Curriculum:
Teachers across the country are discovering a new way to motivate children through the method of instruction known as Choice Based Art Education. What is choice based art education? Choice-based art education offers students choices for making art that uses their own ideas and interests. Students learn best when they are interested in and excited about what they are working on. When students are offered choices in art, they need to think about what they are doing, as well as understand why they are doing it. This allows a much deeper level of engagement in their art making process.
There are many different levels of choice within art education, and in my classroom, I provide my students a modified choice curriculum that introduces them to a variety of art media and concepts. I then give them a theme (or a boundary) to make personal connections and create meaningful artwork.
There are many different levels of choice within art education, and in my classroom, I provide my students a modified choice curriculum that introduces them to a variety of art media and concepts. I then give them a theme (or a boundary) to make personal connections and create meaningful artwork.
3rd Grade
We kick off the year with a collaborative International Dot Day piece. Students learn about the life and art of Wassily Kandinsky and make a collaborative, wax resist painting.
Texture Monster Portraits: students start with texture rubbings using crayon. Watercolor washes are then painted over the crayon. These texture pieces are then used to create a line up of silly, scary or odd monsters (wiggle eyes, feathers, pipe cleaners added for details).
Pinch Pot Monsters: students continue the monster theme by making a monster out of clay. Students start with a pinch pot and add features to the pot to turn it into a monster.
Texture Monster Portraits: students start with texture rubbings using crayon. Watercolor washes are then painted over the crayon. These texture pieces are then used to create a line up of silly, scary or odd monsters (wiggle eyes, feathers, pipe cleaners added for details).
Pinch Pot Monsters: students continue the monster theme by making a monster out of clay. Students start with a pinch pot and add features to the pot to turn it into a monster.
Warm and Cool Color Landscapes: students learn about the parts of a landscape (horizon line, foreground, midground, background) and reviewed warm and cool colors. Students then drew two mountain landscapes that used line, value and texture. The skies are then painted using tempera cakes. One landscape featured the warm colors, the other the cool colors.
Heart design: students work with materials in new ways. They start by learning about how hearts are used in art by contemporary artists. Students then drew a series of hearts and gave them happy/silly/wacky faces. Students then learned how to use washable markers and crayons in new and different ways. Space Themed Printmaking: students learn about different types of printmaking. They start with a coffee filter and fill it with color using washable markers. Then the filter is placed in a construction paper folder and sprayed with water to dry. Students then design an alien and learn how to use a foam printing plate and markers to create prints. They then use the technique of splatter paint to create a galaxy on a black piece of construction paper and add their alien print, coffee filter and other details (made from the paper folder) to make a collage. |
Space Prints
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4th Grade
We kick off the year with a collaborative International Dot Day piece. Students learn about the life and art of Dale Chihuly and make a 3D sculpture with washable markers, a coffee filter and liquid starch.
Graffiti: students start with a watercolor boot camp. Students use watercolor pencils and water soluble pastels to create three different techniques (scumbling, gradient, blending). Students learn about graffiti as an art style and discuss the controversies surrounding graffiti. Students then create their own "tag" (name, or meaningful word) using watercolor pencils or water soluble pastels.
Printmaking: students started by learning about the process of printmaking. Students learned about Pop Art one of its founders, Andy Warhol. Students used the theme of everyday objects to draw on their printing plate. Prints were then made by using black printing ink on colored construction paper.
Graffiti: students start with a watercolor boot camp. Students use watercolor pencils and water soluble pastels to create three different techniques (scumbling, gradient, blending). Students learn about graffiti as an art style and discuss the controversies surrounding graffiti. Students then create their own "tag" (name, or meaningful word) using watercolor pencils or water soluble pastels.
Printmaking: students started by learning about the process of printmaking. Students learned about Pop Art one of its founders, Andy Warhol. Students used the theme of everyday objects to draw on their printing plate. Prints were then made by using black printing ink on colored construction paper.
Monochromatic Painting: students learn about how to make tints and shades using tempera paint. Students then use one color of their choice, mixed two tints and one shade and paint a piece of tag board. Students then draw a design/image of their choice on top of their painting and paint in black to create a silhouette.
Music Program Collaboration: students learn about different ways art can integrate into school life. They learn about the importance of collaboration with their peers and the community. Theme differs year to year to align with music class. Monogram Tile: students learn about different ways to work with clay. Students start with a slab of clay (tile) and use different tools and found objects to press textures into the slab. They then created a coil to make a significant letter (monogram) to add to the tile. Once fired, clay pieces are colored with construction paper crayons and painted with black tempera cakes to create a wax resist effect. |
Monogram Tile
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5th Grade
We kick off the year with a collaborative International Dot Day piece. 5th grade students use an old CD to create an upcycled piece of art.
Drawing unit. Students learned about how artists use different drawing media. Students explored both black and white and color media. Students then picked one of the six media to complete a drawing using a subject matter of their choice.
Printmaking unit. Students learn about acid rain and gargoyles in mystery science. Students designed their own gargoyle or chimera to make a stamp for traditional printing. After printing in art class, students designed their piece digitally in tech class and these pieces were printed using our 3D printer. 3D printed pieces are then used in art class again to make a pendent out of clay.
Drawing unit. Students learned about how artists use different drawing media. Students explored both black and white and color media. Students then picked one of the six media to complete a drawing using a subject matter of their choice.
Printmaking unit. Students learn about acid rain and gargoyles in mystery science. Students designed their own gargoyle or chimera to make a stamp for traditional printing. After printing in art class, students designed their piece digitally in tech class and these pieces were printed using our 3D printer. 3D printed pieces are then used in art class again to make a pendent out of clay.
Watercolor unit. Students learned about different ways to work with watercolor paint: wash, gradient, wet on wet, dry on dry, wax resist, blot, salt, scratch lines. Students work on three pieces demonstrating their understanding: monochromatic landscape, galaxy and a painting using a subject matter of their choice.
Food as a Theme in Art: students learn about how artists use food as a theme in art. They learn about 5 different artists and choose the project they would like to complete. Options are: an Archimboldo inspired digital collage, a Sparrow inspired soft sculpture, a Theibaud inspired drawing, an Oldenburg inspired plaster sculpture and a Warhol inspired print. Once this project is complete, students may use these projects like centers (digital, fibers, drawing, sculpture, printmaking) to explore their own ideas in art making. |
Food as a Theme
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Assessment:
When a project is complete, students write an artist statement explaining and reflecting upon their art making process. I believe that their artist habits are as important as their final artwork. Therefore, students are graded both on their understanding and demonstration of our covered art concepts and their art making process. The artist statement is assessed through their reflect portion of the rubric.
Sample Rubric:
Artist Statement:
National Core Arts Standards:
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What does my grade mean?
3-Engaged: Student consistently engages in the lessons and therefore demonstrates growth.Evidence:
2-Coasting: Student requires occasional reminders to remain engaged in the lesson in order to demonstrate growth.
Evidence:
1-Not Engaged: Student struggles to stay engaged in the lessons, even with teacher reminders, and therefore does not always demonstrate growth.
Evidence:
- Answering questions when asked
- Good attitude
- On-task most of the time, without being asked
- No disruptions of others
- Respectful of people, materials and classroom space
2-Coasting: Student requires occasional reminders to remain engaged in the lesson in order to demonstrate growth.
Evidence:
- Attitude impacts work completion
- Reminders needed to maintain engagement
- Reminders needed to maintain respect of people, materials and/or classroom space
1-Not Engaged: Student struggles to stay engaged in the lessons, even with teacher reminders, and therefore does not always demonstrate growth.
Evidence:
- Poor attitude
- Work is not accomplished
- Disruptive to others learning
- Damage to people, materials and/or classroom space