Second-grade students completed an artist study on Henri Matisse which was paired with their Writing Workshop unit on descriptive writing. They researched information on the art of Henri Matisse to complete a descriptive essay on his expressionist and post-impressionist style of art. The students paid particular attention to Matisse’s later work of gouaches découpés (painted cut-outs) to prepare for a special Chanukah art project. The students learned about the writing process as they drafted, edited and revised their work. They used what they had learned about descriptive words and sentences to convey important pieces of information about Matisse’s artwork. When the children completed their writing unit, they had the opportunity to create their own beautiful Chanukah themed work of art in the style of Henri Matisse’s gouaches découpés. They looked at various artwork by Matisse for inspiration and mimicked his art style to create their pieces. The students used bold watercolors that reminded them of the chanukiah flames as well as the chag to paint their paper. They used the art technique of gouaches découpés to create a picture of a chanukiah and candles by cutting out shapes from their painted paper. Matisse called this, “Painting with Scissors.” Students were so proud to have been able to learn about Matisse and implement his art style in their own unique way!