Table of Contents

i. Statement of Intention

ii. Resources

iii. 4th Grade Curriculum

1. TAB introduction lesson (A) (Elizabeth)

2. Paper Molas lesson (D) (Elizabeth)
3. Concept Development of themes in art lesson (C) (Ariana)
4. Maori inspired soap carving lesson (D) (Ariana)
5. Cultural good luck charms wearable art lesson (E) (Ariana)
6. Clay coil pots (F) (Ariana)
7. Georgia O’Keefe inspired batik lesson (C) (Elizabeth)
8. Art of Northwest Native Americans (G) (Elizabeth)

iv. 5th Grade Curriculum

1. TAB introduction/review lesson (A) (Elizabeth)

2. Pablo Picasso inspired cardboard masks (B) (Elizabeth)
3. Expressive grid self portraits (E) (Elizabeth)
4. Tapestry weaving (F) (Elizabeth)
5. Artist study (A) (Ariana)
6. Textiles and home thoughts (B) (Ariana)
7. Native American cultural appreciation (G) (Ariana)
 Intentions

The purpose of a curriculum that incorporates art history, criticism, choice, and
big ideas is to encourage students toward a greater understanding of the world and of
themselves. Our lesson plans are aimed at getting students to think about their
processes and metacognitions. Students will learn how to make coil pots, beads out of
air dry clay, painting, and collage, but more importantly, they will learn how to think
critically and creatively.
Arts education is equally important as math and ELA. According to arts
educational theorist Eliot Eisner, the arts teach students: how to make judgements, how
problems have multiple solutions, how art has many perspectives, how problems
evolve, how letters and numbers are not the extent of human knowledge, that small
differences matter, and that art is a form of communication (Eisner, n.d.).
Our arts curriculum focuses on cultural sensitivity and multiple perspectives
present in art. The days of assigning students to make feathered headdresses out of
construction paper are over, and now we move into a time of understanding and
conversation. Our lessons discuss problems of the past and how we can handle them
today with more grace and care. The historical artists referenced are of a variety of
ethnicities and backgrounds, thus providing more representation for a variety of
students.

Contributing Approaches of Art Education Within the Curriculum

The central focus of the selected lesson plans is to create a choice-based artistic
environment for students. Students will begin with a run through of the studio habits of
mind and will learn about how artists design their work. The goal is to teach students
how to go through the artistic process, so they may learn to be critical thinkers and
planners. The grades focused upon throughout will be 4th and 5th. Central teaching
philosophies present in this 4th and 5th grade curriculum are DBAE (Discipline Based
Arts Education), Big Ideas, and TAB (Teaching for Artistic Behavior). Boy, don’t
teachers love acronyms.
Teaching for Artistic Behavior

The first few lessons will focus on how to use the different TAB (Teaching for
Artistic Behavior) stations safely and how to be responsible with class time and
materials. Students should experiment with the different material options available to
them, which will increase as they move through each beginning lesson. The three main
principles of TAB are: what do artists do? The child is the artist, and the classroom is
the child’s studio (What Is TAB?, n.d.). Students will focus on line first, and move
through the elements and principles of art. Ideally, students would be fairly familiar with
the elements and principles by 4th and 5th grade, but the incorporation would vary
based on the students’ prior knowledge. The goal of the first few lessons is to get
students to be familiar with the foundations of art. They should focus on elements and
principles as well as the design process. Students will develop their own design process
and artistic voice throughout the year.
Studio Habits of Mind

Throughout all of the lesson plans, the Studio Habits of Mind are a structure by
which students are able to develop and reflect upon their own process. These
processes are an essential element of the TAB philosophy, and flow into DBAE and big
idea based teaching. Each lesson plan that accentuated the SHOMs is demarcated in
the Research Base section of the lesson. Studio Habits of Mind that are most prevalent
will be listed.
The studio habits of mind are as follows: develop craft, engage and persist,
envision, express, observe, reflect, stretch and explore, and understand art worlds (The
Framework, n.d.). Students will develop their craft through continued art making.
Students will keep documentation of their work via a platform like Artsonia and at the
end of the year, students will look over their artwork they created throughout the year
and will be asked how they think their ideas and craftsmanship have improved.
Engagement will be present because of the choice based nature of each assignment.
Students will have freedom to design their own outcomes even with more structured
assignments like the construction of coil pots. Persistence is something they will start to
learn, as sticking with something is learned and practiced throughout a lifetime.
Students will be given some projects in which they will be assigned different design
processes. Some assignments will require a sketch and/or brainstorming notes before
materials are given out or selected. Students will maintain artist journals where they will
create their own version of the design process, which will help them envision their art
before it is created. Part of their planning should include what they will express in their
work and how that will be done. Students will be given guided reflections so that they
can observe their own artwork and revise when necessary. Guided peer critiques will be
frequent both during the creation process and after. Students will observe their peers’
artwork as well as their own. Ideas or themes that are important to students will need to
be explored further in future projects or continuations of current projects.

Discipline Based Arts Education

Some assignments will be discipline based (DBAE), giving students an overview

of art history and contemporary artists and how art can unite communities.
The purpose of a curriculum that incorporates art history, criticism, choice, and
big ideas is to encourage students toward a greater understanding of the world and of
themselves. Our lesson plans are aimed at getting students to think about their
processes and metacognitions. Students will learn how to make coil pots, beads out of
air dry clay, how to paint, and collage, but more importantly, they will learn how to think
critically and creatively.
4th and 5th grade lessons involve an even number of 2D and 3D elements for
students. Students should get an idea of their artistic preferences while still getting a
variety of experience in both two dimensional and three dimensional art forms.
All lesson plans have UDL accommodations, and information should always be
presented in multiple formats. Students will have written, verbal, and visual instructions
for each project. Formative assessments such as checklists, exit slips, student/teacher
1-on-ones, and mid process critiques, all serve to check for student understanding in a
variety of ways. Formative assessments, self-reflections, and critiques will all serve to
help students learn to talk about art. They will talk about their own art, the art of peers,
and historical/contemporary art. Terry Barrett’s positive critique philosophy will be
followed through the use of the “critique sandwich.” Students will look at their own work
or a peer’s work and list: one specific thing they like, one thing they might do differently
if this was their project, and one other thing they like. This teaches students how to give
constructive feedback without being rude or hurtful. They will have teacher
demonstrations of how to use elements and principles to discuss art during critiques.

Culturally Responsive Art Education

Our arts curriculum focuses on cultural sensitivity and multiple perspectives

present in art. The days of assigning students to make feathered headdresses out of
construction paper are over, and now we move into a time of understanding and
conversation. Our lessons discuss problems of the past and how we can handle them
today with more grace and care. The historical artists referenced are of a variety of
ethnicities and backgrounds, thus providing more representation for a variety of
students.
 Resources

10 Points About Arts Education by Elliot Eisner: Arts Ed NJ. (n.d.). Retrieved October
08, 2020, from
https://www.artsednj.org/10-points-about-arts-education-by-elliot-eisner/

What is Teaching for Artistic Behavior (TAB)? (n.d.). Retrieved October 08, 2020, from
https://teachingforartisticbehavior.org/index.html

The Framework. (n.d.). Retrieved October 08, 2020, from

http://www.studiothinking.org/the-framework.html

Cross, L. (2019, June 12). CRITS: A Student Manual by Terry Barrett.

Retrieved September 29, 2020, from
https://medium.com/exposure-magazine/crits-a-student-manual-by-terry-barrett-
de229d2ab318
4th Grade Curriculum
 TAB introduction lesson (A) (Elizabeth)

Paper Molas lesson (D) (Elizabeth)

Concept Development of themes in art lesson (C) (Ariana)
Maori inspired soap carving lesson (D) (Ariana)
Cultural good luck charms wearable art lesson (E) (Ariana)
Clay coil pots (F) (Ariana)
Georgia O’Keefe inspired batik lesson (C) (Elizabeth)
Art of Northwest Native Americans (G) (Elizabeth)
5th Grade Curriculum
TAB introduction/review lesson (A) (Elizabeth)
Pablo Picasso inspired cardboard masks (B) (Elizabeth)
Expressive grid self portraits (E) (Elizabeth)
Tapestry weaving (F) (Elizabeth)
Artist study (A) (Ariana)
Textiles and home thoughts (B) (Ariana)
Native American cultural appreciation G (Ariana)