3rd Grade Lascaux Cave Paintings

3rd grade creates artwork based on their knowledge of a "Timeline of Art" which continues in 4th grade. 3rd grade starts their timeline in 15,000 BC with the discovery of cave paintings of animals.

In 1940, a group of French boys stumbled upon the opening of a cave in Lascaux, France. Inside the cave they found drawings of animals all over the walls. It was later discovered that these drawings were from around 15,000 BC. The drawings were larger than the animals depicted and some were even etched into the rocks.

Using brown paper to resemble a cave wall, students drew their depictions of deer, bison, wild cats, aurochs and many other animals found inside the caves. The catch is that they had to depict a story through their drawings. They were asked to pretend to be a cave artist. Why would they crawl into a dark cave to draw a picture? What would they want to communicate by doing so? Would they be telling a story and if so, what would it be?

1st Grade Miro Creatures

1st grade looked at art created by artist, Joan Miro. Together they came up with a story behing Miro's work, People and Dog in Sun.

They learned that Miro used images drawn by children and his imagination as inspiration for his own work.

Each student was asked to trace, with paint, their hands twice on a piece of paper so that they intersected. Each shape was then painted a different color and cut out. Studets had to mix up shapes until they could see an animal in the shapes. Then we added "juicy details" with markers to make the creatures come alive! Each student got the chance to "show and tell" some characteristics and abilities of each of their creatures.