Hello lovely parents!

 

My name is Mrs. Trout and I am the Middle School Art Teacher here at American Academy! I am incredibly excited to be teaching these students about the elements and principles of art and to watch their passion and skill grow throughout each trimester. 

 

Here is a quick run-down of what each grade level will be learning this year (24-25) according to the Core Knowledge Curriculum and CO state standards. 

 

6th Grade-

Middle school can be a hard time, when students are trying to find their place in the world and who they want to be. To make my students transition a little easier, we will be talking about Identity and who they are. To dive deeper into this idea, the students start by creating their own sketchbooks using Japanese book binding. The cover will include one quote that they believe represents them, and on the back cover they will be drawing self-portraits, learning how to create accurate proportions and realistic shading. We go over how to make it unique like you, learning how to draw different facial features and hair types. On the inside of the sketchbooks they will fill each page with a response (written or drawn) to a prompt. These prompts all revolve around helping them figure out who they are (ex. "Draw yourself as the main character in your favorite movie or show", and "Draw or write about your families religion/culture").

After the sketchbook, students will learn to add value and create forms by working on organic architecture drawings. They will learn perspective and also how to properly add value using colored pencil to show depth and turn a shape (2D) into a form (3D). We will also go over some modern architecture and talk about the impact it has on our culture and society as a whole. 

Finally, we will end the rotation with a dragon eye drawing using oil pastel. This further teaches the students value and form, while also talking about the color wheel and complimentary colors. This project has the most amazing outcomes and the students are always so proud of their work.

 

 

 

 

7th Grade-

For their first project we will be going over Chinese dragon puppets by creating a version that includes the students Chinese zodiac sign based on their birth year. These get extremely detailed and the end product is amazing. For this project we use colored pencil, construction paper, and cardboard. The elements we go over include texture, form, value, and balance. This is a 2 week long project and they are always so individualized and fun. 

For their next project, student will be creating their own typography by filling out a template from Calligraphr. First we go over typefaces and their impact in the world, talking about marketing and graphic design. They then get to create their own font using whatever style they choose within the template. Once it is outlined in black pen, they have the option of scanning it/taking a picture of it and uploading it into Calligraphr to turn into their own font! Since I don't allow computers in my classroom, I recommend the students bring this home and do the uploading with their parents to make it a seamless process. This also allows parents to see what they are working on and connect with them! Then students can download their new font and use it however they please. 

 

 

   

 

 

8th Grade-

In this unit we start with a pointillism piece of a fruit still life based on George Seurat's work. The pointillism also helps students learn more about Art Therapy and how they can use art-making to calm down (middle school can be stressful!). We talk about color theory and using only a pair of complimentary colors to create shadows and highlights, and they also learn how to add value using only dots.

For the second project, students will use only colored pencil to create a realistic paint blob. We will look at the work of CJ Hendry and then I will demonstrate how to add value using colored pencil to create 3D forms. 

For the big final project, students get to create their own projects using a subject they choose. They always have tons of fun with this freedom, making some amazing artworks. Whether they use materials here at school like paint, or materials they bring from home like embroidery, they must demonstrate mastery of five elements of art. They choose whichever five they want, and they will defend their demonstration of them during our final 1-1 meetings where I grade their projects together with them.

  

 

Thank you for reading, and I look forward to a lovely year ahead! 

 

-Mrs. Trout