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Visual Arts Introduction

Aims of Art in the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme

Students are encouraged to develop their artistic skills to the best of their capacities. The Shaker Heights Middle School Art Department provides students with opportunities to imagine, think, and problem solve through a variety of mediums based on the Ohio Fine Arts Standards, which are: Perceiving, Knowing, Producing, Performing, Responding, and Reflecting.

Learning through the visual arts helps students to explore, shape, and communicate a sense of identity and understanding of the world, while providing opportunities to develop self-confidence, resilience, and adaptability. The need for well-rounded students who are able to think “outside the box” makes it imperative that the visual arts play an important role in their education.
 
The goals of the IB/MYP visual arts program are to encourage and enable students to:

  • Create and present art
  • Develop skills specific to the discipline
  • Engage in a process of creating exploration and (self) discovery
  • Make purposeful connections between investigation and practice
  • Understand the relationship between art and its contexts
  • Respond to and reflect on art
  • Deepen their understanding of the world

Courses

Art 6

Sixth grade art is an exciting and cohesive art program that integrates all subject areas through the lens of International Baccalaureate (IB). This program promotes cultural awareness through various art media. Students explore painting, ceramics, mixed media, sculpture, photography, and drawing while advancing their knowledge of the elements of art. Moreover, all students will begin to understand the design sequence of IB. The design sequence is a method of instruction that guides creative problem solving, exploration and invention.

Art 7

The seventh grade art curriculum is designed for work which demands that the curriculum be well balanced and versatile to provide an experience to meet the needs of a variety of students. The MYP art program objectives allow for creativity and inventiveness through learning experiences and interdisciplinary units.
 
Visual arts expose students to: drawing, painting, printmaking, collage, fabric design, mixed- media, two-dimensional and three-dimensional media, ceramics, sculpture, and crafts. Students study art history, art criticism, and aesthetics, and develop skills for lifelong learning and appreciation for the visual arts and art careers. MYP Process Journals are also used to aid student growth and creativity. Throughout the year-long course, students will be provided with opportunities for service learning projects that will utilize their developing visual arts skills and explorations. By participating in these visual adventures, students will discover multiple avenues for communication and relations building in a supportive and safe environment.
 
The MYP Assessment for the Visual Arts 7th grade year-long course includes:

  • Criterion A: Knowing and Understanding
  • Criterion B: Developing skills
  • Criterion C: Thinking creatively
  • Criterion D: Responding

Art 8

The eighth grade art curriculum is designed for studio work which demands that the curriculum be well balanced and versatile to provide an experience to meet the needs of a variety of students. The MYP art program objectives allow for creativity and inventiveness through learning experiences and interdisciplinary units.
 
Visual arts expose students to: drawing, painting, printmaking, collage, fabric design, mixed- media, two-dimensional and three-dimensional media, ceramics, sculpture, and crafts. Students study art history, art criticism, and aesthetics, and develop skills for lifelong learning and appreciation for the visual arts and art careers. MYP Process Journals are also used to aid student growth and creativity. Throughout the year-long course, students will be provided with opportunities for service learning projects that will utilize their developing visual arts skills and explorations. By participating in these visual adventures, students will discover multiple avenues for communication and relations building in a supportive and safe environment.
 
The MYP Assessment for the Visual Arts 8th-grade year-long course includes:

  • Criterion A: Knowing and Understanding
  • Criterion B: Developing skills
  • Criterion C: Thinking creatively
  • Criterion D: Responding