Canyon Elementary students gain valuable knowledge and skill as they integrate art into their curriculum
William Bennet, former US Secretary of Education said, “The arts are an essential element of education, just like reading, writing, and arithmetic…music, dance, painting, and theater are all keys that unlock profound human understanding and accomplishment.” When arts are integrated into the school curriculum, students unlock new understanding. Under the direction of art teacher, Melanie Haslam, Canyon Elementary School students recently completed a schoolwide integrated art project, which helped them gain knowledge and skill while creating unique and meaningful art pieces. The titles and brief explanations of some of the grade-level projects are outlined below.
1st Grade: Community
First-graders looked at art by Grandma Moses (1960-1961) who painted pictures of her community. They then discussed their own community needs and created their own community in the gingerbread-style.
2nd Grade: Animal Feet
In Adventures of a South Pole Pig, Sophia the Cat often poked fun at Flora the Pig’s hooves. Second-graders studied the different kinds of feet the main characters of the book had and discussed why these animals had these kinds of feet and what they are used for. Here are their renditions of Oscar the sled dog’s paws, Sophia’s paws, and Flora’s hooves.
4th Grade: Paper Cast Fossils
Fourth-graders focused with the end in mind with this project. After selecting a fossil found in Utah, they created a relief sculpture using various materials on sticky-backed felt. Once they created a raised 3D design, they used wet Japanese masa paper to create a cast of their design, replicating the process used when organisms and plants are fossilized. Once dry, the 4th graders added color. Some students even made a print by rolling paint onto their fossil and stamping it!
4th Grade: Utah Landscapes
Fourth-graders learned the parts of a landscape--foreground, middle ground, and background--to make these dimensional scenes of Utah geography.
5th Grade: Japanese Shibori
Fifth-graders learned about the ancient Japanese textile art of Shibori, in which carefully folded fabric is dyed with indigo. Students folded their own designs (using wooden shapes, rubber bands and clamps to block the dye) and dyed their project with real indigo. They were also able to observe the oxidation process, as their projects came out of the vat a green color until it reacted with the oxygen in the air to turn blue.
6th Grade: Dragons
Sixth-graders had to be proactive to create these dragon portraits with pens. They learned how to create value (shading) and texture using hatching, cross-hatching and stippling techniques. This project took focus and self-discipline to complete.
6th Grade: Japanese Tsutsugaki
Sixth-graders also learned about the Japanese art of tsutsugaki (rice paste and indigo resist art). They replicated the art with white glue instead of rice paste but used real indigo dye. As mentioned in the Japanese Shibori, the oxidation process was also observed as the dye changed color after being exposed to oxygen. Sixth-graders studied the clan symbols of the Samurai, who used tsutsugaki banners, which inspired the students’ own symbols.