space. messy, messy space:)

This week the 5th graders are diving into chalk pastels. So, instead of clay dust left behind from the 2nd grade pinch pots, I have very colorful dust kicking about my room after each class.

The project we are working on was inspired by a project I found on the art blog Make It... a Wonderful Life.

I introduced students to the Hubble telescope, it's history, and what it does. We looked at a number of photos from the Hubble website and we talked about how many of the images looked abstract in nature. Kids saw different things in the pics like we do when looking at clouds in the sky. I pointed out how some formations looked 3d due to the presence of light and dark on them.

At each table I had 7-8 different images for students to refer to during the project. I emphasized that they did not have to copy one image. They could combine them, they could add to them, they could use them for inspiration to create new and different scenes.

Like Make It... a Wonderful Life, I demonstrated how to work the pastels in a variety of ways. As students worked on their own creations, I worked on a drawing in the back of the room on a vertical easel, so students could see how I was handling things. I left the technique demo up on my projector screen, to serve as a visual reminder, too.

The students are quite enjoying the photos from the telescope and they are having success with their pastel drawings. Next week I plan on doing another one  with them, but the shapes will be much more concrete, so they will handle the materials differently.