Art Foundations Syllabus

Ms. Wright
Room 303 LCSS

About this course: This class is used as an introduction to art for

high school students. Students will focus on the five purposes of art
while learning about the elements of art and principles of design.
Students will learn about art production and art history. Students will
experiment with different media and processes to create a series of completed projects, Usually
about 5 - 6 per semester. The first half of the course will be teacher led with the students given
technical skills and some time to practice hands on smaller projects as well as theory, history and
aesthetics (talking about art and looking at other artists work) The second half of the class we will
be learning about the Studio Habits of Mind and Artistic Behaviors. Students will be given some
opportunity to set and evaluate their own learning outcomes and work more independently. See Ms.
Wrights web page for more details about the learning outcomes for the course.
www.mswrightsartclasses.weebly.com
Materials and techniques: we will be studied in the following areas: Drawing, Painting,
Printmaking, Fabric Arts, Ceramics, Jewelry and Sculpture.

Big Ideas:

1. What is art?
2. What does it mean to have intention as an artist? How do artist’s intentions transform
materials into art?
3. How can the arts reflect the
interconnectedness of us as
individuals, our community, Key Projects
our history, and society?
4. What are the characteristics
that I need to work on to
grow as an artist?

perseverance, resilience, reflection and

risk taking

5. How is my artistic
expression a reflection of
our humanity?
6. What is an aesthetic
experience? Learning to
look at and talk about art.
Why do aesthetic
experiences have the power
to transform our
perspective?
Classroom Procedures:

Start: Students will come to class and get out the materials that they will be using for the day. If
there is a bell ringer that day, they should work on that first.
Demos: Students will listen attentively to any demonstrations. They must not have any earbuds in
your ears, even if your music is turned off. They may not be looking at their phones or talking to
others unless it is about the demonstration. Demos may happen at the beginning of the class or in
the middle if there is a teachable moment that needs to be addressed.
Studio work: Students will work on projects during class time. They will be graded however on
making sure they are tying to achieve good studio habits. See “studio habits of mind” and TAB
teaching for artistic behavior.
Clean up: Students will end class by cleaning up 10 minutes prior to class ending. No one goes
until the back sinks, counters and tables are cleaned. Students will then write one thing they learned
in during the studio time, either in their sketchbook or in our on-line class notebook.

Classroom Rules & Policies:

1. Display a positive and professional attitude (see below).
2. Be on-time and physically, mentally, and creatively present.

Attitude: You will be expected to behave in a professional and ethical manner.

Be prepared embrace the creative process and to learn from each other and
share the studio. A substantial portion of your grade will be determined by your
attitude: your effort in learning new material, your desire to help me and fellow
students, and your respect for our precious equipment and resources.
Understand that rudeness and disrespect will not be tolerated. Be prepared to
come to class every day with a positive attitude, showing patience, tolerance,
respect, and cooperation.

Attendance: Prompt attendance to class is extremely important, as class

begins when the bell rings. This means that you need to be seated in your
assigned seats and ready to work, I take attendance when the bell rings.
If you have an absence you will still need to make up that time. Even if
your absence is excused, it is still your responsibility to learn the material
and make up the work you missed, and often that can only be
accomplished outside of class time.
Tardy Policy- 1st tardy - teacher warning, 2nd and 3rd tardy – detention
and art room clean up. Anything after three lates–letter home to parents and grades begin to come
off studio habits mark.

As I will begin with an opening assignment for credit each day, it is imperative that you are in your
assigned seat on time. If you’re going to be late to school a parent or legal guardian must send a
signed note or call the attendance office. If you are leaving class for a doctor’s appointment, athletic

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game, etc. in which you need a note from the attendance office, you are required to obtain the note
during non-class time. You are not excused to leave during class to get the note.
Missed classes: there are numerous reasons for missing class. If you have
missed class check your online OneNote classroom for what was worked on
that day. If you need further instructions, ask or email me as soon as you
can. If you will miss class for an extended period, please speak to me and
have a guardian email me so we can figure out a plan of action for you.

Assignments
During the semester students will engage in 1-3 mini lessons giving them foundational basics,
helping them for the unit project. Depending on the Unit, students might be tasked in create one or
two pieces for their unit project. There will also be handouts and sketches done in sketchbooks to be
turned in on a regular basis. There may be a vocabulary quiz at the end of each unit. There will also
be artists that we will be studying for each unit as well. For advanced students you will be switching
to a flipped classroom after fall break and working independently on projects of your choice. We will
be using an on-line classroom to post work in, collaborate in and get feedback on our work.

Cell Phone Policy: Cell Phones and like items (music) may be used in a respectful and professional
manner. Students may use devices when working independently, provided it does not detract
from quality and pace in which assignments are completed. Consequences of violating
this policy are as follows:
1st Offense- Device will be confiscated until the end of class.
2nd Offense- Device with be confiscated until the end of the school day.
3rd Offense- Device will be turned over to administration.

Bathroom Policy: One student can use the restroom at a time and MUST carry a hall pass. If
student does not return within 5 minutes, then bathroom privileges will be restricted.

Grading:
30% of your grade will come from "Practice Work.” and Quizzes. Practice work
is all the work that you will do in class and at home to gain inspiration, do
research, brainstorm ideas, practice techniques, explore concepts and ideas,
and write about your art-making process.

50% of your grade will come from "Presentation Work.” Presentation work is all the "major" projects
that you do; Both technical skill and artistic skill will be evaluated in presentation-level work. A self-
evaluation component is incorporated into every project.

20% of your grade will be determined by your "Studio Performance." To receive an A grade in this
course you must have an A in studio performance. Studio Performance means doing your best job
EVERYDAY, displaying professional behavior, the desire to learn and improve, a commitment not to
waste valuable studio time, and respect for our precious equipment and resources.

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Late work and ‘re-grades’: Because you will be presenting your work to the class during critiques, it
is vital that you turn in your completed project at the beginning of class on the day that it is due. If
you do not, you will lose one grade (10%) per class day that a project is late. Art is a process that
can often take many revisions to perfect.
Once you have turned in a "Presentation Work" project and received your grade and feedback on it,
you may redo the project for a higher grade if you wish. To have a project re-graded, you must
make an appointment with me for a “re-grade conference” outside of class time and you must bring
your original grading sheet to that conference. You can raise any aspect of your grade except for
points lost due to turning in the project late. All re-grades must be completed within ten school days
of the posted grade.

Supplies:
 Sketchbook
 Range of drawing Pencils
 Glue stick
 Canvas
 Your own paint brushes if you prefer them
 (Optional) High quality Pencil crayons (prismacolour or faber castell is the best for Christmas
or birthday present?)
 3 Black sharpies (fine and med and large)
 Hand held pencil sharpener
 2 White erasers
 (optional) hand sanitizer and hand cream during clay unit

Art Show: We will be having two art shows in the commons this
year to showcase student work. We will try to have an opening night
for each art show. Dates are tentatively set for Jan 17th-31st and
June 12th-26th. I look forward to getting to know the kids and their
passions in art. I hope that they surprise me and themselves by
what they create this year!

Sincerely,

Siobhan Wright
Siobhan.wright@sd27.bc.ca