Time goals

There are a variety of ways to work art into your year-long plan. The trick is to keep it simple and to create natural reminders for yourself.

• Teach a complete art lesson during one half day each month.
• Connect one art project to each subject one time before the end of the year.
• Alternate weekly with another subject not taught as often, such as health.
• Work on an art project after returning from major vacations. This is a great way to ease students back into school. You can also use the project as a warm-up to a new unit of study. For example, painting Australian animals (from photos) in a particular style before studying the continent.
• Attach projects to significant holidays throughout the year-as far as scheduling them into year's plan. You may or may not want to connect the holiday to your project.
• Commit to teaching one lesson from each new bi-monthly School Arts Magazine.

Picking a Focus

It's fun and easy to do little studies along the way, to invite local artists , teachers or parents to demonstrate a technique, or to have students explore and share tips. You can also keep a bulletin board to document tips, techniques, definitions, etc.

If you choose a skill or art element, it's fun to explore the way that different artists represent that element. For example, you might compare the different ways line is created by such artists as Kandinsky, Mondrian, van Gogh, Da Vinci, and O'Keefe.

Artist of the Month (or semester or season)

Put up a poster or calendar images of the artist's work. Post the artist's name and the title separately, large enough to read from afar. If possible, place the Artist of the Month area in a high visibility place. High exposure helps students to internalize the image.

Other possible additions: artist biographical information, art history timeline with artist noted, information about art style or movement related to artist, art terms related to discussions about the artists, descriptions of techniques used by the artists, book list or actual books, web sites

Delegate! Parents or students have fun researching and presenting about famous artists. You may also create a wish list at the beginning of the year with anything you need for the classroom. Sometimes parents will have art posters or old calendars they'd be happy to donate, and some may even be willing to purchase them for the classroom.

Other teachers are another option. You can swap research and/or even whole bulletin boards.

In the beginning, be easy on yourself. You might start with only two artists the first year. You can add one each year-if you're working with another teacher, that would mean two additional artists each year!

Sketching

Include sketching as a part of regular homework. Assign a set amount of minutes. Students can choose how many objects or sketches to complete.

Use any small time blocks in the weekly schedule (such as a 10 minute period between recess and a specialist) for sketching practice. Establish a routine and play soft music.

Give the option of sketching once or twice a week during a silent reading period.

Set out interesting objects or set out a still life in one area of the room. Allow small groups to sketch during silent reading or during any station rotation work periods. Integration idea-use objects related to topic of study or allow students to sketch out of books related to subject. Example, during a science unit on insects, students might sketch actual insects and or photographs of insects.

Working with other teachers

Split up research for lesson planning, research and swap lesson plans and resources, teach different parts of lesson to both classes, set up stations for students to work through as their project progresses, display all classes work together to see several interpretations of the same assignment.

Planning with other teachers helps to ensure that the art lessons will actually get taught!

©2001 Jennifer MacLeod