Dearborn Public Schools

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2nd/3rd Grade Art Lesson

Warm/Cool hands

Colors in a work of art can be grouped in families of warm and cool colors.  The warm colors are red, orange and yellow while the cool colors are blue, purple and green.  Trace your hand on a piece of paper. Hold your pencil straight up and down to achieve the best results.  Have a sibling or parent help if needed. Draw a circle or square touching your traced fingertips and then repeat that shape larger and larger until it fills up the whole paper.  Choose one family of colors (warm or cool) to color in the space inside the hand and the other family to color outside the hand. Have fun and enjoy!


4th/5th Grade Art Lesson

Op Art is a style in which artists create artwork which creates an illusion or plays tricks on the viewer’s eyes.  While some Op Art paintings can look like they are moving, others make the viewer feel dizzy or confused. Some are just fun to look at for their design. Below is a painting by artist British artist Bridget Riley.  Try staring into the middle of it and see if the arrows look like they are moving.  

Most of you have completed an Op Art styled artwork in my class earlier this year.  This is a new one based on tracing your hands repeatedly. Start by tracing your hand over and over again on a piece of paper.  Remember to keep your pencil straight up and down for best results. Next, start filling the background with concentric circles. Concentric just means shapes inside of shapes.  Then fill in a similar curved line pattern inside the hands. For coloring, choose at least two colors for your hands and two for your background. Choose colors that contrast each other or make the other stand out.  One way to do this is to contrast warm colors with cool colors. Most importantly, have fun! You do not have to send me a picture, but if you want to, I would love to see your work.


4th and 5th grade lesson

A Mechanimal is a hybrid (combination) of an animal and a machine.  Choose at least one animal to combine with mechanical parts to create an original Mechanimal.  Start with pencil, then use any materials you have at home to darken the outline and add color.  You may add a background to show the environment where your Mechanimal lives. Take inspiration, but don’t copy from, the examples below.  


2nd and 3rd grade lesson

Spanish artist Pablo Picasso painted the picture below called The Three Musicians.  Working in the Cubist style, he used different shapes to make abstract bodies and instruments.  Using your imagination, create your own band of three musicians. You may draw and color, cut and paste (collage), or a combination of both to create your artwork.  

Duvall and Lindbergh Elementary Art during school shut down

Hello Parents and Students,

I will posting art activities that you can do at home over the shut down. I will attempt to provide activities that can be done with a minimum of supplies but can still allow students to keep their creative minds working with visual arts exercises while at home.

Below is a link to the Duvall Elementary Remote Learning Resource page:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dHraHslaoR-3wNmX-5fPn1RGwptB0_iVOpjGWcjA4oo/edit?usp=sharing_eil&ts=5e6b8da4

Stay tuned for more and stay safe and healthy!

Mr. Goecke

Dia de los Muertos

To recognize the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), Duvall 4th and 5th graders created artwork using the skeleton motif. 4th graders made “calacas,” with moving limbs and festive decorations. 5th graders drew skeletons doing activities using colorful Sharpie markers on transparency paper placed over crinkled aluminum foil to achieve a metallic effect.





“Happy Stache” Behavior Monitor

This year at Duvall and Lindbergh, I am introducing a new behavior tool used to get the students’ attention in a fun, nonverbal way.  I am hoping it will be the greatest art room invention since the Goeck-o-meter!  Here is how it works.  First, I ring my gong to give students an auditory signal.  Next, I hold up the “Sad Stache,” which is on the back of the “Happy Stache.”  Students then have a visual clue that they need to give me their undivided attention.  Once i have all students’ attention, I turn it around to show the “Happy Stache.”  I told the students that this will prevent Mr. Goecke from having a “bad mustache day.”  More importantly, it is a novel way to get the students focused and ready to learn!

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