Art at DCS

Mission Statement: In the Art Program at Deerfield Community School, it is our mission to nurture the innate creativity each child naturally possesses.

Art Program

A choice based art program provides all the elements that we want our students to have in an art program. There is time for instruction and demonstration by the teacher, time for practice and time for final product, time for sharing, reflecting and self-evaluation, and there is time for assessment by the teacher. There is also the element of choice, which allows our students to authentically express themselves using the skill set they have acquired throughout the years in the artist workshop.

In the Art Program we…

• Bring our own ideas for our work

• Plan our idea art by sketching and conferencing

• Present our work to get feedback, celebrate achievement, inspire others and gain perspective from our audien

• Make connections through our creations, presentations, and discussions

• Respond to the work of others

• Experiment with new art media, techniques, and subject matter

• Maintain an environment that is conducive to creating artwork, which includes cleaning of tools, keeping a respectful noise level, etc.

• Observe the world around us because observation is the heart of our work

• Reflect on our artistic process

• Participate as a thoughtful observer and community member by giving positive feedback and constructive criticism to others

7th and 8th Grade Elective and Art Classes

In the 7th and 8th grade, students have one trimester of choice based art followed by a 3D trimester, and a 2D trimester. In 7th and 8th grade sketch journals are not required. The rationale for the different trimester themes is to get middle school students ready for more intensive study in high school and beyond, as well as prepare them for the structure of high school classes. Meaning, specific projects are assigned that students are expected to complete. This also allows students a more in-depth study of a media or technique such as ceramics, drawing, painting, printmaking, etc.

The 2D and 3D trimesters are project-based. While there is room for some choice in assignments given, students are expected to complete the project. Projects are designed around techniques that are foundational and components learned will be used in the future in any art or design class they may take. For example, in a `A3D trimester, students may learn clay techniques, plaster techniques, carving techniques, or other 3D construction methods. In a 2D trimester, they would learn things like portraiture, contour line drawing, painting, and printmaking.

Assessment

Assessment in all grade levels is done in a variety of ways including, but is not limited to, rubrics, group critiques, self-assessment, one-on-one conferencing. Students receive competency grades based on their completed assignments. The competencies are Creating, Presenting, Connecting, and Responding. These competencies come directly from the National Core Arts Standards.