Summary
Highlights
The speaker, an art teacher, discusses the common challenge of not being provided with a pre-made curriculum, unlike teachers in other subjects. She shares her experience teaching middle school and high school, online and in-person, in both public and private settings, primarily focusing on drawing and painting. This video specifically addresses curriculum planning, not classroom or supply management.
Three key tips are provided before diving into planning: 1) Utilize Facebook groups for art teachers to get advice, lesson plans, and answers to questions. 2) Assess your existing supplies and budget to understand what resources are available. 3) Keep it simple in your first year; focus on establishing core classes rather than immediately taking on extracurriculars like art clubs or shows.
The speaker outlines different ways to structure an art curriculum. The first option is an elements-of-art-based curriculum, moving through elements like line, color, value, shape, form, space, and texture. This approach allows for flexibility in media while maintaining an organized structure.
The second option is a techniques and materials-based curriculum, which involves progressing through various media from less messy (pencil) to more complex (ceramics). This method is well-suited for introductory art classes and middle schoolers. The third option is an artist or art history-based curriculum, which involves moving chronologically through art history periods or focusing on specific artists, although the speaker has not personally used this method.
For organization, the speaker uses Google Sheets. She syncs the school calendar to the sheet, outlining weeks and breaks. After choosing a curriculum type, she plans out units (e.g., one unit per month for elements of art) and color-codes them. Then, she roughly plans projects for the entire year, noting that these are subject to change.
The speaker advises planning the first two months of school in more detail. This involves outlining how lessons will be scaffolded, including preparatory lessons for projects (e.g., setting up a still life, using proportion) and allocating time for work and critiques. She emphasizes that while things will change, a solid skeleton plan provides preparedness.
A bonus tip is to include an art journal in the curriculum, especially for in-person teaching. Art journals help manage classroom behaviors by giving students an immediate task. They also serve as an easy way to integrate art vocabulary, art analysis, and art history, which can sometimes be overlooked in favor of technical skill development.