The Third Station - Painting

I opened the painting station this week for the third, fourth, and fifth grade students. This station has two tables, because I knew that a lot of students would want to paint. I put the ends of the tables right next to the two sinks on our free-standing island. I am going to locate any wet projects that we do close to these two sinks and the other sink that is on the wall behind them. So far the only paints that I have placed at this station are watercolors and tempera blocks, as well as four sizes of brushes. Most students seem to be choosing the tempera blocks. On the first day for each class, there was a lot of experimenting with brushes and the kinds of strokes that they would make. They seem to really like the 1-inch flat brushes that they can make broad strokes with.

On the second day for each class, I had made and displayed signs giving the students a choice of a still life, a portrait, a landscape, or a non-objective. I had prints of master artist's works to view, as well as one of my own non-objective paintings so that the students would understand that concept.

In the last two weeks all students have been working on artist statements. They must give a title to their work and an explanation about it. The explanation can tell what they were thinking as they worked and what inspired them, or the techniques that they used. The younger students are having a little more trouble understanding what is expected. I prompt them with leading questions, then write their sentences when they say them if they are in first grade.