Kate Jenkins

LTC 4240: Art for Children

19 November 2014
Q-Tip Painting Art Lesson
Big Idea: Mark Making
Grade Level/Month: Second Grade/Autumn (September or October)
Key concept(s):

Experiencing and making different types of marks using a specific tool.

Using observations along with prior knowledge as tools for making art.

Explore mixing colors in various ways using the materials and tools provided.

Class Periods Required: Depending on the students, one to two class periods, or one full
period and a part of another period (if needed).
Essential Questions:

What factors prevent or encourage people to take creative risks?

What responsibilities come with the freedom to create?

How do artists grow and become accomplished in art forms?

Core Academic Standards:

Visual Arts
o Strand I: Product/Performance

1. B. Painting: Mix two colors to create a third color

3.C. Theme: Create an original artwork that communicates ideas about

the following themes: Nature

o Strand II: Elements and Principles

1.A. Line: Identify and use zigzag, dotted, and wavy lines

Art Standards:

Collaboratively brainstorm multiple approaches to an art or design problem

Demonstrate safe procedures for using and cleaning art tools and equipment and
studio spaces.

Discuss and reflect with peers about choices made in creating artwork.

Content Areas Integrated: Science & fine motor control

Lesson Overview/Summary:
For this lesson, students will be given the opportunity to explore different mark
making techniques using paint and q-tips. This lesson would occur during the fall season
when the leaves are changing. Students will be invited to look outdoors at the trees and
colors they see present in the fall season and create their own idea of an autumn tree using
q-tips, paint, and different types of marks.
Prior Knowledge and Experiences:
Students have previous experiences with fall and observing the leaves change
colors, and are aware of what this looks like and what colors might be seen. Most students,
if not all have had experiences using paint as the media and have knowledge of what q-tips
are. Students have experiences in creating different types of marks with paintbrushes and
other writing utensils.
Identify and define common vocabulary that connect the art form with the other
identified subject area(s):

Art Vocabulary: lines, marks, paint, dots, hue, representation, & abstraction

Materials:

Red, white, yellow, orange, brown, blue, and green tempera paint

White construction (or heavier) paper

Q-Tips

Paint trays

View of the outdoors and trees

Procedures:

Students will start the lesson, seated at the carpet in the front of the room. We will
have a discussion about what we see when we think about fall. When a student has
shared the ideas about the leaves changing colors, I will expand on their
contribution by asking the class follow-up questions such as, What about the trees
change? How does this look? What colors do you see when leaves begin to change? I
will then introduce the media, the materials, and what we will be doing-painting a
fall tree using q-tips.

Students will then move in groups to the window to observe and look closely at the
changing fall trees outdoors.

After students have had the opportunity to observe the trees, they will move to their
tables where the materials have already been provided.

I will model how a student could begin making the tree trunk. We will discuss what
colors we could use, how we might get those colors from the ones provided, etc.

Students will be instructed to start with the base or trunk of the tree. Student will
then have time to explore and experiment with the materials and tools available.

After giving students time to work, explore different ways to use color to make their
tree trunks, we will move on to the rest of the tree. I might ask students what are

different ways to make a color if it is not provided and call on two or three students
for their ideas to share among the whole class.

While students are working, I will be circulating around the room to check on
students and their needs, ask furthering questions to students who need to be
extended, offer assistance, point students to their peers for ideas, and work with
students on ways to solve their problems.

After students have finished, they will move their painting to the drying rack, clean
up their area and materials, so that all is the way they would want to use it again,
and then wash their hands.

After students have washed their hands, I will check their areas, and then they will
be released to work on a center area or somewhere in the classroom until all
students are finished.

I will give a five-minute warning until clean up for students who are still working.
After five minutes, clean up will start across the entire room and for all students.

When the room is clean, everyone will meet on the carpet to have a reflection
discussion. During this discussion, I will ask students to think about their ideas
about their images, what went well, what they would change about their process the
next time, if they had problems and how they solved them, etc. Students will then
turn knee-to-knee to share with a partner. I will then call on 4-5 students to share
what they said or what their partner said. Students will then wait for teacher
direction to transition to the next activity.

What activities will you use to engage students in imagining, exploring, and/or
experimenting in this lesson?

To engage students in imaging and exploring ideas for this lesson, I am going to
begin the lesson through a discussion. Through this discussion students will be encouraged
to think and imagine what they will be painting. During this discussion, I will also be
introducing the students to the materials and tools that will be available to them. We will
discuss different ways we might use the materials and tools to create our artwork. Through
this, students can think about different ways they might explore and experiment with the
materials as well as how they might make marks. While working, students will continually
use their prior knowledge, experiences, and observations of fall trees with new materials
and art making techniques to explore and experiment to use their visual information to
create different art pieces and perceptions of the world around them.
How will this lesson encourage students to solve problems in divergent ways?
Students will be encouraged to solve problems they encounter throughout the
lesson, with materials, or how to make their visual perceptions match or be conveyed
through their art by using other artists, their peers, the teacher, and the trees outdoors
themselves.
What opportunities/activities will students be given to revise/reflect and improve
their understandings and their work?
Following each art making lesson session, the class as a whole will discuss and
reflect on our different art making processes. We might talk about what went well, what
might they do different next time, what they enjoyed, how they solved their problems, etc.
Through this sharing process, our class can reflect on our own pieces, as well as discover
others ideas and experiences.

What opportunities/activities will you provide for students to share their

learning/understandings/work in this lesson?
Students will have opportunities to share their work from this lesson during our end
of session discussion/reflection, but also through choosing how to present and hang their
work among their peers. Each artist will also be able to create their own title or name for
their artwork to be presented along with their work.
How will you adapt the various aspects of this lesson to differently-abled students?
For some students, looking outside and referencing that as a source of information
to make their trees might be difficult. When appropriate, I will provide other opportunities
to observe the outdoors, whether it is a picture that students can keep with them while
working, or an image on a computer. Another accommodation that I might make for
students who have difficulty with fine motor control would be to use different materials to
create their images, such as cotton balls or cotton balls that are connected to a clothespin.
Students who need additional challenges will be prompted to create either another image
of a tree from a new perspective, or create a landscape for their tree to be the center image
of.