I have a curriculum!
Very basically, there are three units of study that slightly change
focus with each grade level. Each grade explores how "art connects the
world," the relationship between "the environment and me" and "looking
into the past." The last unit more or less corresponds to what they are
learning in Social Studies. This is really exciting as I just enrolled
in "Integrating Social Studies and the Arts" for my spring semester.
Unfortunately whatever I learn I won't really be able to apply until
next school year. This year may be a bit rocky especially since I am
currently stuck on planning "Looking into the Past: Art of America's
Westward Expansion."I know very little about that time period in American History... or I did know, but I forget because the last time I talked about it I was in middle school. I spent a few hours today researching online, but nothing is striking my fancy. I am not being forced to do a particular lesson, so I can I can keep researching. I need to find something that is exciting for me, so I can excite my students. Or do I?
What would you do?
What would you teach?
I do a lesson sometimes about this: http://vividlayers.blogspot.com/2011/04/thirdfourth-grade-landscapes.html I have printed out pictures that illustrate these ideas and we watch a video. The video is very thorough and talks all about the artists of this time. I can't think of the name of it now, but I will look it up at school if you are interested. It's about the Hudson River Artists. I teach them some fan brush techniques and how to make grass, trees and clouds look more realistic.
ReplyDeleteThanks Marcia!
ReplyDelete