Note: To protect the privacy of our members, e-mail addresses have been removed from the archived messages. As a result, some links may be broken.

Lesson Plans


art production

From: skygeoff
Date: Sat Mar 18 2000 - 01:04:20 PST

  • Next message: Alix E. Peshette: "Re: Noise level <LYR4069-9430-2000.03.17-15.41.35--apeshet#pacbell.net>"

    I've been thinking about this for a long time and would like some of your
    input. It's about DBAE. I think this has been a wonderful thing, mostly. I
    have always included art history and criticism and even some aethetics in my
    lessons and because of DBAE I'm doing it even more now. However, I still
    think the balance should lean towards art production. At the Getty site they
    have a lesson that is used as a sample which includes lots of art history,
    criticism, etc. Then they suggest that the students make a poster with a
    drawing of an African mask with written explanations describing and explaining
    it. This sounds like a social studies project to me. When we make African
    masks we make them out of papier mache and then mix earth colors in tints and
    shades and paint them and then decorate them with beans, nuts, shells, raffia
    and feathers. Yes, we spend about one 45 minute art period researching the
    masks ( a mix of slides, videos, lecture, visuals,etc.) But the rest of the
    project takes about 6 - 8 weeks. This is providing that their once a week art
    class is not cancelled due to assemblies, concert practice,etc. Then it can
    really drag on. NJ is testing the students in 4th grade on art now. They are
    expected to know a lot of information and be able to write about it. So they
    will need to take notes in class and try to make up what they've missed during
    absences. The teachers and students are very stressed out about all this.
    There is test anxiety in the air.
    I find that when I talk too much in class (and of course I think I do it in a
    very interesting way) that the children can't wait to DO something. They say
    OK, OK but when are we going to DO something? They have to listen, write and
    take notes in their other classes. They love art because they get to DO
    things in my class. I see the time coming when we'll get to do one little
    token project every marking quarter because the rest of the time is taken up
    with cricism, history, aesthetics and then testing to make sure they "got
    it". I even heard about a parent whose son is in middle school. He only
    brought home one little clay project during the entire last SEMESTER. The
    parent complained to the teacher who said, "I wish we had time to make more
    things but I only have time to teach art history now because the students will
    be tested on it in eighth grade. I have to prepare them for the test." Any
    one care to respond or reassure me that I'm overreacting?
    Thanks,
    Sky 

    ---

    This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sat Mar 18 2000 - 06:14:19 PST