Art Form: Visual Arts

Supplies Needed

-Be You! book
-Paper
-Crayons, colored pencils, or markers

Vocabulary

Self Portrait - an artist’s visual portrayal of him or herself

Character - a person in a story or play, or an animal or object that has human qualities

Unique - one of a kind; special

Expression - a way to show feelings or ideas

Color - an element of art with three properties: 1) Hue: the name of the color, e.g. red, yellow, etc.; 2) Intensity: the purity and strength of the color (brightness or dullness); 3) Value: the lightness or darkness of the color (shades and tints)

Shape - a flat, enclosed line that is always two- dimensional and can be either geometric or organic

Confidence - believing in yourself

Instructions

1. Read Be You!. Who is the character in the story? Where might this story take place? Give the character a name. What are the some of the things the character is encouraging you to be?

2. Think about what makes you special, kind, or brave. Use lines and shapes to draw a picture of yourself, illustrating your style, your smile, and your favorite things!

3. Think about your smile, your talents, and your favorite things. Add words or symbols that show who you are (like hearts, stars, or books).

4.Write your name and a sentence to describe one thing you love about yourself. Use one of these sentence starters, “I am me because..., ” or My favorite thing about me is...”.

Extensions

Make a "Be You!" book with more pictures of what you like, feel, and dream about.

Talk about what makes your friends or family unique too!

Art Form: Visual Arts

Supplies Needed

Change Sings book

Markers, crayons, colored pencils, chalk, watercolor paints, pencil

Paper

Vocabulary

Inference - reach a conclusion by applying own
knowledge and experience

Stanza - two or more lines in a poem arranged
together as a unit

Line - an identifiable path created by a dot moving
through space

Shape - an element of art that is 2-D, flat, or limited to height and width

Medium - the substance used to create an art piece.
(Ex. pencil, dirt, condensation, paint, clay, cloth)

Instructions

1. Before reading, take time to observe the illustrations on the covers and pages of the text. What colors do you see? What lines and shapes are part of the pictures? What mood or tone do the illustrations reflect?

2. Read the poem chorally (together at the same time), or take turns reading.

3. Make an inference by interpreting the deeper meanings of the stanzas by comparing the stanzas and the illustrations. How do the illustrations support the meaning of the stanzas?

4. Choose the stanza that was most inspiring to you. What did you infer about this stanza? How can you use the elements of art in an illustration to support your
inference?

5. Design and create a piece of artwork that illustrates the meaning of the stanza you chose. Use color, lines, shape, and space to demonstrate your understanding of the stanza.

6. Share your masterpiece with family and friends.

Extensions

Look specifically at the words (adjectives) in the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. mural on pages 3-4. Discuss what those words mean and how the words can inspire change.

Write an artist statement about your artwork. Include why you chose the medium you used and how your work of art illustrates the meaning of the stanza.

Art Form: Visual Arts

Supplies Needed

Maybe Something Beautiful book

Vocabulary

Feelings - an emotion that you feel

Compare - describing how things are alike

Contrast - describing how things are different

Mural - a painting or another artwork applied directly to a wall

Intensity - the brightness of a color

Instructions

1. Read the story. Explain to your child that artwork often evokes emotions or feelings. Talk to your child about the colors they saw in the story. In the beginning, the illustrator chose black, white, and grey. Then, the illustrator started to introduce colors.

2. Focus on the first two pages of the story. Remind your child that artwork painted on a wall is called a mural. Ask your child what colors they see in the murals in this book. Encourage sharing specific details (i.e. The tall building is black and grey). How do the colors make your child feel?

3. Now, explain that artists often talk about the intensity of colors to describe how bright colors are. Ask how those intense colors make your child feel.

4. Compare and contrast the colors of the beginning and the end of the story. How are they similar or different?

5. Discuss how the main character affects the colors of the story from beginning to end. How did adding colorful murals to buildings affect the community?

6. Ask your child how we can have a positive effect on our community.

Extensions

Visit a local mural and point out the colors. Discuss how the colors make your child feel.

Art Form: Visual Arts

Supplies Needed

I Believe I Can book

Pencil, crayons, markers, colored pencils, or watercolor paint

1 piece of paper

Vocabulary

Space - the distance or area between, around, above, or within things (the area the artist uses)

Color - an element of art

Hue - the name of the color

Value – how dark or light the color

Line - a continuous mark made on some surface by a moving point

Shape - an enclosed space, may be two or three dimensional

Instructions

1. Read aloud, I Believe I Can.

2. Discuss the different things the children believed they could do in the story.
Examples: ballet, using their imagination, acting, planting a garden,
overcoming a fear, etc.

3. Talk about the illustrations in the book.

• What colors did the illustrator use?
• What kinds of lines do you see? Ex. Straight, curvy, thick, thin, zig-zag
• What kinds of shapes do you see?
• Did the illustrator use the entire space on the page for the picture?

4. Draw or paint a picture of what you believe you can do using all of the space on your page. Use different lines, shapes, and colors to create your masterpiece.

Extensions

Describe your picture to someone. Tell them all the details in your picture.

Write a sentence or story about your picture.

Art Form: Visual Arts

Supplies Needed

Thank You, Omu! book

Old magazines, newspapers, printed images, colored paper

Fabric scraps and textured paper

Markers, crayons, or colored pencils

Thick paper or cardboard (for the base of the collage)

Items that have texture

Scissors

Glue sticks

Vocabulary

Color - Light reflected by an object

Shape - An enclosed space

Texture - How something feels or looks like it feels

Collage - A type of art that involves gluing different materials onto a surface to create an image that has texture

Theme - The overall message of the story

Medium - The material used in an artwork

Instructions

1. Read aloud Thank You, Omu!. Look closely at the illustrations. Describe the colors, textures and shapes that you see.

2. Discuss the theme of the book--Omu's generosity and how it brought the community together. Discuss or reflect on the following questions:

• What does "community" mean? How is community represented in the book?
• Why did Omu decide to share her stew? How did it impact her community?
• Can you think of a time when you gave something to others? How did it make you feel and how did others react?
• What are some ways we can build a stronger community in our classroom or neighborhood?

3. Create textures on paper using items from around your home by placing the items under your paper and rubbing lightly with the side of a crayon.

4. Use the textured paper and other materials to create a collage that represents the themes of sharing and togetherness. Include words, images, and textures to
convey your ideas.

5. Consider how different materials (like fabric or textured paper) can add depth and interest to your collage, similar to the book’s illustrations. Arrange your
pieces before gluing them in place.

Extensions

Look specifically at the descriptive words (adjectives) in the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. mural on pages 3-4. Discuss what those words mean and how the words can inspire change.

Write an artist statement about your artwork. Include why you chose the medium you used and how your work of art illustrates the meaning of the theme.