Fourth and Fifth Grades focus on the visual elements and design principles, artists' styles and "art talk", a formal critique of artwork. The students create hand-sewn books, use lino blocks and monotypes for printmaking, cast in concrete or paraffin, plaster and work in papier-mache for three-dimensional work. They draw in ink, paint, and watercolor and learn to render cubes and spheres in pastels, graphite and watercolors using values and cast shadows. They do homework assignments in drawing books based on the visual elements and design principles. Fourth and fifth choose Art as an elective for 9 weeks, so I teach a different group every 9 weeks. Their homework, art links, students' work and games are posted on my Web page.

Third Grade are introduced to drawing skills. They render objects using values and cast shadows and create structures on paper in 3 dimensions. The students learn to use a grid to enlarge drawings and work on quick exercises to reinforce the 6 visual elements of line, shape and form, texture, color, space and values. They are drilled on artists' styles and the names of art movements and apply this knowledge and their experience of the 6 visual elements to informal art critiques. The students view videos on creativity and artists' biographies and power points that reinforce drawing skills, artists' styles and the 6 visual elements. I see this group of children for a half-year, each class every day for 6 weeks.

Second Grade works with story telling and use collage, paper folding, crayon resist, clay, watercolor in a variety of techniques. They create dolls or other types of sculptures using papier-mache. They also work on a visual element each week so that they become familiar with line, shape and form, texture, values, color and space. The students recognize and name 20 artists and their styles. The class creates an Art folder for their drawings. The children are introduced to a video on creativity and view power points to reinforce their art activities.They see me for a half-year, each class, and every day for 6 weeks.

First Grade works with a variety of printmaking, paper folding, drawing and painting techniques. They also work in clay. Centers are set up in the room for them to use when they have finished their projects. They create accordion folded books and have art folders for their drawings. They are introduced to the "Name Game," which introduces sight recognition of artists' work. They view videos and power points that discuss creativity, 6 visual elements and nature. I see them half a year, twice a week.

Kindergarten classes listen to stories which are followed by drawing with markers, watercolor, and oil pastels. They work in clay and paper fold small sculptures. Through curriculum mapping I can use subject matter appropriate to their class room experiences. They paper weave and make books and save their drawings in an art folder . They also go to centers to touch, feel, see and connect. I see them once a week for the entire year.

Pre Kindergarten children are read books with large colorful illustrations. The children work in clay, watercolor, colored sand and draw constantly on large murals and small papers. They are encouraged to use large bold movements. They enjoy center time for free play using blocks , dress up, magnets, pillows, markers and clay.

I use the model of DBAE, discipline based art education.This stresses studio, aesthetic, art history and the cultural aspects in the curriculum. I have collected transparencies, books, fine art posters and always try to teach something new to expand my repertoire. I've created a resource book for the 4th and 5th grades. It is based on their homework assignments and has reinforcing activities for review. I play world music and nature sounds. The children sometimes draw the music with their eyes closed using non-dominant hand, and their toes. They have music as enrichment and the schedule is similar to mine. For exhibitions, I use the walls in Lower School, 3 bulletin boards and change it about every 2 weeks. We have a display case for sculptures. Twice a year the lower school children display work in the VPAC gallery space.

Lower School Art works with lower school to organize an Earth Day Festival each April beginning with a fundraiser in the Fall of note cards with children's' artwork. This fundraiser brings performers, storytellers and speakers to our school. The children created a giant outdoor expanding fence mural celebrating Louisiana.

Recently I've invented a class for fifth grade called Digital art. The children learn the many uses of a digital camera. Work in Word Photo to learn the many ''effects'' that are available and finally through lap tops, create their own images without ever touching the paper. They take this original image and rework it using paint, printing and drawing techniques.




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