Do you have table artists? Free PDF and PPT download featuring artists with a Chicago Connection.

I like to hang artists' self-portraits and notable works above my classroom tables.  I sort them by color.  My six classroom tables go in rainbow order, ROY G. B(I)V.  I choose an artist to correspond to each table color, and instead of always calling "red table, go get your glue..."  I will say "Suerat's go get your glue."  This helps reinforce artists' names and gets my students familiar with many different artists.

This year I chose six artists with a a Chicago connection.  The artists in this series are:
Jonathan Green
Faith Ringgold
Georges Seurat
Pablo Picasso
Alexander Calder
and Frank Lloyd Wright.
You can download a printable pdf of their portraits and visuals here.
I print the pictures and mount them to construction paper, and laminate.   This year I also took the students through a little PowerPoint with a bit of information about each artist.  We used Visual Thinking Strategies and studied each work carefully.

After our PowerPoint presentation, we learned about how to act in a museum.  I had several other works of art by these artists printed and laminated too.

Juxtaposed Collage Cityscapes - Successful third grade sketchbook lesson with slideshow!

I am in the middle of a unit on Chicago Cityscapes with my third graders.  We finished up our sketchbook project, "Juxtaposed Collage Cityscape," and I am super excited about their success!

To start, students cut out photos and drawings of buildings in Chicago.  They practiced overlapping and constructing a cityscape.  Next, we watched and discussed my little slideshow called "Juxtaposed Cityscapes."  Kids were then asked to draw something in their cityscape, that maybe wouldn't normally be there.
Next, students traced their drawn images with metallic markers, and used opaque paint markers to color.  If time allotted, students colored their buildings with color sticks.

Chicago Cityscape: Parts of Composition worksheet

I have several resources on a project I call Chicago Cityscapes: 

The original lesson plan

A Chicago architecture slideshow

and now a worksheet I developed about this project.  Some years you may have a class that just needs the project to be modified, and that is okay.  No one wants to teach a project over and over and over again the same way anyway! And that is how this worksheet was born.

Chicago Cityscape PowerPoint

I recently posted a lesson plan for Chicago Cityscapes.  Here is a free downloadable PowerPoint that teaches students about Chicago's cityscape, and also about how artists have interpreted it.

Chicago Cityscapes - Third Grade lesson plan

Supplies
•cool colored construction paper, 12 x16, 12 x 14, 12 x 6
•dark or black construction paper 12 x 18
•pencils
•erasers
•scissors
•glue
•silver Sharpie markers
•color sticks

Which overused moniker can I start this article with?  My kind of town?  That toddlin’ town?  The Windy City, the Second City? They do all fit the beautiful city of Chicago.  It so happens that I have the pleasure of teaching just eight miles or so west of the City with Big Shoulders.  Even though on a clear day we can see The Willis Tower - formally the Sears Tower just down the street from our school many of my students are not very familiar with the architectural history of Chicago.  In fact they know little about the city at all.  Many students do not even realize how close to the city we actually are.

I like to begin this lesson by showing a bunch of different photographs of unique buildings and landmarks in Chicago.  I purposely choose buildings and sculptures that I know the students have seen before or have an fascinating story behind them.  The buildings are not always the most interesting architecturally.  One objective is for the student to be able to name buildings they otherwise never thought of.  I secretly hope that one day they are on their way to a Cubs game when they call out from the back seat “Hey!  That’s the Harold Washington Library!  We learned about that in Art Class!” 

While looking at the photographs we discuss some architectural characteristics.  We talk about the height of the skyscrapers and the differences between the 100 year old buildings and the modern buildings.  We also talk briefly about the ornamentation and we even discuss buildings that are currently being built.

We begin the art production portion of this lesson by reviewing our parts of composition.  I explain to the class that our cityscape is going to be broken down into three parts; a background, middle ground and foreground.  We begin with the background.  Each student is asked to draw four recognizable buildings from the city of Chicago on a 12” x 16” piece of blue construction paper.  Usually we draw small things in the background, because they are so far away, but I explain to the class that with our cityscape we are going to draw the largest items in the background because they will appear small.  Students are able to look at photographs of the Chicago buildings for reference as they draw.  Those drawings are then traced with black or silver permanent marker and colored with color sticks.

Next, we start our middle ground. Each student receives a slightly smaller piece of violet paper, 12” x 14”.  They are then asked to choose four more recognizable buildings from the city of Chicago.  These buildings shouldn’t be skyscrapers but rather medium in size.  Theaters, Sports Stadiums and smaller Students once again trace with marker and color.  I encourage the students to use bright “crazy” colors and not get hung up on making the cityscapes colors look real.

Now students are ready for the foreground.  These objects are closest to the viewer and appear large.  However, for this lesson in reality they are the smaller things found around the city. Students receive a 12” x 6” piece of green construction paper and they need to draw four recognizable buildings or landmarks found in Chicago.  There are so many wonderful small landmarks, outside statues and parks, I must admit the foreground is my favorite part!  Once the foreground is colored we get out the silver permanent markers and add a little shine to our layers.

Finally, we are ready to assemble each piece.  Students will very carefully cut out their buildings and then glue their layers to a 12” x 18” piece of black construction paper.  Starting with their blue background, violet middle ground, then green foreground.

I know not all cities have an exciting architectural birth like a ravenous fire that engulfed nearly every single building in the 1870s.  Started by a cow no less!  But all cities have buildings and landmarks that have an interesting story behind them or are recognizable easily by the students.  I figure that is how this lesson is adaptable for classes anywhere learning about cityscapes and tying in local architecture. 

I have taught this lesson for many years and it remains a staple  or a favorite.  Students always have great success and are surprised at how well they can draw the buildings.

Here are some artsonia galleries from previous years:
http://www.artsonia.com/museum/gallery.asp?exhibit=579714
http://www.artsonia.com/museum/gallery.asp?exhibit=518715
http://www.artsonia.com/museum/gallery.asp?exhibit=338783
http://www.artsonia.com/museum/gallery.asp?exhibit=291168

Frank Lloyd Wright's Art Glass.

I was looking for a nice introduction to Frank Lloyd Wright's art glass this morning for my fourth graders.  I came across this nice packet put together by the Chicago Architecture Foundation.  A great in depth resource that my students could understand.
Frank Lloyd Wright's Art Glass