Who We Are

Central Idea: Nutrition and exercise balance a healthy lifestyle.

In this unit we combine nutrition with the long tradition of still life drawing.  Because still life drawing utilizes food historically, the pairing is a natural discussion springboard.  We learn the importance of drawing from life and drawing what you see rather than using your imagination in this type of drawing.  They learn many drawing techniques while drawing examples of nutritious food from life.  In the end they create a final work with water color using the techniques learned in class.

How We Express Ourselves

Central Idea: Stories are told in a variety of ways.

This unit supports the plays they perform in their second-grade classrooms.  In art we create the masks and headgear for their chosen character in that play.  We create the masks out of paper Mache.  We add features and paint the masks.  After the masks are done, we practice performance techniques that will help them succeed during the performance. 

Sharing the Planet

Central Idea: Human actions impacts the environment.

In this unit we focus on sculpture and climate change.  We start by discovering the many indicators of human impact on the environment.  We discuss the idea of waste and recycling along with the recent changes in how waste is managed.  We then investigate what our school wastes.  We then use the findings of that investigation to create a sculpture that reflects the concepts and themes discussed in class. 

How the World Works

Central Idea: Plants are fundamental to life.

In this unit, we look at the life cycle of plants while drawing the gardens in the neighborhood.  We look at the connection between science and art by looking at the botanical documentation of 19^th century scientists/artists.  We walk to nearby gardens and continue to practice our life drawing skills by drawing the plants.  We talk about what plants are in the garden and what stage of their life cycle the plant is currently in.  All of the drawings are contained in a field, sketchbook that they have created. 

How We Organize Ourselves

Central Idea: People contribute to the development of society.

In this unit we work on landscape design and 1-point perspective drawing.  Ultimately, the students are asked to design their dream community.  They consider what kind of buildings and features they would want in their community.  We learn how to draw 3D buildings while developing skills using colored pencils. 

Where We Are in Place and Time

Central Idea: Map, signs and symbols communicate local and global information.

In this unit we focus on iconography—a art history concept that highlights meaning attached to specific symbols in artwork.  Students learn how symbols function in their lives and their artwork.  Students create an artwork that showcase their personal symbolism.