My students need marker pens and construction paper for the California State Seal art project and the student-created California State Fact Book art project.
In 4th grade, we study California history as part of the Social Studies Common Core curriculum. We go back to the earliest Spanish explorers through the Mission era and the Gold Rush and end with statehood and modern day government. My students are very excited to learn about California's rich history.
My students come from all ethnic backgrounds.
Most are in the lower to middle class socioeconomic class. My school is K-8, and many students come to my school from out of the area because it has such a high reputation in our community. It is a California Distinguished School.
The students' mascot is the Bulldog. We have many assemblies for our Bulldogs to recognize their academic excellence as well as students who display good character traits such as respect, responsibility, caring, trustworthiness, and integrity.
The students in my class are excited about learning, and they are given every opportunity for setting goals and challenging themselves to do their very best! Many of our creative art projects are put on display in a Spring Open House event at our school. Families are invited to attend and admire the students' year-long projects.
My Project
My students need marker pens and construction paper for the California State Seal art project and the student-created California State Fact Book art project.
The students create the California Stained Glass State Seal which is an exact replica of the California State Seal. They use transparency sheets to trace and color in each detail on the seal using permanent colored markers of various colors. It is quite detailed. The black constructions paper is cut to fit into a wide frame around the "stained glass window." It is made to be hung in a window.
The students also create a California Fact Book which is a combination of writing about and coloring the symbols of the state, including the grizzly bear (state animal), the valley quail (state bird), and the giant Sequoias (state tree). Each page is mounted on a different color sheet (construction paper) and when completed the pages are glued back to back to form a book. Students use a different color for each page, so it is quite colorful when completed.
The students take such pride in showing these art creations to their parents and families at our Open House.
Most importantly, they learn what each symbol on the seal stands for. They also learn many facts about each of the state symbols and they write a paragraph about each one. The stained glass project requires permanent markers to adhere to the slick transparency paper. The colored paper is used for both projects, all part of learning California history.
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