East Whittier City Elementary art teacher describes second-grade shapes lesson at Evergreen Elementary

Amy Lee, a BECOS art teacher at East Whittier City Elementary, described a second-grade art lesson she taught at Evergreen Elementary, saying students learned to use shape, value and line to create a finished project.

“Students were able to use shape, value, and lines to create a project at the end of class,” Lee said. She described the classroom steps: students traced the outline of their hand, drew straight lines for the background and curved lines for the hand to create a three-dimensional effect, then used color and value to make the hand "pop out more."

Lee said the class will continue to expand techniques and materials through the year, adding printmaking with paint and other tools as students build on the same foundational skills. "As we progress, we'll continue to use line and shape," she said, and later added, "they can continue to have that confidence to be able to know that they can tackle anything that comes up in their life, including art."

Lee also framed art instruction as supporting broader classroom goals, saying it "shows in research that, practicing art increases focus and reduces stress levels and anxiety levels for the kids." She said those benefits support student engagement and confidence.

The remarks summarized the lesson sequence (hand outline, background line work, curved lines for depth, and value/color techniques) and described planned future use of different materials such as paint-based printmaking.