Life is short. Eat dessert first!

My elementary students are almost finished with their Wayne Thiebaud inspired cakes and ice cream cones. I have many hanging on the wall in my hallway, with the quote "Life is short. Eat dessert first!" As we are completing the projects, I ask the students the following questions to make sure we are meeting the expectations for this project;

Do I have repetition (more than one shape, detail, or object repeating)?

Do I have a ground line (make sure my cake is not floating)?

Did I add details?

Did I trace my shapes and lines with bright colors (halation)?

Here are some of the amazing projects completed by my 2nd grade students. If you wish to see more student samples, you can view our online art gallery at Artsonia.

As art teachers may already know, students never finish at the same time.  If a child finishes early in my classroom, he or she may pick from a menu of art activities to reinforce facts learned about the Artist's life or utilize the artist's style.  Some of the activities include word searches, crossword puzzles, books about the artist's life or inspired by his/her images, and a drawing which involves the artist's style in some way.

The drawing activity for this particular artist requires students to draw their favorite meal and beverage (using a cylinder shape), include utensils and a ground line to reinforce our vocabulary and art skills from this lesson.

A list of anchor activities to complete when finished early. My first and second grade students are required to complete the drawing, but may choose any of the following items for themselves.