Words and Images: 

Paintings to Poetry

For the past few weeks, the 3rd and 4th graders have been making drawings based on poems. This week we reversed the process, writing poetry based on the images we saw. 

The first painting we looked at was called "First Steps After Millet", by Vincent Van Gogh 

Next, we looked at an illustration from "The Napping House" written by Audrey Wood and illustrated by Don Wood.

Food

Today the 1st and 2nd grade finished their underground vegetable watercolors. The project even inspired one student to bring in an onion that had sprouted in his pantry!

Words and Images: Poetry 

Today the 3rd and 4th grade focused on another poem, this time by the poet Robert Frost.

Looking For a Sunset Bird in Winter

By Robert Frost

The west was getting out of gold,
The breath of air had died of cold,
When shoeing home across the white,
I thought I saw a bird alight.

In summer when I passed the place
I had to stop and lift my face;
A bird with an angelic gift
Was singing in it sweet and swift.

No bird was singing in it now.
A single leaf was on a bough,
And that was all there was to see
In going twice around the tree.

From my advantage on a hill
I judged that such a crystal chill
Was only adding frost to snow
As gilt to gold that wouldn't show.

A brush had left a crooked stroke
Of what was either cloud or smoke
From north to south across the blue;
A piercing little star was through.

As before, we read the poem out loud 3 times, then went back and defined any words we did not know. We tracked the movement of the poem and figured out what Frost was talking about, then chose our favorite lines and drew them!

Food

Where does our food come from? The 1st and 2nd graders brainstormed ideas - restaurants, supermarkets, animals, and the earth. Today we focused on food that we grow, specifically vegetables that grow underground.

First, we brainstormed vegetables that grow underground. 

Then,we read "Growing Vegetable Soup" by Lois Ehlert.

Students received an oblong piece of watercolor paper with a horizon line drawn across the center. Then they sketched out their vegetables, traced the vegetables in crayon, and drew the green leaves in crayon. 

Next class we will begin to use watercolors. Take a look at the works in progress!

Words and Images: Poetry

Today we continued looking at the relationship between poetry and imagers. We read a lighter poem by Jack Prelutsky, called "Philbert Phlurk"

Philbert Phlurk

By Jack Prelutsky

The major quirk of Philbert Phlurk

was tinkering al day, 

inventing things that didn't work, 

a scale that wouldn't weigh,

a pointless pen that couldn't write,

a score of silent whistles,

a bulbless lamp that wouldn't light,

a toothbrush with no bristles.

He built a chair without a seat,

a door that wouldn't shut,

a cooking stove that didn't heat,

a knife that couldn't cut.

He proudly crafted in his shop

a wheel that wouldn't spin,

a sweepless broom, a mop less mop,

a stringless violin.

He made a millin useless things

like clocks with missing hands,

like toothless combs and springless springs

and stretchless rubber bands.

When Phlurk was through with something new

he'd grin and say with glee,

"I know this doesn't work for you,

but ah, it works for me."

Following the same pattern as last class, we read through the poem a few times and then identified and defined words we didn't know.

Next, each student selected a stanza or part of a stanza that they would like to draw - because this particular poem is so full of imagery, students were encouraged to focus on a particular portion.

Lastly, the 3rd and 4th graders wrote the line or lines from the poem that inspired their drawings.

Food

Today's assignment was, "draw yourself if you were made out of food." The students had a lot of fun with this prompt, and came up with some creative self-portraits. 

First we drew a stick figure on the board, paying close attention to the shape of each part of the body - for the head, we brainstormed other round food, for the arms oblong foods, etc. 

Enjoy these unique portraits!