Fish in Oil pastel- Fish of the Dene Nation

This was a cross grade collaboration project between my Grade 10 homeroom class and our buddy class, which is grade 4/5 students. Different grades in our school were assigned a specific group of First Nations to learn about. We were assigned the Dene nation. I designed this oil pastel fish project based on the fish found in their traditional waters. My colleague found a handout which we printed out. Students chose a fish and we all worked together to make these. This was a very last minute project started at the end of this year, so my class unfortunately didn't finish. But the ones that did, well, I was really proud of their work!

The Dene are a group of First Nations whose traditional homeland, Denendeh, spans across the subarctic regions of the Northwest Territories, Yukon, northern Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and British Columbia. Meaning "the people", they consist of several distinct nations including the Denesuline (Chipewyan), Tłı̨chǫ (Dogrib), Gwich'in, and Sahtu.

For thousands of years, fishing has been central to the survival, culture, and economy of the Dene. They primarily target freshwater species like Lake Whitefish, Arctic Grayling, Lake Trout, and Northern Pike in local lakes and rivers. Dene harvesters practice reciprocity by only taking what they need, avoiding waste, and sharing their catch with the community.

Students started by sketching out their fish on 12 x 19" kraft paper. They started with the lightest colour, white, and filled i where all the white areas are. Then they worked up to finally the darkest colours last. They were encouraged to blend colours for realism. We finished with adding scales and then cut them out.

Then we made a display label writing the fish species in English and Gwichʼin.

Here are some Grade 4/5 finished fish!

Here are the teacher fish:

Here are some Grade 10 fish- unfortunately many didn't manage to finish:

We hung the fish on blue cellophane paper taped to a glass wall:

Op Art

This was the final art project I did with my Grade 4-6 class this year. We managed to get it completed in two- 80 minute periods. Some boys reminded me they requested an Op art project this semester so I had to quickly find one, lol.

Luckily I found THIS lesson on the website Art with Mrs. Filmore and it worked really well. I definitely didn't explain it well enough and about 30% of both classes had to re-start, some had to re-start 3 times. So I do suggest you have the kids follow along as she does in her video tutorial. 

I also pre-drew the first lines as I knew it would take my kids forever to do it correctly and we had limited time. I would say this project took a lot of patience for my kids to complete but they all completed it in the end and were very happy with their results!

These were about 8" x 8".

Some Grade 4-6 results:

 

Paper Beads Bracelet Craft

 

This was an end of year activity my Grade 4-6 students enjoyed, though, not all were able to successfully create the paper beads. 

Paper bead making is a beautiful craft that transforms simple strips of paper into colorful, handcrafted beads. By rolling, gluing, and sealing recycled paper, artists create unique beads that can be used in jewelry, decorations, and other creative projects. No two beads are exactly alike, making each piece a small work of art.

Paper bead making has gained worldwide recognition through the work of women's cooperatives in several African countries, particularly in Uganda. Many women use recycled magazines, calendars, and other discarded paper materials to create vibrant beads and jewelry. The craft provides an opportunity to earn income, support their families, and build stronger communities while promoting environmental sustainability through recycling.

Students measured and cut one inch thin triangles from magazine paper and rolled it around a bamboo stick and glued it shut. It's a pretty fiddly craft and takes very good fine motor skills and dexterity! Definitely watch a tutorial- Youtube has lots.

Once they had a good amount for a bracelet, I varnished the beads using clear nail polish strung on a thin wire. The next class they chose small colored beads and strung their bracelet onto clear elastic thread. They were very happy with them!

Cactus Watercolour Paintings

Here's another project where student can practice both their drawing skills as well as their watercolour painting skills.

I printed out sheets with lots of varieties of cacti. Grade 4-6 students drew their cacti in a pot on a table. They had to add a simple pattern to the background or be creative in some way. They were outlined in sharpie then painted using pan watercolours. For final details, paint pens were used to add additional patterns.