Fine Arts

Fine arts is an essential and integral part of the core academic curriculum. “Young children respond to gestures and movement before they react to the spoken word. They understand and explore sound before they learn to speak. They draw pictures before they form letters. They dance and act out stories before they learn to read” (Fowler, 1984). Students will experience many aspects of visual arts, music, and communication. Our learning targets within the Fine Arts domains are in the alignment process with the National Coalition for Core Arts Standards for music and art education. Below is a matrix that shows the Fine Arts, Encore, and Humanities rotations provided for District 102 students:

Art Education

Art teachers for students in grades 1-4 teach students visual arts instruction once per five-day cycle. Students in grades 5-8 receive art instruction once per quarter. Visual arts balances art production with concepts of design, appreciation and history, studying art masters from around the world.

Media Center

The library media center is a place where students learn and use a variety of resources. The Library Media Specialist shapes the student’s concept of how to find information by teaching him or her to inquire, think critically and gain knowledge. District No. 102’s Media Center Specialists support District 102 grade level literacy learning targets as aligned to the American Association of School Librarians standards. These include an emphasis on literature, informational text, and research topics.

Music Education

Beginning in kindergarten, students participate in a progressive music curriculum through eighth grade. Students enjoy music with a music teacher weekly, in kindergarten through fourth grades. Music includes singing, playing instruments, listening, movement and note reading. Fifth through eighth grade students participate in music education with a music teacher during one quarter, and they may also pursue Band, Orchestra and/or Chorus. As a result of its dedication to music education, District 102 was awarded the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Best Communities for Music Education Award.

Communications (Grades 5-6)

During the Communications Encore class, students focus on standards for listening and speaking effectively in a variety of situations as well as acquiring, assessing and communicating information. In grade 5, students will focus on the following units as correlated to English Language Arts, Drama, and the 4C’s learning targets: narrative storytelling, informative speech, and persuasive speech. In grade 6, the emphasis is on the learning targets associated with Drama, the 4C’s, and English Language Arts argumentation/research through curriculum and lessons associated with Ted Ed Clubs.