Castles of Character

First grade is very close to my heart, as you know. As all of us who have taught first grade know, September is a time of growth and challenge for the new first-grader. With this in mind we are integrating a lesson about citizenship, responsibility, and good character with fundamental line work and depth of understanding about the coloration of the great Paul Klee. We started by reading a Klee-inspired book, "The Cat and the Bird". We observed analogous color and strong linear form in contrast and took a strong liking to the castles in the book. After discussing what developing good character means we decided we would make castles of character- strong, determined, brave, responsible, and interesting. Drawings were done using guided-line technique with rulers and meeting three guidelines: varied height, overlapping buildings, and planning space for color. Later, wax resistance formed guidelines for this challenging watercolor work. Waterproof marker provided the final layer of markings and defined the castles well. Well done first-graders!