Art
Each classroom has one 50 minute art class per week with the art specialist. Art offers a wide variety of opportunities for artistic expression. In addition to heightening individual student’s specific artistic skills, the program helps develop aesthetic awareness, self discipline and personal fulfillment. Classrooms teachers also incorporate art into many of their learning activities.
ART DEPARTMENT
David Rivers, Art teacher
Welcome! As the art teachers at Heatherwood, we are looking forward to getting to know each and every student through many creative adventures. We will be discovering many things about the elements of art (color, line, shape, texture, and space) and the principles of design as we draw, paint, sculpt, build, observe, and talk about art. We will be using many different art materials and techniques to communicate our ideas and feelings. We will be learning about artists and art from different cultures. We will have fun learning and making Art!
Our curriculum sequentially supports the district and state Visual Arts Standards as follows:
- Communication: Students recognize and use the visual arts as a form of communication.
- Perception: Students know and apply the elements of art, principles of design and sensory and expressive features of the visual arts.
- Materials and Techniques: Students know and apply visual arts materials, tools, techniques, processes and technology.
- History and Culture: Students relate the visual arts to various historical and cultural traditions.
- Analysis: Students analyze and evaluate the characteristics, merits and meanings of works of art.
What can you do as a parent?
- Ask your child about art class.
- Display your child's art projects with pride.
- Keep a portfolio with all your child's artwork.
- Frame and display your child's work in your home.
- Volunteer to be an art room helper.
- Donate interesting unwanted junk to the art department.
- Take your child to art galleries, art shows and museums.
- If you are an artist or have an art speciality, volunteer to share your talent at Heatherwood.
Music
All students have two or three music classes per week depending on the grade. They have opportunities to learn music concepts through singing, playing instruments, moving and listening. Reading notation and composing, music history and appreciation and performance are also a regular part of the program.
MUSIC CURRICULUM
Students experience a wide range of activities that develop their musical knowledge and ability in five conceptual areas:
Rhythm
Melody
Harmony
Form (the structure of music)
Expressive Qualities
The activities and essential experiences within these five areas will always follow the develop mental sequence for musical instruction with children:
- All music learning begins with the ear.
- Music skills are first expressed through the voice and the body; instruments are an extension of these.
- Children need experience in hearing, naming, and producing musical sounds before music symbols are introduced and meaning brought to symbols.
The characteristics of the music program throughout the grade levels at Heatherwood include:
- Moving, singing/speaking, listening, playing, reading/notating, and creating/improvising are activities that students are involved in during music classes.
- The approach is layered, beginning with speech, movement, and song, then extends to unpitched percussion, barred instruments, and recorder.
- Solfege and rhythmic notation are used in the Primary grades as a bridge to ‘reading’ music in the Intermediate grades.
- The soprano recorder is used as a tool in late 3rd grade and throughout 4th and 5th grade to support the music reading standard. Guitar instruction begins in 5th grade.
- Students are assessed during regular classroom activities in grades K-3. BVSD requires a formal music assessment at the end of 4th grade.
- The music curriculum at Heatherwood functions as a part of the total educational program in the school; Ms. Unruh integrates reading, language, math, social studies , and the science of sound (3rd grade) in the music repertoire.
Feel free to come and visit a music class! We always love to perform for our parents!
Physical Education
All students have two or three periods of physical education each week. The program helps each child develop a high level of motor skills and fitness. Students are expected to dress accordingly and participate in all scheduled physical education activities unless prohibited due to medical reasons. Such reasons must be verified by a written note from the parent and/or doctor. We request that students wear rubber or crepe soled shoes (avoid black soles) if possible.