Preparing
an Art in the Classroom program
| Scheduling
Your Program
To schedule
your Art in the Classroom program, you should send an e-mail to your classroom
teacher at the beginning of the month for which you have volunteered to work out
a day and time that make sense for both of you. When scheduling, keep the following
general parameters in mind:
Ÿ Programs should be kept to one hour
Ÿ Programs should not be
scheduled during the language arts instruction block
Ÿ Please be as flexible as
possible and respectful of the teacher’s scheduling preferences
When you
have settled on a day and time for your program, please let your classroom
coordinator know when it is scheduled and what artist you will be
covering. It would also be helpful
to send the teacher an e-mail reminder at the beginning of the week that your
program is scheduled.
| Choosing
an artist
The
first step in planning your program is to choose the artist you will be
covering. The ASFS Art in the
Classroom curriculum has established a list of artists to be
presented at each grade level.
To see the lists of artists for each grade level, go back to the main
Art in the Classroom page and click on “Curriculum: Artists &
Projects.” Make sure that you
confer with your classroom coordinator in choosing an artist so that you know
what artists have already been taught in your
child’s classroom.
Can
I choose an artist from another grade level or one not on any of the lists? We appreciate the desire to teach
an artist one knows a lot about or is particularly excited
about—there are so many wonderful artists that kids would enjoy
learning about! However, we
would really prefer that you stick to the lists for the grade level you are
teaching. We have designed the
Art in the Classroom curriculum with care and in conjunction with Ms.
Arnett with the goal of giving ASFS students a basic level of
“cultural literacy” in the visual arts. However… if you feel strongly about
departing from the curriculum for a particular program, please contact Leslie
Spitalney at leslie@spitalney.com to talk about your ideas. Thanks!
| Preparing
your artist “chat”
The first
10-15 minutes of your program should consist of a “chat” with the
students about the artist you are presenting. You should think of this part of your
program as a “conversation” that you are facilitating rather than a
“presentation” that you are giving. The goal of this program is to give kids
exposure, not to make them experts.
Give the kids lots of chances to share their
thoughts and impressions.
You
do not need to know anything about art!!! We
cannot emphasize enough that Anyone can present an Art in the Classroom program. You do not need to know anything
about artists or art. With a little
bit of reading, you can quickly learn enough to create an interesting 10-15 minute
conversation with the kids. If
you are asked a question you don’t know the
answer to, say you don’t know.
Ask the kids for their ideas.
The
“artist chat” should introduce the children to basic facts about
the artist and his or her art. Don’t get bogged down in too many biographical
details—focus on the art and what is interesting and/or significant about
it. In your “chat,” try
to cover as much of the following as time permits:
Ÿ Name of the artist (write it down and
have the kids pronounce it)
Ÿ BRIEF biography (Where
is the artist from? When did he/she live? How did he/she come to be an artist?)
Ÿ Evolution of his/her art
Ÿ What is
significant/interesting/unique about his/her art?
a picture is worth 1,000
words… Especially in
art! The kids will be much more engaged
in the conversation if they can see the art you are talking about. Show
pictures of various artworks as you are talking and ask the kids for their
impressions of what they are seeing.
Unless you want to prepare a power point presentation with images
off the web (which is NOT NECESSARY!), the big art books you get at the
library with color photos of the artists’ work are the best source of
pictures. You should also
use a poster from the PTA closet if there is one on your artist, but do not
rely on this poster as your only visual.
To
get information about the artist and photographs of his or her work, the
central library on
Some examples please? There is no one right way to
approach these “artist chats”—the children benefit from
the different personalities and ideas of all of our wonderful parents. But if you
would like some examples of how a “chat” might be put together,
click the links below.
Eventually, we hope to have examples of “chats” for all
of the artists in the curriculum on this website. Here’s
a couple to start with:
|
Leading your art project
The majority
of your time with the children should be devoted to leading them in a hands-on
art project that will allow them to experiment with the style or techniques of
the artist. Suggestions for
projects are provided on the “Curriculum”
page where the artists for each grade level are listed. Feel free, however, to come up with your
own project. If you would like to
talk about ideas for a project, e-mail Leslie Spitalney
at leslie@spitalney.com. Ms. Arnett has also said that she would
be happy to talk about project ideas (not during her classroom time of
course!).
You will
need to bring all supplies to the classroom that will be needed for your
project, except items such as pencils and scissors that are already on hand in
the classroom. For detailed
information on how to access supplies for your program, go back to the main Art
in the Classroom page and click on “Supplies.”
In thinking
about preparing for your artist project, keep the following in mind:
Ÿ You are responsible for set-up and
clean-up (more on this below)
Ÿ As the kids are working,
be encouraging and positive and allow for “creative”
interpretations of the project (As long as they are within the general focus of
the project, let the kids approach things in their own way). There is no “wrong” art!
Ÿ Watch the time! The program should not take more than an
hour of classroom time.
Set-up
and clean-up As for set-up, you should arrive 15-20
minutes before the start time of your program and set up what you can
without disturbing the class (e.g. fill cups with water for painting, lay
out supplies on desks if kids are on the carpet). As for clean-up,
this program should operate on the same basic principles as “no trace
camping.” You come, you
go, and the only evidence of your having been there should be some
beautiful art. Tables should be wiped, paintbrushes should be cleaned with
soap and water and squeezed dry, etc.
The kids should help with clean-up. All
supplies from the Art in the Classroom supply cabinet should
be returned to their proper place on your way out.
| Displaying
the art
Let’s
see it!!!
Kids, parents and teachers at ASFS all enjoy seeing the beautiful art
that has been created displayed on the walls of the
school. Please ask the teacher at
the end of the program if there is room in the hallway outside of the classroom
to display the art. If it is dry
and you have time, it would be great if you could stay to help hang the art on
the walls. You or the teacher might
be able to make a little sign for the display that says “Artwork inspired
by [artist]” or something like that.
Brighten
up the apc We are on the lookout
for art that we can frame and hang on the walls of the Arlington Pediatric
Center (APC). Consider whether
the art produced through your program might be a good fit. For more information, go to the
“Community Service” link on the Art in the Classroom main page.
| feedback
So
that we can continue to improve Art in the Classroom at ASFS, some feedback on
your program would be much appreciated! Nothing formal, just send a quick e-mail
to your classroom coordinator letting him/her know how things went.
Thank you for your time and energy!