Mrs. PARADIS' WEB PAGE
paradisd@stafford.ctschool.net

Second Grade Adventures in the Visual Arts

This looks to be an exciting year for Second Graders here at SES.  We'll be looking into, and learning
about the land of Egypt, its geography, its history, and of course, the visual arts of that age and culture.
We'll be learning about heiroglyphics, ceramics, ornamentation, and of course, the pyramids.
The Egyptian history of ornamentation of buildings and clothing is a rich and creative story that will be
of interest and excitement to the students.

Third Grade Adventures in the Visual Arts

Because Egypt has such a rich history and culture, and the arts were so important to the citizens of
that area and era, the Third Graders will also be venturing into the world of the Egyptian arts.  There
will be architectural segments, allowing for 3-dimensional exploration, learning about the decorative arts  found on
fabrics, on walls and in jewelry.  The world of the Early Egyptians is a topic that we can constantly explore
to learn more about the influences of the Ancient Worlds upon our modern cultures.

Fourth Grade Adventures in the Visual Arts

Africa is rich in history, geography and the Visual Arts.  Come to think about it, every nation and every culture has a
richness in the arts, both visual AND performing!!  With our exploration of Africa we will discover the beauty of
the Kente cloth, the geometric patterns and the colors used to create such joyful patterns.  We'll be creating
our own patterns and designs.  Our exploration of the Kente cloth will also allow us to make connections
with the Navajo Indian patterns found on their woven blankets and in their ceramics.  Weaving has such a rich history
in both of these regions, even though they are nearly half a world apart.

Fifth Grade Adventures in the Visual Arts

The Fifth Graders here at SES will begin their year by gathering items from nature to create our own dyes and
colors from nature.  They will be cooking and squishing and grinding and mixing in order to create natural colors.
This is a great way to learn the history of civilization and how humankind was able to record visually the happenings
of their communities BEFORE the written language came into existance.  We will be using those dyes and colors to
create wonderful watercolor paintings, working from actual pictures and photos.  This is another great way to
learn about mixing colors, creating new colors, and realizing the wealth of hues and colors, within our natural world.
Following the fun of watercolors, both natural and "store-bought" we'll be changing to 3-dimensional unit
of ceramics.  Some of the students will be following the traditions of the Navajos and be creating "story-
teller dolls" and we will be writing stories that the storytellers would be telling.  Other students will be exploring
the ancient tradition of SGRAFFITO, creating containers of a dark clay, covering it with a white clay, then actually
carving the designs through the white clay so the darker clay can show through. 


Each student will be given a sketch-journal to keep records of his or her plans, ideas and
thoughts.  This is in the tradition of Leonardo da Vinci, who kept many complex
notes and ideas that we are still exploring 500 years later.  Our students will be keeping their
sketch-journals here at school, in their lockers when not in use, and will not be bringing them
home until the end of the school year.  They will be basically writing and drawing their own
original art textbooks.  In this way they are connecting the written language with the
language of  design and decoration.