Category Archives: Second Level
Magical Mysteries in Art in P5C and P5A
Master Printmaker Nick Devison ran a workshop for the P5s on Burns Day and what a magical event it was. We had worked on Pressprinting and how to make a clean, clear print and Nick showed us how to develop our skills and play with the materials showing developing skill using line, shape and texture (EXA 2.03a). P5C extended this with the addition of watercolour to their favourite artwork on the 26th.
We used a specialist safe etching ink and experimented with cut-out shapes, making lines and creating textures with our hands, pens, cotton buds and cocktail sticks.
As you can see from the pictures we had abstract artworks which were quite mysterious as well more figurative works. P5C gave constructive comment on their own and others’work (EXA 2.07a)
Megan and Tiegan loved that they were not directed in their themes and could make as many works until the paper ran out! Megan even made a collaborative work with Annabel. Most of all the magic of turning over the monoprints to see what had been printed was the most magical thing of the morning.
It was great P5a got to find out more about the career of an artist and it was a lot of fun. Clearing up was not quite so much fun for the class teachers but nobody said learning had to be clean:-)
A HUGE thank you to Nick. It was a finale to our lessons on printmaking.
P7s’ Eye and Mind-Opening Visit to the Gallery of Modern Art One and Two in Edinburgh on the 28th November
Miracles at Mid Calder
A Leither who Left us all Thinking!
P7s went to the National Galleries of Scotland MOD2 on the 28th of November for a tour of Sir Eduardo Paolozzi’s studio and to explore a few of his sculptures in the gardens and cafe there. They went to explore further the work of this famous Scottish artist, born in Leith, who had great success not only in 3-D work but also in printmaking, collage and textiles.
In class we had discussed the Pop Art movement and worked on Pop Art posters with bright coloured backgrounds and collaged onto these with drawings of what they thought were the most popular cultural items of their times. Now it was time to find out from Duncan and Mo at the National Gallery more about his sculptures of man and machine such as the monumental Vulcan and The Master of the Universe.
So what did we think:
I was amazed by the fantastic responses of the children about the meaning of the artworks and what creative ideas they had. When we looked at the recreation of Paolozzi’s studio we discovered that maquettes were small models for sculptors to work from and we saw the explosion of interesting things he had around him.
Olivia enjoyed seeing the studio that Eduardo Paolozzi had and seeing all the finished and unfinished works that he made. She wants to learn more about him and how he fell in love with Art. Kiera thought it was interesting to see the artwork in his studio and there was lot to see.
Then we got the chance to “play with shapes” and were free to make our own 3-D artworks from card and tape and the pupils rose to this imaginative challenge and got the opportunity to evaluate their peers’ work. The parent helpers, Mrs Ramsay and Mrs Smith were invaluable in encouraging and supporting the frenzy of work.
Bethan enjoyed making the sculptures with her friend but wanted more time to finish them. Calum enjoyed making models and having fun with his friends.
Afterwards some of the children chose to look around some of the NOW exhibit at MOD1 and others chose to play in the sculpture garden. With a smaller group wandering through the sounds and sights of the Turner prize-winning Susan Philipsz’s work it was quite an eerie, melancholic experience with 7 turntables each playing single notes for 17 minutes and in the next room salt paintings of different kinds of tears that linked with the sad music. Really moving. Especially to see some of the least engaged pupils at the start of the day truly immersed in the experience. We had an opportunity to look into the mind and work of a great new artist and in doing so this allowed us to open our minds.
Cade liked the turntables because the men in the rooms told us about them and we got to listen to the sounds but he got bored quite quickly.
Well done to everyone! Great creative thinkers.
P6 Artland Adventures in the Natural World
P6s have been engaged with Environmental Art for the past few weeks.
LI – EXA 2.07a to look at others’ artwork and use these ideas as inspiration for their own work
SC- I can create a hall display to detail my Land Art experiences
I can create a blog response of my thoughts and feelings
They also created artworks in teams and on their own in the school playground using natural and scavenged items that they found.
They researched the art of Andy Goldsworthy and other sculptors whose work they saw on a visit to Jupiter Artland near Wilkieston.
After their tour the pupils were set a challenge to create an artwork with a repeating pattern or sequence in the outdoors.
Maths Week Scotland in P5C
As part of Maths Week, we linked our learning with our IDL context ‘The Rainforest’ . Early in the week we were learning about where in the world the rainforests are, using maps and atlases. We were able to link this to outcomes within Shape, Position and Movement.
I can use my knowledge of the coordinate system to plot and describe the location of a point on a grid.
MTH 2-18a / MTH 3-18a
L.I. We are learning about position and movement
S.C.- I can identify an object on a map
-I can describe its location in relation to the eight compass points
-I can create a grid and give instructions for how to describe or find a position on the grid
We practised giving each other directions, making half, quarter and full turns and relating these to angles – some people were brave enough to be blindfolded and allow others to direct them!
Using our knowledge of the eight compass points, we wrote out directions for how to get from one point on the map to another. We practised plotting and finding coordinates on a grid and this allowed us to locate places on maps when we were finding out about where the rainforests exist.
Later in the week we were able to create our own grids and plot coordinates for others to find. We have been trying to keep practising using positional language whenever we can – during our bowling session this afternoon someone commented that their bowling ball had gone a bit too far to the North West!
P5a Transition Challenge
L.I. we are learning to encourage learning and confidence in others
We are learning to recognise our skills and abilities and discuss our learning
We are learning to support others in preparing for their next stage at school.
This week in class, P5a worked in groups to prepare a presentation for the current P4s all about their transition to Primary 5. Each group focused on a different curricular area; Inter -Disciplinary Learning, Health & Wellbeing, Maths and Language. One group also focused on the routines of the school day and the extra responsibilities of being in P5.
As a group, we reflected on the learning which has taken place throughout our P5 journey. It was fun to remember all of the things we’ve done and we had to jog our memories to think of everything and make sure we didn’t forget anything!
We used Powerpoint and Sway and tried to make our presentations interesting and informative; we
hopefully made our P5 experience sound like fun. After each group had presented, we answered questions from P4s.
Some of the things they wanted to know were;
‘Will we have the same lunchtimes?
‘Will we do all the same topics?’
‘Will the Maths be harder?’.
We hopefully gave full answers to all their questions and we tried to reassure them about moving on to the next stage in their school life.
Supporting Reading at Home – Primary 5
Supporting Reading in P6 & 7
Reading at Home Videos – Second Level
