EED 435 Wk 1 – Art-Friendly Classroom Plan

Research shows that young children thrive when their studies include the arts. Actually “doing” art offers important life skills, such as observing and describing; and is a means of self-expression, which can lead to self-knowledge and self-confidence. Providing students with an art-friendly physical space and learning environment is key to a successful arts integration program. For this assignment, you will determine what an art-friendly environment looks and feels like and create a visual plan to show your vision. Your are creating your dream classroom that supports arts integration (AI), so you are not limited in space or other constraints.

Download the Classroom Organization Checklist from Educational Impact and use the guidelines as applicable.

Watch this segment “Orchestrating Room Arrangement and Routines” from Educational Impact for a teacher’s perspectives on arranging a classroom to encourage certain types of behavior, interaction, and learning.

Create a 2-page plan for creating an art-friendly classroom in an elementary school setting.

Address the following components in your plan:

• Physical requirements
• Student workspaces
• Supplies, equipment, and storage
• Atmosphere
• Display spaces
• Safety guidelines

Provide descriptions for each component that depict an art-friendly classroom environment.

Include a drawing of the physical arrangement. You may draw it by hand or use an online classroom builder or graphical application, such as one of the following:

• Canva
• Microsoft PowerPoint

Cite your sources in APA format.

Submit your classroom plan.

• If you use an online classroom builder, submit a downloaded version or a link to the plan.
• If you draw by hand, scan and submit the plan.

EED 435 Wk 2 – Self-Portrait and Reflection

Making a self-portrait can be beneficial for children in some pretty surprising ways. They can express what’s important to them, learn about who they are, and figure out how they want to present themselves to the world. Well, the same benefits apply to adults. Plus, another major benefit to this introspective art project is that it allows all of us the maximum amount of artistic freedom. This assignment provides you the opportunity to practice a little self-expression and reflection.

Research the elements of art and principles of design.

Create an 8½ x 11-inch self-portrait, incorporating as many elements of art and principles of design as you can. The self-portrait can be drawn, painted, sketched, or produced using a graphic arts application. List three elements of art and principles of design you used in your portrait and how you used each one.

Write a half-page reflection to accompany your self-portrait that answers the following questions:

• What does art mean to you?
• What is the importance of art in society? In education?
• How will you use art to engage students and promote deeper learning in your classroom?

Cite your sources in APA format.

Submit the following:

• Self-portrait (scan your completed creation to submit if needed)
• Reflection

EED 435 Wk 2 – Summative Assessment: A Study of History and Culture on Art Presentation

Art is a powerful thing; humans have always been moved to and by art. From the moment that humankind could, we started thinking in a creative way. The earliest cave drawings were to explain and depict the world around us. Today art is one of the best ways to teach young children about cultural differences and the histories of their regions and people.

Use the textbook reading and videos for this week, as well as your own research, to examine the connection between history and culture, and visual and performing arts.

Create a 16- to 20-slide presentation in which you examine the influence of history and culture on art:

• Select 2 significant events or perspectives in American history through the present that represent a cultural majority in the United States and that have been widely represented in visual or performing arts.
• Locate depictions of these events or perspectives in visual or performing arts.
• Explain your selections and their importance in American culture.
• Select 2 events or perspectives that represent a cultural minority in the United States.
• Locate depictions of these events or perspectives in visual or performing arts.
• Explain your selections and their importance to the minority group that is represented.
• Include samples of the art created about these events or cultural perspectives.
• Compare and contrast the representations of cultural majority groups with the representations of minority groups. What differences do you notice? Include the following:
• Whether subjects are depicted positively or negatively
• How easy or difficult it was to locate these artistic representations
• Who created these works, and what their intentions were

Cite your sources in APA format.

Submit your assignment.

EED 435 Wk 3 – Summative Assessment: Integration Strategies and Resources Handbook

The arts integration approach may also be known in some school districts, and among educators, as the STEAM approach to teaching and learning. This approach uses science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics as the framework for guiding student inquiry, dialogue, and critical thinking, but not all districts have implemented a specific program.

That being said, it is a well-known fact that arts integration alone improves student engagement and boosts critical thinking, and it can be implemented by classroom teachers individually. For this assignment, you will review and select arts integration strategies and resources for use in an elementary setting.

Create a 2½- to 3-page handbook of arts integration strategies and resources (to save for future use) that are appropriate for an elementary education setting.  Use clipart, colored font, headings, or other items to create a handbook. This should not be written as a paper.

Identify 2 or 3 strategies (minimum of 8 total) for integrating each of the following art disciplines into elementary curriculum:

• Visual arts
• Performing arts
• Dance and/or movement
• Music

Provide the following information for each strategy:

• Description of how to use it with the academic subject area of your choice
• Justification for how it supports student engagement and promotes critical thinking
• Examples, with explanations, of accommodations and/or modifications for diverse learners

Identify 2 or 3 specific resources (minimum of 6 total) appropriate for integrating arts into elementary curriculum from each of the following categories:

• Local/community (in your area): Suggestions include library, museums, theaters, art galleries, artist’s studios, or art education associations.
• Digital/electronic/print: Suggestions include websites, virtual tours and/or field trips, streaming videos, journals, magazines, or books.
• Educational technology: Suggestions include applications for creating music, videos, drawings, and collages for learning about art, dance, or theater.

Provide the following information for each resource:

• Description of resource (including location, cost, and availability, if applicable) and how it supports academic subject area of choice
• Justification for how it supports student engagement and promotes critical thinking
• Examples, with explanations, of accommodations and/or modifications for diverse learners

Cite your sources in APA format.

Submit your assignment.

EED 435 Wk 4 – Arts-Integrated Lesson Plan

Imagine that your elementary school principal has requested to observe you teach a class focused around effectively using an arts concept to help students understand a topic in a core subject.

Create a 1- to 2-page lesson plan that addresses the following:

• Central focus
• Age group and content standards
• Learning goals and objectives
• Instructional strategies
• Differentiation strategy for diverse learners
• Discipline prevention and intervention strategy
• Assessment evidence

Explain the AI strategy that will be in use.

Include resources to websites and technology that may be needed.

Cite your sources in APA format.

Submit your assignment.

EED 435 Wk 5 – Summative Assessment: Thematic Unit Planning

A thematic unit is the organization of curriculum around a central theme to includes a series of lessons that integrate different subjects, all while tying into the main theme of the unit. When designing an arts-integrated thematic unit, it takes time and focused planning to find the connections between the academic subject and arts that will enhance and deepen student learning.

In this 2-part assignment, you will plan a 1-week unit that focuses on the academic area of your choice and integrates a minimum of 2 different forms of art into the instruction, student activities, and assessments.

Part 1: Unit Outline

Create a 2-page outline for your unit that includes the following:

• Unit summary:
• Grade level and overarching theme for unit
• Academic subject of focus:
• Language Arts
• Mathematics
• Science
• Social Studies
• Arts integrated (minimum of 2):
• Visual Arts
• Performing Arts (drama)
• Dance and/or Movement
• Music
• Selected academic content and arts content standards
• Lesson summaries for 3 lessons:
• Topic and brief description
• Objectives
• Activities that support academic subject and the arts being integrated
• Accommodations and/or modifications for diverse learners
• Materials needed
• Assessment summary:
• Formative assessment options for each lesson (must vary in delivery)
• Summative assessment options for unit

Part 2: Unit Overview

Write a 2-page overview for your unit that includes the following:

• Unit statement that describes the following:
• Connection between the academic subject and the arts integrated
• Relevance of each lesson to the overarching unit theme
• Unit plan for incorporating the following:
• Online, technology, and community resources
• Opportunities for display or performance
• Unit justification that explains the following:
• How the arts integration enhances or deepens student understanding and learning
• Why this is an elementary grade-level appropriate unit of study
• Compile the following for submission:
• Unit Outline
• Unit Overview

Cite your sources in APA format.

Submit your assignment.