High School Fine Arts Curriculum

Study in the Fine Arts plays a vital role in the education of the total individual. Experience in the visual and dramatic arts enables self-expression and constitutes a powerful tool for self-discovery and development. It functions as a basic language and provides an essential bonding agent that connects and socializes us.

Students may choose from a variety of courses all providing opportunities to partake in problem-solving approaches that stimulate the ability to see, to express and to invent.

As of the fall term, 2004, the Fine Arts Program of Studies will offer a comprehensive foundation art course entitled Studio Art 1. Beginning with the class of 2008, Studio Art 1 will be a prerequisite for Sculpture, Mixed Media and Advanced Drawing and Painting.

Studio Art I

#1720
Pre-requisite: None
Credit: 1

Studio Art 1 is a comprehensive introductory course in fine arts that develops skills necessary to effectively render a range of subject matter including landscape, the figure, and natural as well as man made objects. Design in both two and three-dimensions, composition, and sharpening analytical observation will be the focus of this foundation experience.

Students will study a number of drawing, painting, and sculpting techniques, and will have access to a variety of art materials. This exposure will afford students an opportunity to build their art making skills, and work toward developing and refining their own individual style and aesthetic awareness.

One museum or gallery visit will be planned for each class.

Students may enroll in this course not later than the fifth class meeting.

Mixed Media

#1710
Pre-requisite: Studio Art I
Credit: 1

Students explore the combined uses of drawing, painting, collage, printmaking, and assemblage to create unique art objects in both two-dimensional and three-dimensional forms. Media may include fibers, fabrics, plastics, papers, wood, found objects, computer generated and photocopied materials, old photographs, and drawings.

These materials and techniques are combined to create art objects that explore both perceptual and conceptual issues and ideas. One of a kind art books, relief prints, wall hangings, collaged images, and boxed environments are some of the works produced in this course. A museum or gallery visit may be made during the year.

Students may enroll in this course not later than the seventh class meeting.

Sculpture

Expressing Ideas In Three Dimensions #1740
Pre-requisite: Studio Art I
Credit: 1

This course is designed to introduce students to several areas within the large field of sculpture. Students explore basic sculptural methods and gain competence in the use of a variety of tools and materials.

Ideas are initially developed through drawings and later translated to three-dimensional materials. Bronze casting, woodworking, carving, clay modeling, plasterwork and armature construction will be covered. Materials include wood, clay, wire, wax, bronze and a variety of mixed mediums for surface development. Contemporary art concepts and the history of sculpture are explored by visiting museums and galleries, through slide presentations, readings and discussions.

Students may enroll in this course not later than the fifth class meeting.

Beginning Photography

#1730
Pre-requisite: None
Credit: 1

Students will learn all the basics of black-and-white photography: the technical aspects of the 35-mm camera, film processing, and black-and-white printing. Through slide presentation, visits by artists to the classroom, and museum and gallery visits, students will be exposed to the contemporary art scene in Chicago and gain an overview of significant historical and contemporary work. Students will also learn to articulate their concerns and insights in critique sessions, developing a greater aesthetic sensibility toward their work and the work of others.

During the second quarter, students will experiment with a variety of alternative photographic techniques for changing the image dramatically. Solarizations, photo collage and montage, digital imaging, hand coloring, Xerox manipulations, and infrared photography may be explored.

During the third quarter, students will build unique, one-of-a-kind pinhole cameras and make images that further enhance their own individual style. Critiques and visits to galleries and museums to view photographic art will continue throughout the year.

Students may enroll in this course not later than the fifth class meeting.

Advanced Photography

#1731
Pre-requisite: Beginning Photography
Credit: 1

This year-long course is designed for the student with a thorough knowledge of the black-and-white photographic process. Students will investigate a wide range of materials, approaches, and equipment and explore a variety of photographic possibilities including books, collages, and photo constructions. They will use different cameras. Photomurals may also be made, exploring concepts of scale in the image. Computer-enhanced photography and layout techniques for photo publishing may be included.

Students may enroll in this course not later than the seventh class meeting.

Advanced Drawing & Painting

#172
Pre-requisite: Studio Art I
Credit: 1

This course is designed for the advanced student who is ready to focus on individualized work. Traditional and contemporary concerns of painting, drawing, mixed-media art, and three-dimensional paintings are studied along with the accompanying techniques. The purpose is to develop ideas and skills that will bring about a better understanding of art and enhance the personal visual statements of the student. Work may be done using images of figures, landscapes, still life, or historical and personal imagery, expressed through a variety of traditional and exploratory methods of pictorial composition and art media. Contemporary and traditional art will be viewed at museums, galleries and via slide shows.

This course may be repeated.

Students may enroll late in this course not later than the seventh class meeting.

Art History

#1750
Pre-requisite: None
Credit: 1

This course is a survey of the history of visual arts. It is designed to cultivate understanding, enjoyment, and appreciation of the arts, past and present. The course traces art history from the art of the ancient world through the art of the modern era and focuses primarily on painting, sculpture and architecture. Included is the history of images and architecture associated with different religions, governments, and the lives of both prominent and ordinary people. Historic trends in philosophy, faith, and social dynamics are uniquely revealed through great works of art. While there is an emphasis on the Western tradition, non-Western traditions and the uniquely Western distinction between fine arts and crafts are explored. The course is taught in a primarily Power Point lecture and discussion format, peppered with occasional museum and gallery field trips. While it is not specifically an Advanced Placement course, diligent students who are willing to do some extra studying, may confidently sign up for the AP test if they choose to.

Independent Study in Fine Art

#1760
Pre-requisite: Consent of the instructor and approval of the department
Credit: to be arranged

An independent study project in Fine Arts may be arranged with a consenting member of the Fine Arts Department given the following circumstances: The student must have already fulfilled the Fine Arts requirements from regularly scheduled course offering. Projects for independent study should concern areas within the Fine Arts that cannot be pursued through regular beginning or advanced course offerings. After receiving the approval from the instructor, the student must submit a written proposal for the approval of the department. Students may also use Independent Study to gain experience in teaching by acting as an assistant in Fine Arts classes with the consent and at the request of the instructor.

Acting Studio

#1770
Pre-requisite: None
Credit: 1

This first of three-quarters of a beginning acting course is designed to help a student discover basic acting techniques. Improvisation, acting orientation sessions, and pantomime work form the basis. Creative thinking is stressed. Movement and body control work is included with some scene works.

The emphasis of the second quarter in this course is on the development of vocal and physical characterizations. Working with scene cuttings from different modern plays, the student learns a variety of acting methods and techniques. Movement work is continued.Advanced scene cuttings and monologues are developed in the third quarter with emphasis on the psychological characteristics of different characters. An exploration of comedy techniques is included.

Students may enroll in this course late but not later than the ninth class meeting.

All acting classes may include a field trip per quarter to a play or to different theatres. The students are required to pay for their own tickets or expenditures.

Drama

#1775
Pre-requisite: Acting Studio
Credit: 1

This course explores the period and the acting styles found in the works of Shakespeare, the Restoration era, and melodrama. Scene cuttings and monologues will be produced to give the flavor of these periods. The course is designed for the advanced acting student.

The study of different periods and styles of acting will continue second quarter with scene cuttings and monologue produced from the Realistic, Contemporary and Absurd periods. The students will also present a program based on the first quarter?s work.

The periods and styles of the Absurd Theatre and the tragedies and comedies of Greek Theatre will be explored in this course. A production by the students will climax the course?s work.

Students may enroll in this course not later than the ninth class meeting.

Technical Theatre & Production

#1780
Pre-requisite: Sophomore, junior or senior standing
Credit: 1

A beginning course in theatre, this will be a highly individualized program of study tailored for a beginning set or lighting designer or a student simply interested in learning about various aspects of theatre production. The course is likewise offered for the advanced technical theatre student wishing to develop further skills in his/her chosen area of study. For the designer, this will be a course in the techniques and methods involved in transferring a printed script into a scenic unit as experienced by an audience. The student will be able to exercise his creative talents while developing an understanding of the theatre technician?s job. Drafting tools, scenery equipment, lighting, and sound materials and equipment, water colors, and construction materials for models will be the student?s tools.

For the theatre crafts student, the apprentice or master of an area, or the interested beginner the course will afford the opportunity to become familiar with new areas or to further expertise.

The students will develop individual and group projects. Practical work on a production will be required outside of the classroom. Set design, costume design, and sound design will be emphasized.

The student will be able to study advanced scene design and technical problems. There will be an examination of different artists? works. There will be several field trips to Chicago area theatres to study their facilities. Individual projects and practical work will be continued. This course will also emphasize property design, makeup design, and publicity design. Lighting, lighting design and theatre management will be areas of emphasis in this course. Functions of stage lighting, familiarity with lighting instruments, methods, and uses of control boards will be stressed. Guidelines for a theatre manager and for a stage manager will be set.

This course may be repeated.

Directing

#1785
Pre-requisite: Acting Studio
Credit: 1

This course will be an intense study of the concepts, styles, and techniques of directing for the theatre. The format will be lecture/discussion for two hours per week with the rest of the course work to be done outside of meeting time. The main emphasis will be on the development of a director?s production book. The full concept will be developed from a full-length play chosen by the student. This will involve research into all related areas: movement, art, music, design, psychological character study, and historical periods. The relationship between all these areas and the finished production will be examined.

The student will direct two or three scenes from the play.

This course will meet by arrangement during part of Fall and all of Winter and Spring Quarters.

Alternative Credit in Drama

#1795
Pre-requisite: Consent of the instructor
Credit: 1/3

The student in a practical situation may examine technical and production work. All areas of the theatre may be studied intensively: set construction, lighting, costuming, properties, makeup, sound publicity, stage management, etc.

Middle School Fine Arts Curriculum

Eighth Grade Related Arts Program

The Eighth Grade Related Arts Program is an elective program comprised of quarter-long courses. Among the selections are the Fine Arts offerings: Oral Interpretation, Photo Multimedia, and Visual Art.

Eighth Grade Oral Interpretation

In Eighth Grade Oral Interpretation, students learn formal skills in public speaking and acting. They develop powers of persuasion through writing, preparing, and presenting campaign speeches and public service announcements. In the drama component, the students learn that the foundation for effective acting is creating a character that performs various actions with specific intentions. They engage and develop this concept with group exercises in which the same dialogue is performed within different, contrasting contexts. Finally, the students integrate all of their various speaking and acting skills by creating a dramatic character, discovering his or her intentions, and delivering a memorized monologue.

Eighth Grade Photo Multimedia / Photo-Technology

Photo Multimedia is a quarter-long course in the 8th grade rotation. Students use Photoshop to create photo collages by merging photos they shot with fully-manual cameras and scanned images.

Eighth Grade Visual Art

In In Visual Art, students strengthen perceptual and aesthetic awareness through exposure to a wide variety of media and art of different cultures and historical periods. In addition, they are introduced to terminology and techniques related to each genre so that they may analyze the various approaches to art in a meaningful context. Students also develop awareness of art?s position and purpose in various societies and cultures by sharing art history presentations with their classmates. In addition, students communicate their own feelings and ideas through art projects in a variety of media. Projects have included perspective drawing, architecture, and collage.

Seventh Grade Fine Arts Program

The Seventh Grade Fine Arts Program is part of a year-long rotational system. Two of the three quarter-long courses are in the Fine Arts Department. All seventh grade students will take these two courses but might have them during different quarters and or taught by different teachers.

Seventh Grade Visual Art

The goals of the art program in the seventh grade are to promote visual literacy, foster a deeper understanding and appreciation for the world of art, and provide students with the necessary tools for self-discovery. Students are encouraged to communicate their feelings and ideas through visual expression and to analyze, interpret, and evaluate their own work as well as the efforts of others.

Through a wide variety of activities and projects, students learn to define, recognize and use the the various elements of art (shape, line, form, color, value, texture and space), and to employ the principals of design (balance, proportion, rhythm, pattern and harmony). In doing so, they also develop important skills in the care and safe use of art supplies and equipment. Projects that have been done in the past include figure drawing, portrait painting, mask making and puppet construction.

Seventh Grade Oral Interpretation

Students continue to develop and explore various modes of verbal expression. they learn to think of their speaking voices as instruments that must be strengthened and cared for through daily exercise and instruction. The course culminates with a public performance in which students share the various skills they have acquired in class.

Students build their public speaking and acting skills through a series of individual assignments. These assignments include an introductory speech, a persuasive speech, a memorized poetry recitation an eurhythmic performance, and a story theater project. The instructor evaluates each assignment according to clear criteria and vocabulary developed through pre-assignment exercises and activities.

Sixth Grade Fine Arts Program

The Sixth Grade Fine Arts Program is part of a year-long rotational system. Two of the three quarter-long courses are in the Fine Arts Department. All sixth grade students will take these two courses but might have them during different quarters and or taught by different teachers.

Sixth Grade Visual Arts Program

The quarter-long Sixth grade visual arts curriculum quickly reviews knowledge, communication and technical skills and successful learning behaviors explored during the year-long fifth grade fine arts program and then assertively moves to extend student visual arts understanding by exploring the expressive "Power of the Artist". The curriculum is constructed to encourage students to investigate ways in which seemingly "non-visual" phenomena become the subject matter of visual expression and are given artistic form. This is accomplished by exploring the formal ways in which artists create meaning in their work. Success is evaluated by the artist's ability to clearly communicate their meanings to an audience.

Sixth Grade Oral interpretation

The goals of oral interpretation are to stimulate and increase students? confidence in various forms of verbal communication and expression. Students learn that good communication goes far beyond words; it includes body language, voice inflection and concentration. Through direct instruction and practice, students learn skills that help them overcome natural inhibitions. By participating in theater games, students learn the value of risk-taking and spontaneity within a controlled environment. Through a method similar to musical notation (punch, pause and color), students learn the value of emphasizing key words and using other effects to convey meaning and expression.

Activities and projects include group poetry dramatizations, simulated newscasts, and story telling.

Fifth Grade Fine Arts Program

A primary focus of the fifth grade fine arts curriculum is the role of art as a language; a language stretching back to the pre-history of our species and uniquely suited to the expression of observations, ideas and beliefs. Art serves to make us aware of who we are as individuals and joins us to other people, other cultures and all eras in which artists explained their world and expressed their beliefs through visual means. The year-long fifth grade fine arts class allows students to balance the understanding and use of myth with observational skill and accuracy, expressing what they see and feel about their world with increasing freedom and clarity

What children are exposed to and learn in fine arts classes goes well beyond a listing of art projects: Fundamental questions of how students approach learning are addressed through the sequence of creative activities in which they participate.

Lower School Fine Arts Curriculum

Third & Fourth Grade Fine Arts Program

The planning of this curriculum began with knowledge of the developmental level of the third and fourth grade students in terms of their needs, interests, and capabilities. At these grade levels, students' perception and knowledge begin to expand beyond their immediate personal environment to the broader context of the world around them. Students then move away from interest in art solely for personal expression toward a broader interest in art. With this background in mind, course units are most often based upon a central theme, which is developed within a societal, cultural, and historical context. The curriculum is intended to reinforce what students have learned at previous grade levels as it moves to progressively introduce the students to new concepts, skills, and materials.

The 3rd and 4th grade students meet twice a week for 45 minutes. The curriculum is planned to reinforce what they have learned at previous grade levels as it moves to progressively introduce the students to new concepts, skills, and materials. In the third and fourth years of art instruction, students will learn to construct handbound sketchbooks, masks, "found objects," and papier-m?ch? sculptures. They will create contour and gesture drawings, self-portraits, and landscapes. Students may participate in collaborative projects such as fabric painting, murals, and (the use of art materials to transform furniture).

In the production of art, the students use a variety of materials such as oil pastels, watercolors, acrylics and tempera paints, colored markers, printer's ink, India ink, pencils, papier-m?ch?, vine charcoal, and adhesives among others.

Second Grade Fine Arts Curriculum

This curriculum is shared by 2 teachers and is structured to introduce and broaden understanding of art as having a function in society. It also directs students through age-appropriate goals to achieve independence in the various creative media with a sense of clear purpose and the ability to express ideas clearly in a visual format.

As a means to keep the curriculum fresh and vital, a variety of new projects are created each year and some changes are often made on established projects as each individual group of students approaches the task to be achieved with new and different points of view.

Second grade projects alternate between 2D and 3D format. Painting and drawing skills are developed through observation, invented abstraction and fantasy. Color theory is introduced and students are expected to know how to use primary colors to make secondary and intermediate colors, color shades are also introduced. Three-dimensional perception and construction skills are enhanced through clay work and mixed media construction projects.

Self-direction is encouraged and assistance is provided on a one to one basis, as well as group demonstrations.

First Grade Fine Arts Curriculum

First Graders need to develop a sense of growing self-confidence and self esteem as young artists. A willingness to take chances with new materials and challenging projects help to reinforce this unfolding process. Mistakes are not taken as errors but as a way of looking at the working process in a new way.

First Grade projects alternate between 2D and 3D format. Painting and drawing skills are routinely improved upon throughout the year; projects are both abstract and descriptive in nature. We do a great deal of work with patterns, color, shapes and size. Paper is divided into a grid pattern using pencil and ruler and color is applied using various printing blocks alternating the pattern within the grid structure. Larger 3D sculptures are fabricated out of cardboard and painted with non-chromatic primaries. The children love to work with clay; they learn to make a pinch pot or a simple animal sculpture. First graders need to improve fine motor skills and lengthen their ability to attend while on task. My students are expected to work independently by the end of the school year. Classes run 45 minutes once a week in 1/2 classes.