First Week of School

During the first weeks of school, artists discuss expectations we have of each other in the art room and also get reacquainted with the space. This year, we played an art room "I Spy" game. Students looked at photos of places in the art room. These photos were intentionally taken from close up or interesting angles so that it would be more challenging to identify. Students rotated around the room to look at all the photos and correctly identify the different places and parts of the art room and their purpose.

Students also began their monochromatic self portraits. Monochromatic means one color, so students used one color to draw a picture of themselves. Even though students were limited to one color, there were many different shades of that color available through markers, crayons and colored pencils. Students could represent themselves in a variety of different ways. Below are some photos of work in progress. 

These monochromatic self portraits will be put together in large rainbow displays, so keep a look out for those coming soon!

Happy First Day of School!

 

Welcome back, Hosmer artists and families, for another year of art! And welcome to our new PK and Kindergarten artists and families. Looking forward to making more art with everyone and exploring new materials and different techniques!

Welcome Back!

Welcome back Hosmer artists and families! I hope everyone had a fun and relaxing summer! I look forward to seeing returning artists and meeting our new ones this September. 

For those of you new to Hosmer, my name is Ms. Kim and I am the art teacher. I am excited to be going into my second year teaching and making art with Hosmer students. I moved to the Boston area last year, from New York. I had most recently been living and teaching in Brooklyn, and before that, I worked for several years in an arts non-profit organization in Manhattan. 

In art this year, we will be exploring a variety of materials and techniques, learning about artists and art forms from around the world, and creating art works that express who we are as artists and human beings. I strive to create student-centered lessons and emphasize process over product. We will also focus on engaging in direct inquiry and problem solving in creative ways!  

In addition, this summer I met up with our fantastic music teacher, Ms. Patashnick, to plan ideas and work on curricula together. We designed an 'Around the World' theme for 2nd grade this year, complete with passports! We will be learning about art from around the globe, including India, Morocco, France, Japan and Australia.

This year, we have a Word Wall on the back wall of the art room. The Word Wall is to help us remember the art vocabulary words that we learn throughout the year. Words are color coded, so you can tell which vocabulary words connect to art materials, techniques, artist's names, etc. 

Every student has one 40-minute art class each week. Student artwork is displayed throughout the school and in the spring, we have the district-wide art show, as well as our annual Art & Music Extravaganza.

Check back here often to stay updated on what each grade level is learning about and making in art. You can also follow or subscribe to our blog by adding your email in the 'Follow by Email' box on the upper right hand side of the site.  

We also have an 'Amazing Arts' newsletter that comes out every term for more information on what students are learning in music and art, as well as upcoming dates for concerts and exhibitions. We will be sending home a newsletter in the beginning of September. If you would like to contact me directly, please send me an email: haein.kim@watertown.k12.ma.us

Printed Lines + Shapes

We have been continuing our exploration of lines in PK, Kindergarten and 1st grade, and are now connecting them to make shapes. We used paint, but this time we did not use a paintbrush or water cups. Instead, we used a new technique: printing!

We learned to make lines and shapes using a cardboard tool. First we dipped it into paint, then pressed it onto our paper and lifted it up to make a mark. Dip, press, lift. We practiced printing for a few minutes before we thought about how we might make a picture using these lines and shapes. 

We noticed that we could connect the lines to make them into shapes, and make different lines by changing the way we put our marks down on our paper. 

In 1st grade, artists created busy cityscapes, with tall skyscrapers, apartment buildings, stores, cars, and even people. 

One student decided to include Fenway in his cityscape!

In second grade, we turned our lines and shapes into robots, using our active imaginations! We thought about how they could have square heads, multiple eyes, wheels on their feet, and springs for hair. One of them is even solar powered!

We had a lot of fun coming up with our own cityscapes and robots, using our printed lines and shapes to inspire our imaginations. The following class, we added color using tempera paint. We thought about how to make our colors bright to fill in our shapes, as well as the background.

Priya, 1st Grade

Lenna, 1st Grade

Alani, 2nd Grade

Art Room Tour

The art room is a work in progress, but here are a few photos to give you a sense of what our space looks like!

Welcome!

Welcome to art at Hosmer!

My name is Ms. Kim and I am in my fourth year teaching art at Hosmer Elementary School in Watertown, MA. I moved to the Boston area from New York City, where I previously taught elementary art in Brooklyn. 

In art class we will be exploring different materials and techniques so that we can express ourselves and tell our own stories, make connections across disciplines, and problem-solve in creative ways. We will be engaging in direct inquiry and experiencing materials hands-on. 

In art making, different materials provide different experiences. We will be building up a rich and expressive vocabulary with different materials and techniques, so that we can translate our thoughts into action!

Teaching and learning are woven together. I am excited to educate, challenge and inspire each other through art! If you would like to contact me with questions, please send me an email: haein.kim@watertown.k12.ma.us