- North Allegheny School District
- Curriculum
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CURRICULUM
The basic content throughout the entire K-12 North Allegheny Visual Arts curriculum consists of the interweaving of four art disciplinary strands (art production, art history, art criticism, and aesthetics) with engagement with the artistic processes of creating, presenting, responding, and connecting.
Through learning about and creating art, North Allegheny students engage in processes and understandings considered vital to life in the 21st century, such as independence, organization and planning, goal setting, research, idea formation, observational skills, creative thinking, problem solving, risk-taking, personal realization, reflective habits, and the ability to carry ideas to completion.
The North Allegheny Visual Arts Curriculum is both informed by the National Core Art Standards for Visual Arts (artistic processes and concepts) and the Pennsylvania Academic Standards for the Arts and Humanities (discipline-specific content). Instructional goals in each visual arts course are organized around six "Big Ideas" articulated through Pennsylvania's Standards Aligned System framework:- The skills, techniques, elements and principles of the arts can be learned, studied, refined and practiced.
- Artists use tools and resources as well as their own experiences and skil to create art.
- The arts provide a medium to understand and exchange ideas.
- People have expressed experiences and ideas through the arts throughout time and across cultures.
- There are formal and informal processes used to assess the quality of works in the arts.
- People use both aesthetic and critical processes to assess quality, interpret meaning and determine value.
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Elementary
The elementary art classes, offered to students in kindergarten through fifth grade, develop the foundational understanding and skills in the visual arts. Students practice artistic activities that develop creative strategies, skills, and habits of mind. This work supports design literacy in the language of visual composition and expression.Through the Elementary Visual Arts Curriculum, students:- Acquire procedural knowledge, skill, and craftsmanship through the art making process.
- Develop understanding of the meaning and purpose of visual art.
- Explore our rich and diverse historical and cultural heritage through the study of visual art.
- Develop aesthetic judgment that supports the making and understanding of rich meaning in art.
Students in the elementary program attend Art class for one class period each week for the entire school year. Classes additionally meet for an "Integrated Day" once every three weeks. Classes are taught by certified art specialists. Fourth Grade Art classes travel to the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh to view and discuss the work of artists they have studied. Building exhibitions mounted in each elementary building often explore integrated themes. -
Middle School
Art classes within the middle grades expand on the elementary foundation in understanding and skills in the visual arts in an exploratory manner consistent with the middle school philosophy. Through the Middle School Visual Arts Curriculum, students:- Develop increasingly sophisticated creative strategies, skills, and habits of mind through artistic practices.
- Apply design literacy to a wide variety of traditional and new media.
- Acquire increasing complex procedural knowledge, skill and craftsmanship in art making while exploring an expanded range of media.
- Develop more sophisticated aesthetic judgment that supports the making and understanding of rich meaning in art.
- Explore a wide range of notions about the meaning and purpose of visual art.
- Form a broader knowledge and understanding of our rich and diverse historical and cultural heritage through art.
ART 69 Weeks / 6th Grade In sixth grade art, students explore a variety of media as they continue to build their skills in drawing, painting, graphics, calligraphy, and sculpture. Theory is introduced to further elaborate upon ideas about color, perspective, and design. Teachers discuss artists, artwork, and provide technique demonstrations to develop the four strands of art education: art appreciation, art history, art production, and art criticism; as well as problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
ART 76 Weeks / 7th Grade In seventh grade art, students focus on further developing art skills, vocabulary, creativity, and concepts of design. Two-dimensional lessons may include painting, college, drawing, and printmaking. Three-dimensional projects may include functional or sculptural ceramic experiences. Art history, art appreciation, and art criticism are integrated into the lessons as a framework of the curriculum.
ART 812 Weeks / 8th Grade In eighth grade art, students express themselves creatively through drawing, graphics, sculpting, painting, metalwork, 3D ceramic sculpture, and jewelry to develop art skills and concepts. Composition, technique, the elements and principles of design, and attention-to-detail are explored. Art history, art appreciation, problem solving, and critical thinking are integrated into lessons.
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High School
Visual Arts courses are available to North Allegheny students in grades 9-12. Visit the Program of Studies for detailed information about the course.