Back to School Night Q & A

Art with Tangram Shapes (math & art)

Last night was our Back to School Night at Coral Academy of Science Elementary in Reno, Nevada. The parents' enthusiam for the arts is outstanding. Many of them stopped by the art room and offered input into what they would like their child to get from a fine art curriculum.

The number one desire was for their children to feel comfortable, secure, and open to create--to learn that mistakes are a part of the process and to persevere through the challenge. To share a few thougths that came my way:

" I want [him] to have the opportunity to explore, create without

 feeling like it needs to be "perfect"."

"To enjoy art and the process of art without being concerned about



The Science of Einstein meets Art Appreciation of Warhol
( Humanities &  Science)



making a "mistake" or getting art wrong."

 "I would love for him to find confidence and his own voice."

"To be openly creative... and to get joy out of art."

 "I want them to feel comfortable expressing themselves through art

 and to be able to use their art to help them in academics"

Which brings me to how art enriches learning for all the academic areas. One of the key components of my classes is guiding children to building a meaningful appreciation* toward art. To do that, close observation is necessary. The students must play close attention to the details of a piece and learn to re-examine and express their findings; visually, verbally, and written. This type of analysis is required in all the subjects helping to build critical thinkers.

I also want the students to be able to engage in quality conversation about art, the subject they are drawing, and apply it toward what they are learning in their regular classroom. Presentations will be apart of our days which are important to hone their public speaking skills and confidence at an early age. Overall, these components add tremendously to success in literacy.

Math and the art of M.C. Escher

Finally, it is impossible to discuss art without integrating Social Studies, History, the Humanities. Students will simultaneously learn an appreciation for art and different media while learning of many cultures and eras. 

There are so many ways to connect art to the other academic fields. I'd love to hear your ideas how art connects to academics and life skills in the comments below. Don't be strangers. I'd love to hear from you, in the classroom (8am), by email (ssnyder@coralacademy.org), or here on the blog.

Thanks for stopping by!

* The italicized words in the above text have been taken from the Common Core Standards: Guiding Principles for the Arts K-12 by David Coleman.