7th Grade Pop Art Portraits

Ooooh, these portraits are cool. And even the students that struggle still take away such important skills when it comes to blending paint and working with value. I know the techniques 7th grade acquired from the process of this project will be revisited and extended in Expressions next year!

8th Grade 3-D Explosive Words!

Guys, CHECK THESE OUT! Another new project I've been toying with FINALLY made it into the art room and I am ecstatic! These 3-d  words are so bright, so colorful, and make me so happy! I love having them displayed on my classroom walls. Super cheap materials, too- all recycled cardboard. LOVE!

7th Grade Gets Looney!

The Looney Tunes Scale Project is always a win! I love how incorporating math concepts can build artistic (and mathematical) confidence in the art room. Aren't these just great?

OBSESSED with 8th Grade Reduction Printing!

I cannot believe it has taken me this long to try reduction printing with my students. With the help of a grant, I took the plunge and invested in the tools to make this happen. SO MUCH FUN! Every student wrote about how much fun they had creating their prints and spoke about the process and how engaging it was. The number one take away, aside from the fact that this project is a keeper, is that baby wipes are a MUST HAVE for clean up. ;)

BDOR 2020

One Day, 87 8th graders, pajama's, books and paint! Put it all together and you have the Big Day of Reading! This year 27 ceiling tiles murals of original book cover designs were painted on this glorious day. These murals will be installed on the ceilings of the library, classrooms, administration, and business office buildings. Great Job Class of 2024!

8th Grade Perspective Tape Murals!

One of the best things about 8th Grade Expressions is their public art installations. I love it when the students get to produce work and install it around campus. The 8th Grade Perspective Murals are a perfect example! The buzz that is created by their collaborative artwork, and the sense of pride the students share with their classmates reinforces in my mind why the arts are vital!

7th Grade 2 Point Perspective Treehouses

So 7th grade piloted this very cool project that I have been eyeing for years! I am blown away by the creativity and engagement and encouraged by their effort. Trying new projects can be scary, but it is always rewarding in the end!

Art Clubber Conclude the Mural Session

Check out the ceiling tile designs my art clubbers created based on the request of staff. I can't wait to install these around campus! Great work art club!

7th grade 1 Point Perspective Initials

7th Grade Initials look amazing! I am thrilled to have developed a Linear Perspective Unit for 7th and 8th grade and to be able to observe how their skills continue to grow throughout their LE journey. :)

8th Grade 1 Point Soaring Perspective

8th grade eased right in to the Linear Perspective with the Soaring Sky rise Perspective Project. I love the colors, the contrast, and the watercolor effects. So proud!

Dia de los Muertos Exhibit Opening/Humanities Night

SUCH A GREAT NIGHT!

8th Grade Embroidered Sugar Skull Ornaments

Sewing skills from 77th grade take over as these kids strut their stuff, with embroidery needles. Check out how they have mastered the running and backstitch. Impressive!

7th Grade Collaborative Remembrance Skeletons

Groups of student chose a notable person in history to remember and honor with a skeleton collage for the Day of the Dead. Check out their creativity!

Art Club Murals Teams

I Love Art Club! Our mural teams are going strong. Here is a sneak peek at their progress. This group is so independent and inspiring!

7th Grade Skull Prints

7th grade worked with lino blocks for the first time to carve skulls to print and layer Remembrance Cards. This project is truly about the process, as it is a trial and error method The students really enjoy the project, and their reflections always speak to ways they would change their approach. Guess what that means? More printing in 8th grade!

Wide Open Walls Field Trip 2019

Sac Running Tours partnered up with LE once again this year to lead us through a historic monument and mural walking field trip. We had perfect weather, great chaperones and awesome sites to marvel over. GREAT DAY!

September Expressions!

8th Grade collaborated on some seriously challenging optical illusion design ceiling tiles for the classroom. I am very impressed with their focus, precision, and communication skills!

8th Grade installed their optical illusion dots throughout the LE Hallway in honor of International Dot Day!

7th Grade completed their Pen and Ink Interactive Gesture drawings this week and they turned out great! I love the contrast that the black and white creates against the colored scenery.

7th Grade mastered Xacto Knife skills to cut out these delicate and intricate Papel Picados!

August Expressions

7th Grade showing their skills with their first major project, the Animoji. Impressive!

8th Grade revisiting X-acto knife skills with fun and tricky contrast-o paper!

 Sketchbooks are assembled and cover designs look great!

 Check out my new phone system, peeps!

 Not wastin' any time! 7th and 8th grade collaborative mural in the books!

I am so excited to host an after school art club this year!  Art Club was opened up to 7th and 8th grade students. Over 25 kiddos attended to first meeting and we maintain a core group of twenty for the first 2 month cycle, which focuses on murals!

Expressions In June- End of the Year!

7th Grade Scratch Art Portrait Final! These beauties will line the walls of the classroom next year! #classof2024

8th Grade Pen and Ink Pun Finals always bring a smile. I'll miss these kids for sure!

Scenes from promotion breakfast. So lucky to get to send this group off this morning!

Expressions in May!

8th grade students reflected on their memories of the past three years and created stencils to spray paint the stand out! #graffitiart

8th Grade students completed their Graffiti art that prepares them for their Legacy Project Mural!

7th Grade finished up their Ugly Doll which demonstrates mastery of basic stitches and button sewing!

Expressions in April!

The image above is a graffiti wall that was donated to the Art department.- YESSSSS!!!!! This three sided wall is going to provide many opportunities for students to create murals and graffiti art. This wall may even springboard a much anticipated Art Club. The minute the wall arrived I sent students out to test some color samples and font to brainstorm a mural design. We are SO LUCKY and I am thrilled!

This video above captures clips of the 8th grade Claymation project. Students had a ton of fun developing their claymation character. I love it when kids get so connected to their art projects!

In this video, 7th grade illuminated banners shine! Students selected an animal for their symbol and practiced lettering to illustrate their crest using aluminum tooling and color sharpies. Great work 7th grade!

Blanket Weaving In Process

When the knitting Unit is kicked off, the students really get into knitting. Once they are done with their knitted project, they think they are done with the unit. Then I teach them how to weave their individual strips together to weave blankets. Oh Man. Talk about excitement! The kids really get a sense of satisfaction of their hard work when they get to form the blankets. On average, it takes three 45 minute sessions to weave almost 200 strips into blankets. This year is no different. We should be done weaving our blankets by the end of the day Monday. :)

Sacramento Blankets for Kids Award

Today, Susan Berbec, from Sacramento Blankets for Kids, came to present to my 8th grade class for the 7th year in a row. Our 8th grade students have been knitting blankets for this organization for a long time, and knitting season is my FAVORITE season of the school year. This year, the organization surprised me with an Award of Dedication along with a Quilt at the presentation. It is an honor to lead my kids through this service-learning project and to have such a strong partnership with this local organization!

8th Grade Cake Sculptures

Some may see these cakes as simply fun and decorative. Really they are a symbolic project and an example of visualization. 8th Grade Students set a goal, either academic, personal or social. Then, they designed a slice a cake to represent the celebration they would have when meeting that goal. It was very interesting to read the artist statements that accompanied their projects. I think the students took this opportunity for goal setting very seriously. So Proud!

7th Grade Gets Looney!

Looney Tunes are a GREAT way to hook students into scale drawings. Add oil pastels and KABOOM! Check out these awesome characters. :)

Big Day of Reading 2019

One Day. 87 8th Grade Students. 33 Ceiling Tiles. 33 Mural concepts based on Social Justice Books. This is the Big Day of Reading and look what my kiddos created in one school day. :)

8th Grade Light Painting

8th grade wrapped up the Trick Photography unit with Light painting- the ULTIMATE team building activity. We use only smart devices for this activity. Two apps that were most successful included PABLO and Slow Shutter Cam. If you haven't tried this yet, wait no longer! Get some glow sticks, a dark space, and download those apps!

7th Grade Homeless Micrography Portraits

 Oh My Goodness. I am really overwhelmed with the level of empathy the 7th grade class has demonstrated through this extensive portrait project based on the Sacramento Homeless.

This project was inspired by Sacramento Loaves and Fishes, Doug Winter, and the words from the stories of these unsheltered people.

8th Grade Words in Nature Photography

Leading into winter break, nothing beats an outdoor photography project. This year the weather was crisp and clear and I thoroughly enjoyed being outdoors! Check out these amazing words the students created from images they took around campus.

8th Grade Forced Perspective

Nothin makes me happier than taking the kids OUTSIDE of the classroom for some teamwork and collaboration. Forced perspective if one of those projects that simply forces students to problem solve together, and it's fun, too!

November/December

Expressions Charter Chat: November/December 2018 from Jenell Novello

7th grade Humane Society Collages

The Humane Society was the first advocacy project that the 7th graders took on. Students chose a specific fight to represent with an animal collage created in the style of Deborah Shapiro. Once collages we created, the were published using their hashtags to advocate for each fight. So proud of these collages!

#StopHorseSlaughter
 

#EndFactoryFarming

#EndAnimalFighting

#StopPuppyMills