Some Beautiful Stained "Glass" on a Dreary Day

Nothing like those days at school waiting for the snow to arrive; it's starting now.  An hour and a half of the school day left while the weather's only going to get worse instead of better.  To brighten this gray and dreary day, I thought I'd share the stained "glass" my fifth graders have been working on. I did get this awesome lesson from my friend Jeanette, who teaches at a district near to mine and presented this lesson at a conference several years ago.  

This year I related them to Lorenzo Ghiberti, but they can go along with any stained glass artist. I gave them a template (on paper) and had them create a design with lines.  The lines had to touch the sides (not just a shape floating in the middle).  I had our copy clerk (we have two, who knew it was a real thing???) save extra bits of lamination and cut them bigger than the paper I gave them.  It is important to have them write their names on the lamination film with permanent marker, otherwise you have to match them to the design, and ain't no one got time for that! They then carefully trace their design with black glue (their paper design laying under their lamination):

This one may be difficult when she goes on to the next step
because she has those "floating" shapes.  Kind of annoyed with myself for
not catching it as she was working on it.

Tracing with the black glue didn't take the whole class time, so I had them color their paper design with marker when they turned their glue line into me.

The final step was to use watered down glue and tissue paper (not the color bleeding kind) to add the stained "glass" part.  It is vital that their pieces of tissue paper go from one black line to another, being sure to overlap the black line.  I had them use sponge brushes, working a section at a time: watered down glue, tissue paper, more glue (around three layers). 

Held up to the window by a fifth grader helper/hand model.

Hers is so bright and vivid because she layered the same colors over each other.

And and example of someone who just added random colors
until they made "mud."

I sent this class' work home today still on the lamination.  When they get home with them they are to peel them off the lamination (they're so pretty and shiny on that side that was stuck down), tape them to a window and enjoy.