The first five to six weeks of school were dedicated to Norman Rockwell, our Arts-tober artist this year chosen by the district. The displays have to be up in October so I always try to start with that artist if I can. In 4th grade we created portraits and looked at the Four Freedom Posters. Students create symbols that represented one of the four freedoms (Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want and Freedom from Fear) that was most important to them, personally. Then they had to incorporate the symbols into the portraits they created. The unit was long but it obviously made and impression. It was six weeks after it was complete that the Rockwell exhibit opened and we were able to visit. Students were so excited to see the real works of art. Here are a few shots that show the concentration!!
 |
| Working in the ArtQuest Gallery. |
 |
| Experimenting at the animation station. |
 |
| Enthralled in the Gallery! |
The comments and questions by students were really thoughtful. "I was really surprised that there were so many pictures that I had seen before (in the show)." "Mrs. A, I would say that the picture of Ruby Bridges (
The Problem We All Face) shows Freedom from Fear." "I really liked how you could make up a story about each painting, like in
Coming and Going, he showed the beginning and the end and you had to guess what happened in the middle!" The classroom teachers and docents were so complementary and impressed by their thoughtfulness. One classroom teacher said the docent asked how they could describe Ruby Bridges' feelings in the
The Problem We All Face and the student replied that she looked proud and excited. Another group was asked why the marshall's heads were cropped in the same image, to which the students responded with, "Because they are not as important as her", "To make Ruby the focal point" and "To add suspense to the picture"
What can I say…I am so proud!!
No comments:
Post a Comment