Third graders have recently completed an in-depth exploration of a master work. Students first chose a portrait painting of a person or people they would like to be their mentor for the next few weeks. Third graders began by looking at their chosen portrait, and noticing everything they could about it. Using the prompt "Imagine you went to a museum and saw a portrait that really struck you. How would you describe it to your family at dinner, so that they could picture it in their minds exactly as you saw it?" students completed a descriptive writing passage about their chosen portrait. We used a peer feedback system for improving writing in which girls read aloud to a partner and their partner gave suggestions for what was missing.
When it came time to draw, girls made complicated things simple using a variety of strategies. They learned how to sketch their chosen painting by finding the center of the painting, and identifying and copying shapes. They used their fingers and drawing tools to measure proportions and angles. Next third graders brainstormed various ways of changing colors. They realized they could add black or white to make a color lighter or darker, but they also drew on previous knowledge of the color wheel, noting a color can also be made darker by mixing its complement. They examined their paintings, noticing the complexities of color. Girls layered nupastels to achieve the colors they observed, completing large shapes first and adding details second. Third graders used the same partner feedback system for critique as needed.
Occasionally during the drawing process, third graders were asked to pause and reflect on what their painting was telling them. Once they were asked "Teachers/mentors teach more than subject matter. What is your painting telling you about Bryn Mawr core values today?" Responses included "Be respectful of classmates and try not to talk when they are concentrating!" and "When you're struggling with color mixing, be resilient and try something different." Third graders drew upon these conversations after completing their master study. As a reflection, students created a comic in an iPad app called "Strip Designer" to show what their painting taught them about art and core values.
Students also returned to their descriptive passage after drawing, adding new things they noticed. They realized that to draw is to see. The third grade will create a treasure hunt in which the viewer will be challenged to find a portrait based the descriptive writing passages.
Next time you visit a museum, ask your third grader if she would like to bring paper and a pencil to draw what she sees!
