Saskatoon Public Schools

Learning Technology/Distance Learning Content Development Project

Title of Project : Visual Art 10, 20, 30
Credits: Karon Guttormson - Aden Bowman Collegiate
             Kim Strange - City Park Collegiate
             James Hawn - Educational Consultant : Arts Education
             Judy Byers - Project Consultant: Distance Education
             Kim Newlove – Curriculum & Instruction Coordinator
             Grant Dougall – Project Leader: Research and Technology
             Hugh Kurz – Superintendent of Technology and Communications
Program Aim and Goals:
The Arts Education program has one major aim: to enable students to understand and value arts expressions throughout life. This one aim, which also applies to specialized arts courses, describes the main outcome for students and the primary reason for including Arts Education in the Core Curriculum for all students.
The aim of the Arts Education program can be achieved through meeting the following goals. Students will:

respect the uniqueness and creativity of themselves and others
express themselves through languages other than spoken or written language
understand the contributions of the arts and artists to societies and cultures, past and present
gain a lasting appreciation of art forms experienced as participant and as audience
recognize the many connections between the arts and daily life.

Philosophy:
The Saskatchewan Arts Education program provides a unique "way of knowing" about the world and human experience. In order for students to benefit from this unique way of knowing, the program encourages the following:

education of the senses to take in information
education about the basic languages of the arts
acquisition of skills and development of abilities to enable students to express themselves using the languages of the arts
understanding of the role of the arts in cultures and societies, and in people's daily lives
acquisition of a body of knowledge accumulated over the years of human existence, consisting of the beliefs and aesthetic principles of various cultures and societies.

In addition, the Arts Education program recognizes that artists are thinkers. Their ideas have contributed and continue to contribute to an understanding of human existence. The Arts Education program provides a place for critical and creative thinking and the development of student ideas.
Three Components of Arts Education:
All Saskatchewan Arts Education Courses, including specialized courses, must incorporate the three components of the Arts Education program. These components are the creative/productive component, the cultural/historical component and the critical/responsive component.
Courses are structured, through the inclusion of the three components, to achieve a balance in focus. The three components are not to be segregated but are intended to be interwoven throughout the program.
Foundational objectives for Visual Art 10, 20 and 30:
The students will:
1. Analyze forms of art from a variety of cultures and societies, historical and contemporary; interpret meanings within appropriate contexts; and relate their understanding to their own expressions and life experiences. (Focus: Cultural/Historical Component)
2. Use analytical and critical thought to respond to art works and infer meanings based on the many contexts of visual art and global issues. (Focus: Critical/Responsive Component)
3. Initiate and develop ideas for art-making, transpose these ideas into art forms using a variety of media, and reflect upon their processes and their completed works within the contexts of visual art. (Focus: Creative/Productive Component)
(Taken from Sask. Ed's Visual Art 10, 20, 30 Evergreen Curriculum)

The online student learning materials will supplement and/or enhance these existing Visual Arts modules:

Visual Art 10: Module 3 Local and Regional Culture
Visual Art 20: Module 9 Popular Culture and Mass Media
Visual Art 30: Module 15 Change
Module 16 Visual Art in Canada
Arts visuels 30: Module 15 Le changement
Module 16 Les arts visuels au Canada

Some of the information links are PDF files, which are designed to be viewed and printed in Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you don't have this free software, you can get it from this link.

(Most SPSD computers already have Acrobat Reader installed)

Teacher Resources:
Exploring Art (Mittler, Ragans) ISBN 0-02-6623546-0
Understanding Art (Mittler, Ragans) ISBN 0-02-662359-5
Introducing Art ( Mittler, Morman,Unsworth, Ragans, Scannell)
ISBN 0-02-662363-3
Canadian Art: Building a Heritage (MacGregor, Hall, Bennett, Calvert)
ISBN 0-13-113010-2
Handout on Viewing Art Work
Observation des œuvres d'art
Des mots descriptifs à te servir en faisant une analyse formelle d’une œuvre d’art
How to Read a Painting - Learning Art Criticism Skills