4th grade Endangered Species

4th grade students researched an endangered animal.  Students used various media to complete their drawings. They learned about Endangered animals, texture, color, proportion and point of view.  This was their Square 1 Art project.

5th grade monsters

For the Square 1 Art School fund raiser program 5th grade students created a monster with various adaptations. Students learned about scale, color relationships, and texture.

3rd grade Sumi-e Painting and ceramics project

3rd grade learned about the Japanese art form of painting called Sumi-e. They practiced brush strokes using bamboo brushes called a "fude."  Students created an ink bowl and brush holder inspired by the traditional cobalt painted Asian pottery.

2nd grade documents the weather!

To tie in with the 2nd grade class study of weather,  we are painting pictures that show weather. This is part of the Square 1 Art project.  We talked about color and how to show movement using line. Students learned some new watercolor techniques and explored using crayon with paint.

1st grade Why is Blue Dog Blue?

Well the truth is sometimes 1st grade paints blue dog....

This is a square 1 Art project.  We read the book Why is Blue Dog Blue, by George Rodrigue.  Student learned how to draw a dog using basic shapes.  We talked about how color can represent different ideas and feeling.

3rd grade Pet Portraits

3rd graders are working on their Square 1 Art Project. The theme this year is PETS!  Student drew from images they found or brought in to class. We talked about drawing animals using basic shapes, proportion and the use of color.

Positive School Climate Art Work

During art class all students at Crest View from Kindergarten through 5th grade created a puzzle piece that included their name with various patterns and designs.  The giant puzzle shows how there are no extra pieces at Crest View...everyone here has a place to fill!"

Crest View Cougars are Gearing up for a Great New School Year

All art classes at CVE are busy creating our school wide art installation, titled:
"Crest View Cougars are gearing up for a great new school year."  Each child created a self portrait in a bike bike gear chain ring image during art class.  We will draw self portraits again at the end of the school year to document student growth.  The art is up on the walls, hope you get chance to see these works of art in person!

Independent ESD research time in Tokyo

I have been trying to explore as much of Toyko as I can during my free time.  Below are some photos from various art galleries, museums and interesting scenes from just walking around the streets.

Ginza Graphic Gallery really cool projected videos. Lots of art playing with light, movement and shadow.

I am in front of the Mori Art Museum  in Robppongi Hills under Louise Bourgeois' Spider sculpture.
The Spider is an ode to my mother. She was my best friend. Like a spider, my mother was a weaver. My family was in the business of tapestry restoration, and my mother was in charge of the workshop. Like spiders, my mother was very clever. Spiders are friendly presences that eat mosquitoes. We know that mosquitoes spread diseases and are therefore unwanted. So, spiders are helpful and protective, just like my mother.
— Louise Bourgeois

Shibuya  crossing rumored to be the world's busiest, this intersection  in front of the Shibuya station is famously knows as 'The Scramble'. People come from all directions at once, sometimes over a 1,000 with every light change, yet manage to dodge each other with practiced nonchalant agility.

I must have walked by Hachiko Statue a few times as I was expecting it to be very large.

I searched all over Shibuya to find the Hachiko Statue erected at teh station plaza to celebrate the memory of  an Akita dog, who belonged to a professor who lived near Shibuya Station. The professor died in 1925 but the dog continued to show up and wait at the station for his master until his own death 10 years later.

Rarely does a neighborhood influence a fashion movement as distinctly, yet diversely, as does the Harajuku district of Tokyo. Often all mixed together, the elements of Harajuku style include manga-inspired baby-doll dresses and pigtails, goth makeup and platform shoes, and kimonos.

Having dinner in Ueno

Shiseido Gallery I saw an exhibition by Hong Kong-born artist Lee Kit, currently based in Taipei. Titled "The voice behind me"Lee’s keywords for this exhibition include concepts like “fear,” “solitude” and “breathing.” In the background, many of these reflect frustration with political and social inequalities, the stresses that accompany daily life, and inescapable solitude. Lee himself has felt such feelings during his sojourns in many different cities—Hong Kong, Taipei, London, Tokyo, among others—and while such feelings may often be construed as negatives, Lee remarks that “being pessimistic is optimistic.” This sort of flexible attitude is essential if one is to resist being beaten down by current conditions and to move forward with living.

I went to the Mori Art Museum which also includes the Tokyo City View an observatory on the 52nd floor and has some of  the best views in Tokyo.  The current exhibition at Mori Art Museum is a "Star Wars Vision", including art work of approximately 60 points of the world first public exhibition that artist whom Mr. George Lucas chose from all over the world produced, it is display with concept art and apparel, approximately 100 points including small tools that were really used by movie production of series 6 work. We introduce charm of Star Wars on theme called "vision".

Below are some random photos I took while exploring Tokyo today.  I really paid attention to the various  lines, shapes and patterns I discovered all around me. 

U.S. Japan Exchange Day 11: Joint Conference in Tokyo Continues

Today was our final day of the joint conference. This morning we all presented our work  from the past few days and the ideas we have going forward to build collaborate projects and communication between the  United States and Japan regarding ESD. It is sad saying goodbye today as this was the conclusion of our journey as a whole group. All of us educators from the U.S. have gotten to know the Japanese teachers very well from our time with them in San Francisco and Tokyo. They are an amazing group of educators that are passionate about students and learning. It is also sad to be saying goodbye to my colleagues from the United States. When I met them in San Francisco I knew they would be great partners for the experience in Japan. We traveled and worked together for the entire two weeks. All of the participants in the Japan-US Teacher exchange are some of the most innovative, creative and interesting people I have me and they have also become good friends. I will miss everyone very much.


Pictures from the final meeting today.

June Ubukata (above) is the Director, General Affairs for the Japan U.S. Educational Commission (Fulbright Japan). She traveled with us during  entire program and has been our liaison every step of the way. She made this experience memorable for all of us and I cannot thank her enough. All of us have made many new friends in Japan but June has been especially wonderful to us.

Here are two other amazing gentlemen that have been with us from day 1 in San Francisco. Kenji Matsui on the left and Masaaki Hatagami on the right have been our translators for our entire journey. I have worked with translators before and they are some of the best. They  never left our side and the success of this trip would not have been possible without them.

Pictured above from left to right are Saeko Fujimoto, Yuriko Yoneshima, Hiromi Fumoto, and Seigo Saito our new friends from ACCU the Asian Pacific Cultural Center. Their organization has been great. They have done many of the behind the scenes arrangements for us and have been right there for everything we needed.


Now time for some more independent research!