Flanders Field Poppies

In honor of Veteran's Day, I had my 7th and 8th grade students read and reflect upon the WWI poem, In Flanders Fields.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly.

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved, and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

Written by World War I Colonel John McCrae

I found this great poppy project idea from a fabulous resource called http://www.thatartistwoman.org/.  I had the students use washable black markers to draw the poppy flowers.  Using a washable marker allows for the ink to bleed into the painting when mixed with the water from the paint.  This makes a nice effect in the process.  I talked to the class about blending colors to create the affect of highlights.  We started with the lightest color first in our paintings by adding yellow highlights, followed by orange, then red.  By layering the colors, a most beautiful effect happens on the petals.  Students then added yellow and green to the stems and grass.  

The final touch of paint was a red splatter to symbolize the blood shed by the wounded and fallen soldiers.  

When the painting dried, I had the students cut out words from the poem and integrate the poem into their art work.  The final products are stunning!