General
LAWRENCE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
COURSE TITLE: ART
GRADE: 8
TEACHER: Mrs. LaPorte
EMAIL ADDRESS: laporte@msad49.org
HOMEWORK HOTLINE: ext. #315
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Mrs. LaPorte, Art
Art is a 9 week exploratory program offered to all eighth graders. Students are taught to use a variety of media and techniques through a series of practice activities. Students will then use their new skills to complete projects like watercolor paintings and macramé jewelry. Students expand upon their pottery skills from elementary school by learning to build coiled pots using a hand extruder and decorate clay pieces they roll on a slab roller with relief carvings. Students are responsible for all vocabulary related to the art forms they will be using.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to:
Make a macramé jewelry piece using flat and spiral knots, complete with closure loops and appropriately spaced beads.
Build a clay coiled pot that can hold food or water without leaking. The pot should be symmetrically balanced.
Paint a watercolor painting utilizing a variety of techniques taught in class (i.e. - wash, crawl, dry brush, masking, saving white space, salting, spattering, and lifting).
Create self-portrait using tempera paints in an abstract style using a variety of lines and shapes.
COURSE OUTLINE:
Art Class will start with a lesson on safety and a discussion of rules & procedures.
The first unit is an Introduction to Art. Students will look at the difference between artists and designers. The on-going assignment of looking for art that appeals to them will be introduced. Students are expected to bring in art on assigned days and fill out critiques. There is a list of art forms to go by. Students will do a drawing activity to stress the importance of observation in art. Terms will be assigned.
The second unit is on Watercolor Painting. Students will be assigned terms and techniques will be demonstrated. Students are then asked to practice the techniques themselves. The first big project is then assigned. It is to be a watercolor painting of their choosing, but it must incorporate the techniques practiced in class. Students will work through step-by-step completion of a painting, starting with a practice sketch, layering techniques and testing mixed colors on scrap paper. When the paintings are finished, there will be a test on Introduction terms and Watercolor terms.
Students will take part in a read aloud that will cover the life of a given artist and look at some of their works. A coordinating bulletin board will also be displayed and students are expected to read the art history facts posted there. This activity will occur during each unit.
The third and fourth units are Line and Shape. These two lists are done together and students are assigned terms for each. Students are will make scales demonstrating cross-hatching and shading to explore color value. Students will be asked to associate shapes with objects in everyday life and to practice using proper line vocabulary, i.e. vertical instead of up and down. Students will make practice pieces using different line combination. A project will be assigned that requires them to paint their self-portrait using lines and shapes. Tempera paint will be used for this piece. Upon completion of their paintings, there will be a test on terms and they will need to draw and identify certain lines and shapes.
A fifth unit is macramé jewelry making. Measurement is stressed in this unit. Students will complete two pieces of jewelry using knot tying techniques taught in class.
The sixth unit is pottery. Students will examine the many different ways that pottery is made. There are a number of terms given to cover the materials, equipment and techniques used. Students will participate in demonstrations using the equipment safely. They will be assigned a project of creating a clay coiled vessel that is symmetrical and reaches certain size guidelines. They are asked to create a piece of their choosing that fits the requirements. They will learn to slab clay, use an extruder and connect coils properly. There will be a test after the pieces are finished. They will also glaze the pottery using a number of different methods.
COURSE ACTIVITIES:
v Blind drawings
v Watercolor practice pieces
v Positive/negative space cut-outs
v Scales
v Upside-down drawings
v Sound drawings
v Line combination practice pieces
v Rose window designs
v Card and envelop making
v Watercolor painting projects
v Macramé jewelry
v Coiled pottery project
v Self-portrait project
v Aesthetics critiques
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Students are asked to bring a pencil to class and keep a folder in the art room. They are asked to participate in all activities and use equipment safely.
GRADING:
Students’ grades will be based upon:
v Projects and tests are worth 100 points each.
v In class practice activities are worth 50 points each.
v Critiques on the pieces of art they bring to class are worth 20 points each.
HOMEWORK POLICY:
There is no actual homework for this class; projects are completed in the art room. Students are asked to look for art outside of class and bring the pieces to class with them for critique purposes.
MAKE-UP POLICY:
If work can not be completed in the class time provided, students are asked to make arrangements with the teacher to complete their work at another time.
RULES AND PROCEDURES FOR CLASS:
It is explained to students on the first day of class that Rules are there for their safety. The consequences for breaking a rule are things like: calls home, detentions, guidance referrals, and office referrals. Procedures are in response to annoying behaviors and receive verbal warnings at first, but if the behaviors persist, then further actions will be taken.
RULES:
v Do not touch paper cutter.
v Do not touch the kiln – assume it is always running.
v Do not touch or stick any object in fan.
v Use art materials for their intended purposes.
v Recognize the value of art.
v No running or jumping in the art room.
PROCEDURES:
v Push stool in before leaving.
v Put items in trash – no throwing.
v Clean up your mess, leave your area neat.
v Do not talk while someone else is speaking.
v Do not interrupt to ask to use the phone, bathroom, get a drink etc., unless it is an emergency. You will realize appropriate times to do this.
COMMON ACADEMIC VOCABULARY:
- Eye
- Aesthetics
- Artist
- Designer
- Texture
- Wash
- White space
- Masking
- Spattering
- Lifting out
- Dry brush
- Back runs/crawl
- Barrel
- Load
- Line
- Outline
- Contour lines
- Vertical
- Horizontal
- Curved
- Diagonal
- Spiral
- Zigzag
- Wavy
- Dotted
- Parallel
- Perpendicular
- Converging
- Intersecting
- Shape
- Geometric shape
- Irregular shape
- Circle
- Square
- Rectangle
- Oval
- Triangle
- Trapezoid
- Hexagon
- Open/closed shapes
- Hatching
- Cross-hatching
- Shading
- Greenware
- Bisque
- Slip
- Glaze
- Firing
- Kiln
- Raku
- Hand modeling
- Coiling
- Throwing
- Slabbing
- Relief (high & low)
- Additive sculpture
- Subtractive sculpture
- Symmetry
- Extruder
- Wheel
- Scoring
- Seaming
- Vessel