We met with Mr. Bernier today to explore art though technology.  We looked at works from Pablo Picasso, specifically his Cubism period, for blocks of colour, shapes, and abstract representations of people and objects.

Today we listened to Robert W. Service's 'Cremation of Sam McGee'.  I read it out load, then we looked at some of Ted Harrison's art that accompanies the poem.  


The Cremation of Sam McGee
BY ROBERT W. SERVICE
There are strange things done in the midnight sun
      By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
      That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
      But the queerest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
      I cremated Sam McGee.


Now Sam McGee was from Tennessee, where the cotton blooms and blows.
Why he left his home in the South to roam 'round the Pole, God only knows.
He was always cold, but the land of gold seemed to hold him like a spell;
Though he'd often say in his homely way that "he'd sooner live in hell."


On a Christmas Day we were mushing our way over the Dawson trail.
Talk of your cold! through the parka's fold it stabbed like a driven nail.
If our eyes we'd close, then the lashes froze till sometimes we couldn't see;
It wasn't much fun, but the only one to whimper was Sam McGee.


And that very night, as we lay packed tight in our robes beneath the snow,
And the dogs were fed, and the stars o'erhead were dancing heel and toe,
He turned to me, and "Cap," says he, "I'll cash in this trip, I guess;
And if I do, I'm asking that you won't refuse my last request."


Well, he seemed so low that I couldn't say no; then he says with a sort of moan:
"It's the cursèd cold, and it's got right hold till I'm chilled clean through to the bone.
Yet 'tain't being dead—it's my awful dread of the icy grave that pains;
So I want you to swear that, foul or fair, you'll cremate my last remains."


A pal's last need is a thing to heed, so I swore I would not fail;
And we started on at the streak of dawn; but God! he looked ghastly pale.
He crouched on the sleigh, and he raved all day of his home in Tennessee;
And before nightfall a corpse was all that was left of Sam McGee.


There wasn't a breath in that land of death, and I hurried, horror-driven,
With a corpse half hid that I couldn't get rid, because of a promise given;
It was lashed to the sleigh, and it seemed to say: "You may tax your brawn and brains,
But you promised true, and it's up to you to cremate those last remains."


Now a promise made is a debt unpaid, and the trail has its own stern code.
In the days to come, though my lips were dumb, in my heart how I cursed that load.
In the long, long night, by the lone firelight, while the huskies, round in a ring,
Howled out their woes to the homeless snows— O God! how I loathed the thing.


And every day that quiet clay seemed to heavy and heavier grow;
And on I went, though the dogs were spent and the grub was getting low;
The trail was bad, and I felt half mad, but I swore I would not give in;
And I'd often sing to the hateful thing, and it hearkened with a grin.


Till I came to the marge of Lake Lebarge, and a derelict there lay;
It was jammed in the ice, but I saw in a trice it was called the "Alice May."
And I looked at it, and I thought a bit, and I looked at my frozen chum;
Then "Here," said I, with a sudden cry, "is my cre-ma-tor-eum."


Some planks I tore from the cabin floor, and I lit the boiler fire;
Some coal I found that was lying around, and I heaped the fuel higher;
The flames just soared, and the furnace roared—such a blaze you seldom see;
And I burrowed a hole in the glowing coal, and I stuffed in Sam McGee.


Then I made a hike, for I didn't like to hear him sizzle so;
And the heavens scowled, and the huskies howled, and the wind began to blow.
It was icy cold, but the hot sweat rolled down my cheeks, and I don't know why;
And the greasy smoke in an inky cloak went streaking down the sky.


I do not know how long in the snow I wrestled with grisly fear;
But the stars came out and they danced about ere again I ventured near;
I was sick with dread, but I bravely said: "I'll just take a peep inside.
I guess he's cooked, and it's time I looked"; ... then the door I opened wide.


And there sat Sam, looking cool and calm, in the heart of the furnace roar;
And he wore a smile you could see a mile, and he said: "Please close that door.
It's fine in here, but I greatly fear you'll let in the cold and storm--
Since I left Plumtree, down in Tennessee, it's the first time I've been warm."


There are strange things done in the midnight sun
      By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
      That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
      But the queerest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
      I cremated Sam McGee.

Sometimes it seems the stars align JUST RIGHT for assignments to happen...and this one combines Art, Science, and Language Arts.

That's right...three subjects in one assignment.  

Anyone else excited as I am about this?!

Our class brainstormed different animals that have unique adaptations to help them survive in the wild, and we discussed what some of those adaptations allow for them to do.   For example: llamas 🦙 have fibre that acts as insulation for the high altitudes they live in (the Andes Mountains), and their feet have two hard nails that allow them to grip rugged terrain and soft pads on the bottom of their feet that keep them from damaging the ground.  

Once we started noticing that all these animals have them amazing adaptations, we started wondering what would happen if we COMBINED animals for their adaptations...thus, creating our own unique creature.

Creature Criteria:

• Made up from at least three animals (that exist today)
• Use their unique adaptations to build a 'new' animal
• A detailed drawing of the creature you have created
• Minimum of three 'fact boxes' with details on how the animal uses these adaptations to survive
• Statistics on the animal
  
  • Size
  • Speed
  • Food source
  • Life expectancy
  • Natural predators

​

This past Friday, we went onto our Edmodo class website and looked at a number of animal eyes.  The class was instructed in how to draw a free hand circle (a near-perfect free hand circle - yes, it's possible!) to begin their eye reproductions.  They are only required to do ONE eye, so they have an opportunity to pour in as much detail as possible.  We will be looking at the eyes online again in class this coming Friday, as well.

Yesterday we read through the book Snowmen at Night in class.  Afterwards, started our own snowmen at night art project.  We began on blue paper and discussed the concept of negative space on the page letting colours show through.  The only materials we used were: white chalk, charcoal, and a tiny amount of oil pastels for the colourful noses.

I worked on my own with the class to show them how to shade in the snowman's body to make it look round (3-D) and to show light and shadow on the snow.

Each student who is missing art for term three was given their list of missing assignments.  Each assignment was given two weeks of class time to complete and students were encouraged to hand in their overdue work on a regular basis throughout term 3.  

Students will have until Thursday, June 12 to hand in their art to bring up their overall mark for the term, and consequently, their overall mark.