Books

picture a tree                   plasticine

After reading Picture A Tree, I taught my second grade students how to make their own pictures out of plasticine.

Barbara Reid has a unique method of using plasticine to illustrate all of her books. The subway mouse and Reid’s other books could be a great introduction for teaching students how to make pictures with plasticine and how to work with this medium. It could also be a great introduction for a unit on encouraging students to make their own illustrations with different materials instead of the typical mediums (e.g. paint, crayons, pencils…).  (For more lesson plan ideas and information, check out the following link: http://barbarareid.ca)

– Posted by: Sarah T.

The dot

“The Dot” is a fabulous book that  teaches its readers that something as simple as a dot could be a work of art. Introducing this book is a great way for teaching students that it is alright to explore and that their pictures do not have to always look like things in real life.  “The Dot” is a book for providing students with artistic confidence.

 

the day the crayons quit

This book is a great way to learn about perspectives! Each crayon expresses his complaint to his owner and writes him a letter. This could be a great way to lead children into thinking about other perspectives such as if your chair could speak to you what would it say? Each student can then choose 3 common items that they use often and write a letter from their perspective.

Upon reading the book, one would notice how it encourages students to use outside of the norm colours in their drawings (e.g. a pink elephant).

 

 

 

In this award winning book, a chameleon desperately wants to have his own unique non-changing  color, he later learns to embrace his difference and to love himself with the help of his new chameleon friend.

Students can use this book to make an autoportrait of themselves and draw what about them makes them proud, to encourage self-esteem. Also have them choose a favourite colour and incorporate it in their portrait.

 

Matisse's garden cover

Matisse’s Garden is a book that explores how Matisse first began creating paper cut outs and how his art grew from there.

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I love the idea of using this book to introduce the idea of using paper cut outs and the “scraps” from paper cut outs in order to create art. I would definitely like to use this book in my classroom.

Andy Warhol's Colors cover

I really like the idea of teaching children their colours outside of the standard apples are red, bananas are yellow system.

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This book allows children to learn and explore colour in the realm of modern art where everything may not always be as it seems in real life. There’s nothing wrong with a green horse every now and then.