ChIcKeNs! ChIcKeNs! ChIcKeNs!

First grade students have been working on some fabulous collage art that I want to share. They aren't quite finished but I felt the need to photograph their work and share it today because I just love them. The lesson began with an introduction of Eric Carle's collage techniques and his use of painted papers to add texture and a realistic quality to his art. The kids made painted papers during the first class time. The next class time I introduced two books to them. Blue Chicken and Chicken Big are both Georgia Picture Book Award nominees. Chicken Big also happens to be one of my favorite books. It is hilarious.

The kids spent the next two classes hearing the books, comparing the characters, and summarizing the stories. This took the first 10-15 minutes of class, and they spent the remainder of time creating chickens with the painted papers from the previous week. They made the chickens without gluing them to a background. The next class times were spent on creating a background scene to glue their chicken into. The first graders used tissue paper in shades of greens and blues and liquid starch to paint on the tissue. They added additional textures to their grass and sky with tempera paint. On the day these photos were taken, they glued in their chickens and started adding other "farm" elements of their choice to the back ground. These aren't quite finished but they came to life when they added the chickens in today. I love my job.