Arts

For the definition and checklist, link with these sites: 

National Standards Organization

National Content Standards

See specific National Standards cross-referenced with Core Knowledge and McREL Standards & activities

Example 1: Secondary Art

An assignment for high school art students (grades 9-12) gives them a chance every fall to create school button designs to increase school pride and unity. The project teaches art students at various levels the steps of a design project, use of color for audience appeal, how to use specific computer art software, and how to use several kinds of printing equipment.

The teacher instructs the students that the designs need to have strong composition and eye appeal to attract a high school and general public audience. The art students may choose to design a button for any of the school sports, clubs, or subjects.  They use fonts and images from Broderbond’s ClickArt to create their 2 1/4" diameter design. 

Student designs are critiqued by advanced art students, and chosen designs are produced for public sale.  Students then print the chosen designs in color from the computer, cut them out with circle cutters, and make them into finished buttons with Triaco’s 4-press button machine.

Reference

            Kunath, J. J.  (2000).  Technology!  Technology! -->. INTIME: Integrating New Technologies Into the Methods of Education [On-line].  

Example 2: Elementary Art

Elementary students in grades 2-4 are learning about musical instruments from around the world.  This technology-assisted project helps students learn about the music of other cultures, the role music plays in other cultures, and the role music plays in their own lives and culture. 

Students learn about many different instruments and hear how they sound from a world instruments expert at a university.  The students communicate with this expert via the Iowa Communications Network (ICN)  hookup, the statewide two-way, full-motion interactive fiber optic telecommunications network, or via a software program like video conferencing. 

After learning about instruments and cultures, the elementary students get hands-on practice playing world instruments from a collection the school has purchased.   Or they may make their own set of Bolivian panpipes using PVC pipe.  The students use the Internet and other sources to do a small research project about their instruments.  One of the resources is a website where students can ask the world instrument expert questions and get answers.  The website includes pictures and sounds of musical instruments from around the world.  Students also use e-mail to ask questions of other world instrument experts whom the classroom teacher has contacted.

Finally, the elementary students demonstrate and present their world instrument information to other students in their school.  They also post their information on the expert’s world instrument website.

Reference

            Jeffers, M.  (1999).  World of music  -->. INTIME: Integrating New Technologies Into the Methods of Education [On-line].