Third Graders are Traveling to Egypt

The third graders are studying Anciet Egypt. One of the most importants elements they are studying are the Heiroglyphics Egypt is famous for. The Heiroglyphics were used to record daily events. The students will have their own piece of clay and pick an important event that they would like to record. Then the students will come up with their own set of heiroglyphs that will tell their story.

Second Grade Makes Ancient Pottery

The second grade art classes have been learning about the Ancient Greeks and their Pottery. They will be making coil pots and then creating images on the outside that are similar in style to those of the Ancient Greeks. The Greeks often used their pottery to commemorate special events, so the students will be choosing memories that are important to them when they are making their works.

Fifth Grade is Learning all about the Dot

The Fifth Grade students have been studying the Aboriginal culture, and one of the most important aspects of their culture is dot art. Aborigines are known for creating very intricate images made up of only dots. Each image would tell a story, but it could also be used for a more practical purpose such as a map.

After learning about the Aboriginal culture the students were all given use of a digital camera and they were able to go outside and take pictures. They then chose one image they would like to replicate using dot art.

New Years in Japan

With the New Year coming up the fourth graders are learning about how this holiday is celebrated in Japan. One of the Japanese traditions is to send out special New Year's Day postcards called nengajo. These postcards are sent to friends and family to let them know how they are doing. After learning about this the students are designing their own postcards with illustrations and short messages that they can send out to their family and friends.

Here are a couple of websites that have more information about this Japanese tradition:
http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/explore/calendar/december/nengajo.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_New_Year

Around the World

This year students will learn about different cultures around the world. Each grade will have a different culture to study. First grade will study Native American culture, second grade Ancient Greece, third grade Ancient Egypt , fourth grade Japanese, and fifth grade Australian/Aboriginal. Students will learn about their particular culture, and create pieces of work similar to methods used in these cultures. They will learn how their own ideas relate to the ideas of the different cultures.