Content Integration
Integration in any area, be it STEM or adding art for STEAM, seems to be the buzzword to curriculum designers everywhere. There are so many resources floating around out there to integrate content areas. Integration can be a "magical" approach that has the capacity to turn learning into meaningful practice. The Common Core academic standards are especially suited to arts integration because they are designed to promote critical thinking. I plan to support true integration through technology in my lesson planing. Technology is a big part of the modernist movement and in the current content area of design, photography, and printmaking.
Assessment Strategies
Sketchbooks / Visual Journals
This is a great way for students to reflect on current projects or collect images for future ones. Notes or thoughts can be written or drawn; images can be student-created (drawing, photography) or ready-made from magazines, newspapers, packages, etc. They provide students with a private space to practice drawing / painting / photography skills and to track themes and ideas that interest them. In turn these can then be used as preliminary sketches for other artworks or as elements for collages. Can be assessed with a tally sheet (recording regularity of entries) or as a means of checking the development of ideas for a project.
Writings
Like tests, written forms of assessments can be done in a traditional manner, or take a more imaginative form. Instead of a straightforward essay have them write a poem or a story to complement an artwork’s style, or a critique of an exhibition. At minimum, I will provide opportunities for students to combine literary demonstrations with visual ones, illustrating their words with pictures; this offers students different ways to excel in the same assessment vehicle.
Critiques
Critiques can be done by the student (self-critique), by his/her peers, or by the teacher in written or oral, public or private form. They can be conducted mid-project or at the end, but should always be positive in tone, noting what was done well and what can be improved on. Opportunities for revision or re-making a project based on critiques will be offered in my classroom. I use a comprehensive rating scale to effectively communicate the results of my own critique following up with a comment section to ensure clarity for the student.