3rd Grade Mondrian Unit (Part 4): Our Finished, Glazed Cubes!

Sorry about the wait in sharing these!  Here are those glazed Mondrian Cubes my 3rd graders created at the end of the school year.  They look awesome!  This is definitely a project that I will be doing again.  It's an awesome way to incorporate Common Core Math (using a ruler, 3-D objects, horizontal and vertical lines, geometric shapes, etc.!).  Again, students could choose to glaze their cubes with primary colors like Mondrian, or secondary, warm, or cool.  Love these!

If you missed my past posts on this project, check them out below!  Part 1 is the introductory lesson, part 2 is how we built them, and part 3 is glazing!

Mondrian Cubes Part 1

Mondrian Cubes Part 2

Mondrian Cubes Part 3

3rd Grade: Mondrian Unit (Part 3): Glazing Our Cubes

On Friday, my last class of 3rd graders glazed their cubes.  This process took a total of two class periods to complete.  I pulled out my tubes of Spectrum Raised Accent colors in black (of which I received when I ordered the Nasco Spectrum Tile kit last year).  I instructed students to paint over their carved lines with the black glaze, and then to paint in their squares.  When one side was finished, they rotated the cube and did the next side.  

If you remember from my first post in this series, students were able to choose from four different color families to design their cube...they didn't have to do just primary colors.  I set up four stations at my tables...one for each color family (primary, secondary, warm and cool), with two different glazes for each color.

One class's glazed cubes!  These were all loaded into the kiln and fired on Friday, just in the nick of time for art show set-up on Monday of next week!!!  I can't wait to get to school Monday morning to see them!  

And of course in my haste to get them loaded in the kiln 2nd period, I forgot to load my cube!!!

Part 1: Introduction to Mondrian & Color Theory Review

Part 2: Clay Cube Tutorial

Part 4:  Finished Cubes Coming soon!

3rd Grade: Mondrian Unit (Part 2): Clay Cube Tutorial

So here is the clay cube tutorial.  Once again, I have resorted to using my slab roller to pre-roll the clay out for students.  In this case, we had to assemble our cubes in one class period because I wasn't sure that I would be able to keep the clay wet enough over a 8 day time-span in between classes.  In reality, I was able to keep the clay moist enough that we could have done this in two days, but I didn't want the students to drag it out either.

1. First, students had to cut out 6 squares from their clay slab.

2. Next, I had students bevel their edges.  That is, cut the edges (all 4) of each square at a 45 degree angle.  (This makes it easier to connect all of the pieces together.)

3. After the edges were beveled, students then had to score all four edges of each square.

4.  Next, students rubbed some slip onto the edges that they were connecting and pressed them together.  During this process, I went around and showed students how to use their fingers to simply press the clay together to get rid of the cracks from where they were connected.

5.  Lastly, the final piece was laid into place.  Students used whatever time they had left to start smoothing out their cube.

6.  Don't forget to add your initials AND poke a hole through at least one wall of clay to create an escape hatch for the air trapped inside during firing!

7.  This final step came during the second class period.  First, students smoothed out their surface and made sure their cube was shaped into as much of a cube as possible.  I showed the students how to gently drop their cube onto the table on each flat edge to help shape it back into a cube.

8.  Next, students simply laid their ruler parallel to the edges of their cube and drew in vertical and horizontal lines.  

9.  Students then made sure everything was still smooth, they picked off the "clay boogers" they made from carving their lines into their cubes, re-carved their initials and re-poked their hole on their cube for safe measures.

Part 1: Introduction to Mondrian & Color Theory Review

Part 3:  Glazing the Mondrian Cubes Coming soon!

Part 4:  Finished Cubes Coming soon!

Kindergarten: Secondary Shapes

The first project I did with kindergarten as I came back from my maternity leave was my secondary shape project.  This one is a staple that I do every year.  This year it didn't change much from last year, other than the fact that I found purple and green metallic paper for the students to use with the gold instead of plain construction paper.

So, here is the gist of what happens and why I like to do this project every year.  This does align with the kindergarten Common Core Math Standards...specifically with the geometry standard of knowing shapes.  This is usually a follow-up lesson to my primary lines project where students are introduced to tempera paint.  This year my substitute did not do the primary lines lesson to teach primary colors...instead she chose to do Mondrian collages instead (which I have yet to photograph and share with you), so this project introduced my kinders to painting with tempera paint.

The first day, we reviewed shapes.  I had the students draw a square, triangle, rectangle and circle on the back of their tag board while I got the paint palettes ready for them.  Next, I demonstrated how to dip just the tip of the brush into the paint before applying it to the paper.  We talked about rinsing the brush off in between colors, how to WIPE the brush on the edge of the water bucket instead of banging it and causing splatter, etc. etc.  I then tell the students that I want them to paint a variety of shapes, including big, small and medium shapes.  While I circulate the room, I tell students to create a good composition by filling the entire paper with different shapes and spreading out the colors they use.

On the second day, I gave each student three sheets of metallic paper.  We review scissor safety and I reviewed how to glue with "just a dot, not a lot" around the edges of each shape.  I have my little kinders glue one shape at a time, holding each shape down with their hand and counting to 10 (great for practicing counting too!).  Again, as I circulate, I encourage students to be creative with their placement of the paper and remind them of using up the entire piece of paper.

I have lots more to share with you...both from my maternity leave and what has been accomplished since I've been back.  This last Friday was the end of our 2nd marking period and I was FINALLY able to catch up on grading and photographing most of the artwork that has been completed so hopefully there will be plenty of more posts this week!