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LBS 405: Engineering & the Arts in the Elementary Classroom

The Visual Arts Note-taking & Assignment Guide

Name: Eileen Vazquez

Class Section: 03
Instructor Name: Kristal Cheek
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Section I: What are the Visual Arts?

I. Slide 3: Quick Write. Before beginning this module, write your responses to the following questions in
your own words:
a. What is visual art?
b. What types of experiences have you had with the visual arts?
c. How do you feel about visual arts, either as a participant or as an observer?

The visual arts are art forms such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts,

photography, video, filmmaking, and architecture.

I have taken courses in painting, drawing, pastel work, and ceramics. Before these courses, I would

sketch on my own too, so I think I’ve had a wide range of experiences with visual arts.

As a participant and observer, I’m very comfortable with the visual arts. It’s always been a part of my

hobbies and now my major.

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II. Excerpts from the California Frameworks about the Visual Arts

Slide 4: Based on the framework excerpt from Kindergarten, what are some things kindergarten
students should be doing in visual arts?

In the visual arts students may walk together and observe the repeated patterns made by the leaves
on a tree or the bricks on the side of a building. They also may identify lines, colors, shapes and forms,
and textures and observe changes in the shadows and in sunlight. And they may begin to talk about
perspective, noticing how objects appear to be larger when close and smaller when far away. Students
use this visual information to create works of art on paper and in three-dimensional constructions,
using geometric shapes and lines that express feelings.

Slide 5: Based on the framework excerpt from Grade 2, how does the teaching and learning of visual
arts change by grade 2?

Students continue to expand their understanding of the elements of art and apply them as they learn
to use basic tools and art-making processes, such as printmaking and collage. They describe art objects
from various cultures and time periods brought into the classroom for analysis. The objects are also
analyzed by a docent from a local museum. Now students are beginning to evaluate their own work as
they analyze what they intended to paint and how well they succeeded

Slide 6: Based on the fifth grade framework excerpt, what are students doing by fifth grade?

Principles of design, such as composition, emphasis, unity, and the depiction of space, become part of
the visual arts vocabulary and are applied as students create original works of art with traditional and
new media. Students refine their artistic skills, such as perspective, and use those skills in drawings,
sculpture, mixed media, and digital media (e.g., computer-generated art, digital photography, and
videography). Using a defined set of criteria to describe how they would change or improve their work,
they become more proficient in assessing their artwork.

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III. Slides 7-8: Elements of Art: Watch the videos on the elements of art and take notes (and draw if you
want) about each element

Element Notes

Line An element of art defined by a point moving in space. Line

may be two-or three-dimensional, descriptive, implied, or
abstract.

Shape An element of art that is two-dimensional, flat, or limited to

height and width.

Form An element of art that is three-dimensional and encloses

volume; includes height, width AND depth (as in a cube, a
sphere, a pyramid, or a cylinder). Form may also be free
flowing.

Texture An element of art that refers to the way things feel, or look
as if they might feel if touched.

Value The lightness or darkness of tones or colors. White is the

lightest value; black is the darkest. The value halfway
between these extremes is called middle gray.

Color An element of art made up of three properties: hue, value,

and intensity. Hue: name of color. Value: hue’s lightness and darkness (a color’s
value changes when white or black is added). Intensity: quality of brightness and
purity (high intensity= color is strong

Space An element of art by which positive and negative areas are

defined or a sense of depth achieved in a work of art.

I. Slide 9: Principles of Art: Watch the You Tube Video on the elements of art and take notes (and draw if
you want) about each principle.
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Principle Notes
Contrast the difference between elements of
art in a composition, such that each
element is made stronger in relation
to the other. When placed next to
each other, contrasting elements
command the viewer's attention.
Unity You want your painting to feel unified
such that all the elements fit together
comfortably. Too much unity creates
monotony, too much variety creates
chaos. You need both.
Balance refers to the visual weight of the
elements of the composition. It is a
sense that the painting feels stable
and "feels right." Imbalance causes a
feeling of discomfort in the viewer.
Emphasis when the artist creates an area of the
composition that is visually dominant
and commands the viewer's
attention. This is often achieved by
contrast.
Variety Ideally, you want areas of interest in
your composition along with places
for your eye to rest.
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Describe how this principle can applied
to the painting Starry Night by van Gogh
The contrast of the blue sky
surrounding the greenery drives to
reader to clearly understand what is in
the painting.
The painting separates two elements of
the night with an emphasis on the sky.
The land is well separated by the sky to
extenuated the appearance of the
brightness in “The Starry Night”
The composition is well balanced,
there’s variety in the buildings as it give
the painting depth and the greenery
emphasizes the variety in depth.
There is obviously an emphasis in the
sky here. Van Gogh wanted to show the
wind motions in the sky that night, as
well as the brightness of the stars.
The eyes right away go to the sky, but
the variety in the mountains and town
make it equally appealing to the eye.
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Movement the result of using the elements of art
such that they move the viewer's eye
around and within the image. A sense
of movement can be created by
diagonal or curvy lines, either real or
implied, by edges, by the illusion of
space, by repetition, by energetic
mark-making.
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The movement is mainly based on the
sky. The brush strokes tells the eyes
that there is wind blowing to the moon.
There is different movement all around
the painting based on the brush strokes
too, it gives it a certain texture.

Pattern the uniform repetition of any of the The main pattern work in this painting
elements of art or any combination are the spirals representing the wind in
thereof. Anything can be turned into the sky.
a pattern through repetition. Some
classic patterns are spirals, grids,
weaves.

Slide 11: There are some variations in the list of art and design principles. How is the list of design principles
from the Getty different than the list above?

The Principals of design for the Getty have a lot more than the list given. The two that are used for the Getty
are rhythm and proportion. Proportion is added to consider the sizes and amounts in relation to the painting.
Rhythm is describes as an on going organized movement, which can also be very similar to Pattern.

Slide 12 & 13 Read the article Direct Instruction vs. Arts Integration: A False Dichotomy by Arnold Aprill which
discusses the issue of direct instruction (art discipline centered) in the arts versus integration.

Respond: Write a short paragraph using the following two questions as a guide:
• Why does Aprill call it a false dichotomy?
• What does he believe about arts instruction

He calls is false dichotomy because effective arts integration cannot be educated by isolated arts specialist or
to the transient visiting artist or else the same mistakes will always be repeated again and again. He defines
arts integration in the following way: Arts is teaching and learning in which arts learning and other academic
learning are connected in ways in which the arts learning and the other academic learning are both deepened.

Slide 14: Classroom Example 1

Watch the 12-minute video Elements of Art: Color, Space, and Texture (K-2)
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/elements-of-art-lesson

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Response Questions:
1. What are some of the objectives/goals of Mrs. Davidson’s lesson?
Students will learn all the principals of art and the elements of design
Students will demonstrate an understanding of composition using the principals of design to create a
narrative for an underwater theme

2. What are some of things that Mrs. Davidson modeling during the different parts of her lesson? Why is
modeling important?
An example of an underwater scene artwork. She used this to review composition, shape, texture, and
color. She modeled texture by showing the class how she is applying the blue color for the ocean. In this
case, modeling is important so the students can review what they have learned about the principals of art
through an example. Students also learn in different ways, some may be good listeners, and other may
need to see the instructions first.

3. How do the students apply the elements of art to a mixed media art project?

They began by adding texture while painting they’re background. They moved on to shapes when choosing
how many big or small fish they’re creating. Then it was color choice when deciding what colors, the
choose should be to make them stand out. And finally they used composition by overlapping the fish and
deciding where they fit best.

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Slide 16: Classroom Example 2

Watch the video Studying Balance in Art and Science

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/integrating-science-with-art-getty

Response Questions:

1. What art and design principle does this art lesson focus upon?

The main focus was on balance, this helped them have a agree/disagree discussion with the whole class.
During the discussion, they also went back to using art principals like shadow, line, and color.

2. How does analyzing art enrich students' learning about ecosystems?

What helped them the most was finding a balanced or imbalanced ecosystem in the art piece and with this
discussion, it helped them become informed based on the classmates answers. In order to create there
own balanced art, they had to look at their diagrams and resources to find a balance in the ecosystem they
are learning about.