How do we LOOK at art? - Critique in the elementary classroom - Part 1

This question is a good one, especially on critique days.  It is important that students know how to look at a piece of artwork, albeit their own, or someone else's.  Here is where the journey begins with some simple language to share with your students.  Emphasis on simple--stuff they can remember...er me too!  

While getting my master's degree, during my final class I needed what is called a "Transformative Event" or in my language, something that you feel very passionate about within your content area.  I happen to be one of a couple of art educators going through this program, so it was helpful to use them as a sounding board.  I felt it necessary to educate young people about how to look at art...along with the world around them.  This transfers to just about anything...can you say cross-curricular!  I suppose we could ask the question, "How do we LOOK at the world around us?"  Little long, but you get the point.  Hopefully, students will subconsciously use these tools---if we use it enough in the classroom.  

A beginning exercise would be to show a piece of art, on the smart board, or poster and pose these questions to the students.  Each bulleted point allows them to focus on a specific area of the artwork and to dissect each area allowing them to collect data.  The importance of this data collection is to help students create an opinion and understanding of the artwork deeper than the "I like it" or "I don't like it" surface opinion.  Try it, see what happens.  It is a nice mini-lesson that may allow you to help your students look deeper into not only their own artwork, but others, looking for a more authentic meaning and journey to understanding the artwork around them.    

6th Grade Landscape Pattern Zentangles

During the beginning of the year, pattern shows it self as a review item in our curriculum.  This year I have scaled my projects down a bit to find out if students take less time and produce better quality. This project measures 6x6 square (a very common size in my classroom).  Our time together in the classroom is an hour a week, therefore less surface area equates to using time wisely...I hope.  So for this project we talked a little bit about perspective and how things should look if they are closer and further away, we also talked about how the separation of space draws your eye to certain areas of your artwork.  Then came the "have to's."  Students had to have a sky and some sort of ground area that was divided into at least 5 areas.  I also explained to them that each area needed to be filled with a difficult 6th grade ability level pattern.  Additionally, I gave them a handout from a book I have on zentangles that outlined some new and difficult multiple step patterns.  Lastly, they used Sharpie, my favorite tool.  I think they enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed watching them take their time and create beautiful landscapes.