Dan Higuera

Art Ed.

Dr. Savage

10/24/17

Observation 2

The elementary school that I was at for this observation was in a fairly affluent area. The students are half

white students, and the other half are of different ethnicities. The majority of those students are Asian and

Hispanic. Although the school has a plethora of resources, the students are of varying socioeconomic

status. For example, a lot of the Hispanic students live in the trailer park close to the school. Most of the

white students live in enormous mansions. However, the students are very open with each other, and they

don't seem to have many cliques. This time around I observed some of the younger students. The grades

were K-3rd.

Every unit this year for this art class is based on a theme from a book. They read a new book at the

beginning of each unit, and then make art related to that book. For the 1st through 3rd graders the book

was based on emotions through monsters and colors. The kindergarten class was less involved with art

making in this class; They were watching a movie. This also might be because of the district's rules of

teaching kindergarten students. I dont think they are actually supposed to teach them, and the rules are a

little weird with that. The first grade students are making monsters out of construction paper. There are

colors that correspond to the emotion that the monster resembles. Each student picks a color that speaks to

them. The second grade students had to make felt monsters that were stitched together, and then stuffed

with cotton. In third grade they made clay candy corn monsters along with their stuffed monster.

It seems that there were a couple of learning objectives from this unit. Maybe to learn about the

symbolism of colors. Also, literacy is something that has been addressed in this unit. The students are also

learning how to use different media. They also upload all of their finished work to Flip Grid. This is an

app that allows the kids to compare, contrast, and critique each others art works. It is inclusive, so that all

the students in the school can view the work. This is a critical part of the process. Students learn how to
think about art in a way that seems fun to them. These learning objectives ensure perceiving/knowing,

producing/performing, and responding/reflecting as aspects of the class.

I can see many standards connected to this in every grade. For first grade I can see the correlation to 2PE,

4PE, 1PR, and 3RE in the most recent ODE standards. For second grade I feel that 1PE, 1PR, and 3RE fit

well. Third grade standards might be 6PE, 1PR, 3RE. The PE standards are fairly observable. Do the

students understand what is going on? Do they know what expression is? Can they recognize, describe,

and point out details in peoples art work? In this case, do these kids know what the colors can mean? Can

they discern the artistic choices made to the monsters? The PR standards are way more direct. Can they

use different media? Have they demonstrated certain skills? Can they use art elements to express their

ideas? Essentially, can they make art? Yes is the answer. They can make amazing art. For this class we

want to ask what did they use to make their monsters? What color is their monster? Did they have enough

skill to execute the monster making project well? The last standards are the RE standards. Can the

students make connections? Can they evaluate their own work? Are they able to be constructive with

criticism and reconsider their choices? These last standards will be addressed through their Flip Grid

portion of the class. Can the students reflect on their monsters and respond to it? Are they capable of self-

evaluating the aspects of their monsters? These are all questions that directly come from the standards.

These standards can be helpful when assessing students. It can be as simple as giving them good grades if

they meet the standards. I can see a teacher giving better grades to a student who outperforms the

standards at hand. Also, one might give a lesser numerical value to a student who has under achieved

according to their skill level. However, teachers shouldnt just hand out grades without conversing with

the students. The only true way to know what the students have achieved is by talking to them. All of

these standards are observable through dialogue, and the end product. If the grades only depend on the

finished product, then the teacher will miss seeing the actual progress their students have made. I will

always talk to my students about their work before giving a critical assessment. A teacher has to be able

to see past a final product, and incorporate the process of learning in their evaluations. If you dont do
this, then you will leave both gifted and struggling students alike behind, as the class attempts to move

forward.