Mr. Button's Blog: BRES Art Program Recognized at PSBA Education Excellence Fair

The Blue Ridge Elementary Art Program has encouraged and developed student learning in multiple areas, such as, Literacy, Cross-curricular projects, Community awareness, Character education, and Encouraging students to perform at all Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Levels.

The schools art program has connected across the curriculum by...................

· Second grade completes a “Desert Drawing” related with vocabulary learned in the classroom.

· Kindergarten decorates and creates an “Alphabet Banner” as a class.

· Third Grade makes an illustration using vocabulary words that describe the middle ages.

· Fourth graders create “Save the Sea Turtle” posters, build a three dimensional turtle, and adopt a turtle as a class, while learning about the endangered species.

The schools art program allows students to respond creatively to ideas both socially and educationally by..................

· Fifth Grade Art Club completes the “Hexagon Project” annually. These students make donation containers and put them in local businesses. Money is raised for people who cannot afford heating bills in the winter. Donations are given to Interfaith.

· Students learned about character education and created murals illustrating each character trait. Students created “Healthy Food Mosaics” that are displayed in the school’s cafeteria.

The schools art program encourages students to think at all levels of Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Chart by............................

· Art encourages students to work through a process and have multiple perspectives.

· It forces students to create, design, connect, analyze, apply concepts, and critique. All of those words come from level four (extended thinking) on the DOK chart.

Success in Blue Ridge’s art program is evident in the projects and connections that the students make on a daily basis. Whether it’s adopting a sea turtle in art class or taking home their Kachina Doll sculpture, the students have creative and positive experiences. The enthusiasm of each student coming to art class excited to make things and learn is a great indicator. Art can be used as a resource within the school to reach students in a creative way.