Klee Self Portraits

Grade: 6th
Theme: Personal Narratives

Materials: oil pastels, water paint, paint brushes, water cups, large drawing paper, computer(with printer and paper), ruler, pencil, circular stencil

Students will observe the self-portraits from Picasso and Klee and review warm and cool colors.

Step 1: fold the paper in half (half will hold the written portion and the other will hold the portrait)
Step 2: using a ruler, a pencil and a circular stencil.... trace the circle on the paper (this will represent the face/head
Step 3: Using the ruler break up the facial plan by drawing vertical and horizontal lines.
Step 4: Add other features to represent the eyes, nose, ears, neck and upper body.  These lines may be curved.
Step 5: trace the lines with an oil pastel.
Before moving on discuss warm and cool colors.  Students will need to decide if they will represent themselves with warm or cool colors.
Step 6: beginning at the to of the page paint each section making sure like-colors do not touch.  If this happens use the pastel to create a dividing line for prevention.

While art is drying students should begin working on their personal narrative
- focus on a small moment from your live
- write the way you would speak
-use details to tell (who, what, when, where, and how)
- make sure to have a beginning, middle, and end
- Describe people, places, and things.

Students will visit the computer lab to type up their personal narrative, print, and attach to the blank side of their artwork.

Paul Klee: Castle and Sun

Grade: 2nd
Theme: measurement, communities/Around the Town

Materials: oil pastels/construction paper crayons, black paper, pencil, ruler

Step 1: using a ruler and a pencil draw lines that will create buildings.  Straight and diagonal lines.
Step 2: trace the pencil lines with a white crayon/pastels
Step 3: include windows and doors in the buildings
Step 4: using the other crayons/pastels color in the buildings
Step 5: draw and fill the moon.

Schulten City

Grade: 4th
Theme: Measurement
Artist: Ton Schulten

Materials: water paint, paint brushes, water cups, white paper, black oil pastel, ruler, pencil


Student will discuss the Dutch Artist Ton Schulten and his use of contrasting colors and the use of a ruler

Step 1: use the ruler and pencil to create a grid on the white paper.
Step 2: Paint each box a different color making sure the colors do not mix
Step 3: once the paint is dry use a black oil pastel to draw buildings with roofs and windows.

Joy of Snow Portrait

Grade: 1st
Theme: weather/season

Materials: construction paper, scissors, glue, pencils, paint brush, white paint, paint tray/cup, yarn, ruler, shape stencils (for tracing), crayons/markers


* precut shapes works best when you have little time


1. glue down the shirt and add the lines for the sleeves and zipper
2 glue down the neck and head (don't forget about the nose and ears)
3. add the mouth, teeth, and tongue
4. add the scarf - extender add details
5. with paint draw 10 snowflakes (including the one in the mouth)
6. glue down yarn for hair.

ecosystem triarama

Grade: 3rd
Theme: Ecosystem

Materials: construction paper, scissors, glue, pencil

step 1: students will need to choose the background color. (9x12)  Fold the paper and cut to make a square.
Step 2: Fold the square to make 4 triangles on the paper.
Step 3: cut ONE of the lines (just to the middle)
Step 4: overlap the two pieces (the pieces on either side of the cut) and glue together
Step 5: using scrap paper cut out the materials that are in the ecosystem.
* make sure to leave a little "foot" on the bottom so you can glue it down.
Step 6: apply each of the living and nonliving elements

Ecosystem Jar

Grade: 3rd
Theme: Ecosystem

Materials: drawing paper, crayons, notebook paper, pencil


Students will begin by brainstorming the living and nonliving things in the environment of the animal of choice. Once this list is completed students will know what to place in their environment.

Students will draw a jar and fill this jar with the living and nonliving things from their brainstorming list.

atmospheric perspective

Grade: 5th
Theme: mixing

Materials: white paint, paint brush, single paint color per person, paper, pencil

Students will decide if they will paint a landscape or a cityscape. They will create this design using a pencil (LIGHTLY) Students must show at least five layers.
With a cup of white paint students will add one drop of colored paint and mix.
They will use this to paint the section closest to the top.
Once finished they will add an additional drop of paint color.  This will tint the paint a little darker, but not much and they will use this to paint the next layer.
Students will continue this pattern for each layer.
The last layer may get 2 drops of color.

Winter Village

Grade: Kindergarten
Theme: Communities
Focus on the letter "S" and shapes (square, triangle, and rectangle)

Materials: brown paper, precut squares, rectangles, and triangles in a variety of sizes and colors, glue, pencil, scissors, white drawing paper. precut green triangles with brown scraps

Step 1: with the brown paper horizontal, draw a wavy line that dips down then up.
Step 2: below the wavy line draw it again but try to make the left side closer to the start line and the right side farther away.
Step 3: cut on the lines drawn, this will look like the letter "S" when rotated and it will transform into the path in your village.
Step 4: Talk about when you look down the street how the farther away the street the smaller it gets.
step 5: glue the "S" to the white paper.
Step 6: each student should have 3 squares, rectangles, and triangles (or roof shape).  Each of the shapes should be small, medium, and large.  Piece them together to form 3 different houses.  Glue them to the paper, smallest in the back and largest in the front.
Step 7: give each student 1 large green triangle, 1 medium green triangle, and 2 small green triangles.  These will become the trees in your village.

once everything is glued down add any details and you are finished.

snowman sequence

Grade: kindergarten
Theme: Sequencing Stories

Materials: large Blue construction paper, white paper, precut black/grey hat, scarf and "carrot" nose - 2 for each student, Q-tips, paint cup/tray, yellow circle, black crayon, white paint, glue, "first, then, finally, next" print out.

step 1: pre fold the paper into 4 sections
step 2: talk about what happens when it snows, how to build a snowman, and what happens when it gets warm again.
Step 3: direct students to use the q-tip in the paint to add snow falling from the sky.  (Since this grade level is working on counting we will count the number of snowflakes we place on the paper) and add the snow that has stuck to the ground.
step 4: in the 2nd section have the students, still using the q-tip, paint a snowman (it is still snowing)
step 5: repeat step 4 in the 3rd section make sure there are fewer snowflakes falling from the sky
step 6: add the top hat, scarf and nose to the snowman in the 3rd section.
step 7: in the last section paint just a mound of snow on the ground, glue the sun to the sky (add triangles with a pencil).  Glue the second hat, nose, and gloves to the pile of snow.  This shows that the snow has stopped, the sun has come out, and the snowman has melted.

When all the paint is dry use the pencil to add the eyes, mouth, and shirt buttons.

Chalk Cityscape

Grade level: 2nd
Theme: Communities and Around the Town

Materials: Black construction paper, white/yellow construction paper crayons, chalk (white or colored), card stock, scissors, and a pencil

Step 1: on the card stock draw a cityscape using a varied box line design.

Step 2: cut out the cityscape

step 3: place the card stock cityscape on the black paper, using a piece of chalk draw on the card stock.  (If you look at my example the bottom line I traced the stencil.  The top two lines I drew directly onto the stencil)

step 4: using your finger push the chalk dust off the stencil onto the black paper.  Be sure to hold the stencil down or it will wiggle.

Repeat this step until your paper is full.

* for each layer you can flip your stencil over to add variety.  You can also have another cityscape cut out of the opposite side giving another option.  My students love to share their stencils.

Finally, use the construction paper crayons to add a moon and windows to your buildings.