Just before school started, my mind was racing with project ideas to kick off the year.  I wanted each grade level to have an engaging first project, relevant to our curriculum, but also share a common theme. As project ideas started coming together, I created lessons for: kindergarten, first, fourth, fifth and sixth grade classes, around the theme of hands.

Over the summer, I found a t-shirt with a Keith Haring graphic.  The graphic depicted a hand, with fingers crossed, in front of a bold red circle.  Around the hand were Haring's famous marks, and above was his signature.  I knew this could be a great project for sixth grade, as they study Pop Art in the spring.  I decided to incorporate American Sign Language in with the lesson and asked students to illustrate a sign, using Haring's graphic style and mark-making.  Each student chose a sign from printed examples and library books.  Students practiced drawing and coloring their illustrations in their sketchbooks before attempting the finial painting.  Students then painted a single-color circle behind their chosen sign, and used permanent marker to outline their illustration and add Haring-inspired marks for excitement and/or movement.  Each student finished the project with a large artist signature on their paintings.

Fourth grade students begin their study of non-Western cultures by looking at art from India.  A hamsa is a talisman in Indian culture thought to protect the owner.  Depicting the open right hand, this image is found in many cultures throughout the world.  Students carved several symbols to represent themselves and their interests.  We used cardboard, aluminum foil and colored permanent markers to create the artwork.  Once students had completed their foil hamsas, they chose a background color to mount their artwork on.  We reviewed the concept of radial design, one we will continue using throughout the year.

Kindergarten students begin the school year learning how colors are made.  We read the story Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh, about mice who learn how to mix paint using the primary colors.  I decided to try a Jackson Pollock-inspired marble painting with my kindergarten class.  We used the primary colors of paint to begin our project.  Each student was given a plastic box with a sheet of white paper inside.  Then the student rolled a painted marble inside the box until all of the paint had transferred from the marble to the paper.  We repeated this step with each of the primary colors: red, yellow and blue.  Once the paintings were dry, students traced their hand-prints onto the back of the paper and cut the shape out.  We mounted the hand-prints on primary colors of construction paper.