crest is an iconic image that has been around since Medieval times. The 3rd Grade students have taken the idea of the Coat of Arms and put a modern twist on it for a 'beginning of the year' project. Each student chose their shield design and divided the space into different sections to illustrate aspects of their personalities and unique interests. They are all so unique and wonderfully colorful!
I was asked to participate in a fundraiser for our school through "Original Works". Since we are limited in size and media, I decided that it would be a good idea to have the students create a Self Portrait! I've found that often times, when asked to draw a Self Portrait, many students forget some of their features--eyebrows, ears, etc. These are great because it helps the kids to learn about drawing from observation by using a mirror and focusing on proportions, space and details. The 4th Grade students used colored pencils and watercolors to create these artworks and they are turning out GREAT across all grade levels!
This collaborative artwork was created by the 5th Grade class of 2008-2009. We learned about Adinkra symbols that are used culturally in Ghana, Africa to represent different aspects of life, love and spirit. Each student chose a symbol that they identified with and used tools to carve their stamp from an EZ-Cut linoleum block. They created their own artworks and then used their stamp to contribute this collaborative artwork on a 4'x4' piece of birch plywood. Each student also contributed to painting the border which they voted on to be the colors of the Ghana flag. This piece is proudly displayed at the end of the 5th Grade hallway for all to see.