7th grade: A Colorful start
Every year I find that my 7th graders are some of the most active students I have. So many of them balance multiple activities like sports, chorus and more. Playing off this constant energy, I decided to start off the year with an oldie-but-goodie lesson. Students in 7th continue learning about the Principles of Design as they learn about various art movements and artists. Our first Principle: Rhythm and Movement.
Rhythm, like repetition, has some repeating elements, but with some variety. Students were able to achieve this sense of energy by repeating several shapes in their backgrounds but changing the size of their shapes. Then, they created a sense of movement by cutting out multiple silhouettes of figures in action. I'm so very proud of the results. (This is a great way to step-up your older students' fine-motor game with the cutting in this project and they always really like the end-result. Just be prepared to have many students wanting to do a "Jordan" silhouette!) The football players are so-seasonally-appropriate right now!
Next, students looked at radial balance. We looked at examples of local PA Dutch Hex symbols and created a unique design based on radial symmetry. I love when my students start adding their own personalities to the projects- check out the one with swords!
For the final project of September, 7th graders were challenged to create different values using colored pencils in their Op Art-inspired hands. The students did an excellent job making them look as if they are popping out from the background! Bring on October!
