Hidden Safari Project

 Description: For the hidden safari project, we started by picking out an animal from the safari to draw. We used a light blue colored pencil and drew our animal lightly on a white piece of paper. To help with the drawing, we drew the animal upside down so we were not as worried about perfection. After we finished drawing the animal, we used warm colors to hide it. With the warm colors we drew repeated patterns all over the paper to cover the animal up. We made glasses earlier in the lesson called "red ruby" glasses. With the glasses we were able to see our animal stick out behind the patterns. We also made clues for our animal, so our classmates could guess. My clues were 1) Has two hair covered horns, 2) Eats grass and leaves, 3) The tongue is very dark (black, blue, or purple). My animal was a giraffe!

Extension Activity: For an extension activity I think it would be cool to have math problems on the board. The students would have to do the problem on paper and when they are finished they could go see the answer. The answer would be hidden behind the patterns and they would have to use the glasses in order to see it. I could also do a similar project with spelling and vocabulary by having the definition on the board and the word hidden.

Van Gogh Art Project

 Description: In class we learned about Vincent Van Gogh and looked at his famous painting, Starry Night. After learning about him and seeing his painting, we were able to create our own. We could choose any colors of tissue paper for our sky background. I was ripping apart the tissue paper then placing it on the construction paper. After the whole background was filled up with tissue paper and dry, I added on my landscape. For my landscape I chose to do Mount Calvary with the three crosses. To make the project like Starry Night, I used oil pastels and added swirls and movement into the sky. I also used the oil pastels to add stars into the sky. 

Extension Activity: I could use this project when students are learning about different weather patterns. I could assign students to make a project showing either sunny weather, rainy weather, stormy weather, snowy weather, or windy weather. They could create their back ground with the colored tissue paper that reminds them of that specific weather. For example if they were to choose snowy weather, they would probably choose more blues and grays. After their background, they would use oil pastels to create the actual weather. For the snowy weather they could draw on snow flakes. Finally, adding on their landscape could be them adding snow hills. 

Dot Day

 Description: On Dot day we read the story The Dot by Peter Reynolds. We each got a coffee filter and had the freedom to use whatever materials we wanted to create our Dot. Some of the different materials that we were able to choose from included, sharpie, oil pastels, water colored paint, crayons, washable markers, and water based crayons. For my dot, I wanted to add a "secret message" in the middle using a white crayon. The crayons resist the paint, so the message would not be messed up. I did the message "Be The Light" and then decided to draw stars around the outside. I used yellows and oranges to show the "light" on the blue background.

Extension Activity: I could use this project as a fun way to learn vocabulary word. I could write a vocabulary word on each students dot in white so they cannot see. I will also hand them a slip of paper with a typed definition. They will read the definition I typed and try and guess what vocabulary word I wrote on their dot. They will write down what word they think is on their dot and hand it in to me. Then they can proceed to paint their dot and "uncover" what secret vocabulary word they had and see if they were right.