Fifth+Grade

As fifth graders, students will learn about the Principles of Design through each art project. By looking at the principles in famous works of art and applying them to their own art, students will be better prepared for their art experience in the middle school.

The Principles of Design include balance, movement, rhythm, unity, contrast, emphasis and pattern.

Each year, our fifth grade students learn about how to use and arrange the elements of art in a design for the cover of the Ironton yearbook. Twenty of the best designs are displayed in the Art Room. Each student at every grade level has the opportunity to vote for their favorite design and the winning design will be featured on the cover of the Ironton yearbook that will be published and distributed in the spring. It is quite an honor to have your design chosen for the yearbook cover and it is an exciting time for all of our students, but especially for our fifth grade students.  In preparation for middle school, students in fifth grade are encouraged to be more independent and responsible learners. In art class they will be doing a variety of creative drawing activities, often accompanied by a short writing assignment, in a sketchbook/journal. One of the challenges of these activities is that the students are required to use marker for all drawings so they are forced to incorporate the mistakes they may make into their drawing. In this way they will be thinking creatively to problem solve the mistake into part of their design. It encourages independence because students must "fix" the problem themselves without teacher assistance. Students work on their sketchbook/journals for 10 minutes at the beginning of art as they enter the room and get settled. After 10 minutes the regular lesson begins.

Fifth grade students will also learn about mandala designs and analogous colors. A mandala design is a radial design that is composed of lines, shapes and colors that radiate from the center of a circular design. In some cultures, it serves as the focal point of meditative activities but it can also be found in nature. Snowflakes, spiderwebs, orange slices are natural examples of radial designs. Our fifth grade students create mandala designs and learn about radial balance, unity, contrast and movement through their mandala project.

Fifth grade students will also learn about the art work of M.C. Escher and tessellations. Through his work they will learn how rhythm, unity and contrast can work together to create a unified art work.

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