Art

Art Curriculum: developing skills and appreciation
Overview For Grades 1 Through 5
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The goal of the art curriculum is to inspire students by activating their imagination and creative problem solving skills. The process is designed to foster self confidence, creativity, and cognitive, emotional and social development. The creation and study of art allows students to realize that there are many lenses with which to look at the world. The art-making process uses all learning styles, and every child can discover a media, technique, art form or artist that she connects with and enjoys.

The year in art can be broken down into subject areas. Within these areas various lessons and media are applied:

    LINE, SHAPE, SPACE, VALUE / DRAWING SKILLSCOLOR, TEXTURE/ PAINTING SKILLS AND MIXED MEDIAFORM/ THREE DIMENSIONAL WORK AND MIXED MEDIA

The art curriculum incorporates many disciplines within the framework of the elements and principles of art and design. The following lessons are examples that demonstrate how the art curriculum makes connections to other disciplines:

    One and two point perspective drawings (math)Tessellations, Tibetan Mandalas and geometric designs (math)Proportions of the face (math)Enlarging photos on a two inch grid (math)

    Tree drawings: learning the importance of trees in the ecosystem, leaf vein patterns, tree anatomy and respiration while learning texture, color, technique and atmospheric perspective/ foreground middle ground and background. (science/ecology)

    Handmade paper: recycling scrap paper from the school and learning a brief history of paper (ecology and history)

    Learning about masks from several cultures and creating masks (humanities)

    Learning about the history of painting from cave art to various artists throughout history (history and anthropology)

The visual language and interdisciplinary lessons engage students on many levels.

The stages of childhood development also inform the International School art curriculum. Studies show that the stages of development can be represented in children’s drawings. The stages are:

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    SCRIBBLING STAGE: BEGINNINGS OF SELF EXPRESSION THROUGH MARK MAKING
    (AGES 2-4)PRE-SCHEMATIC STAGE: FIRST REPRESENTATIONAL ATTEMPTS
    (AGES 4-7)SCHEMATIC STAGE: THE ACHIEVEMENT OF A FORM CONCEPT
    (AGES 7-9)GANG STAGE: THE DAWNING OF REALISM
    (AGES 9-12)

    PSEUDO-NATURALISTIC STAGE: THE AGE OF REASONING
    (AGES 12-14)

    ADOLESCENT ART: THE PERIOD OF DECISION
    (AGES 14-17) It is at this stage that children “decide” whether they are good or bad at art they become more critical and choose to leave it behind or continue.

These stages are crucial to childhood development. With that in mind, the art curriculum is challenging yet age appropriate; providing children with opportunities to experiment with various media, skills, concepts, techniques, space and time to be free to think and feel while participating in hands on activities. With The International School art program, students reach the “Adolescent art: the period of decision” equipped with a wealth of art experience. They have a strong sense of self efficacy in art and perhaps a life long enjoyment of creating or appreciating art.