SYLLABUS FOR Drawing Brandon Middle School

                                                                                             Teacher:  Mrs. Daniels

In the 18 years I have taught Middle School Visual Fine Art; the one thing I have found that is probably the most important skill set to students is how to draw.  I have fine tuned my efforts in “how” to teach this skill set to Middle Schoolers in a manner that works.  I saw great improvement in student skill sets last year that confirmed what I was doing works.  The issue is that Drawing is a LOT of work!  The student must embrace this fact and understand they must put the work in IF they want to improve in this skill.   This requires “daily” effort.  This requires to NOT give up when you make mistakes; instead to embrace them and learn from them, and THEN try again! Students who are successful learn that doing the same lesson or retrying to concur the mistake that they made, sometimes, over and over is really the secret to becoming a good illustrator.  IF you can learn that this tactile hands-on method is something you are willing to put in the work on, you will improve and you will be able to not only draw better, but you will learn not to give up on most things when times get tough!

Please see the materials list on the front page of my webpage or in class.  You DO NOT need everything on the list the first day, and some of you may not be interested in some of the materials listed, so don’t feel like you need to buy them all.

What is good to have is a B pencil, a H pencil, and a torillian.   I do have some pencils I can share if you do not have them.  We will discuss these options in the first week.

If you can learn to have an open mind, to trust yourself, and not be afraid to work hard, you will SOAR though this class!

Those of you that struggle, not to worry!  I am here to teach you.  I am here to help you and to give the confidence you need to master this 😉

YOU GOT THIS!  I know so!

The rest of this syllabus mostly focuses on behavior.  Also, a VERY important part of how you will succeed in this room.

Materials: You MUST bring a #2 Ticonderoga pencil (not mechanical), 1 eraser, and your creative mind with a good work ethic to class daily!  See the supply list provided in class and on the first page of this website.

 Expectations: My expectations of students are that YOU WILL:

§ Conduct yourself in a SAFE and RESPONSIBLE manner in all of your actions.  Safety of all students is my number one priority.

§ Come to class on time and prepared! (Pencil and eraser, and bring any homework that was assigned).

§ Do your best to complete all personal needs like using facilities, going to your locker, getting what you need from the office PRIOR to coming to class.   It is very important that we focus on working during class, and not leaving the classroom during class.

§ You should bring your Chromebook; and it should be charged!  If you require images to work from this is where you will get them.  You will NOT use your phone for this. 

§ Respect the teacher and your fellow classmates with your words and actions! This includes listening and participating during demonstrations in large group situations, without causing distractions!  Inappropriate behavior whether by your words or actions is not appreciated or tolerated.  Inappropriate actions on your part will result in consequences by the teacher.

§ I expect students to always be kind to others. 

§ Respect materials and tools in the classroom; please do not waste them! Clean and store materials borrowed properly. All students will participate to keep our room clean! This will include helping to clean up around your table, sink areas, or other designated areas by Mrs. Daniels at the end of every class.  We ARE a TEAM!

§ Students will not be allowed to leave the classroom unless the room is completely cleaned!  Part of the curriculum for this class is to learn to be responsible for the mess you create.

§ Put effort into EVERY project!  Please try NOT to take the easy way out to just get the project done.  You will only be successful if you strive for QUALITY outcomes!  This happens through thoughtful planning, taking time to morph and expand on your original ideas, work through mistakes and sometimes starting over!  Your GOAL should be NOT TO RUSH through projects, but to constructively execute your ideas with careful craftsmanship.   I expect EVERY student to try to create great outcomes in your work.  This takes time, and effort!  We are not in a race to complete our projects; we want to raise our bars for quality work.  Every student can create quality outcomes!

§ My greatest hopes are that you will not be afraid to fail.  Learn from our mistakes, and learn to embrace the mistake as an opportunity to create unique outcomes that were not planned!  Sometimes, these “mistakes” can have amazing outcomes! 

                                      Our GOAL is:  Quality in all we do!

§ Please, never touch artwork that is not yours!

§ Please pay attention when I am giving direction on classroom procedures.  This is

Important to keep the work you create safe, and to also care for the work of others.

§ Be kind in your words when talking about another student’s artwork.

§ You may NOT take images from the internet and copy them!  This is plagiarism! 

§ Stay in your assigned seat during class and once you have cleaned up and put your materials away for the day at the end of class.  

§ Every student is required to help pick up anything that has fallen on the floor before we leave the room!  We are a TEAM!  Even if a mess is not yours, please be kind and help out!  One day it maybe a mess that is yours, and I know you would appreciate the help J

Use your class time wisely and work on the project at hand:

§ Artists’ follow certain procedures to ensure their work environment is safe.  This includes using materials in appropriate ways. Wasting materials may result in your replacing them at your expense.  

§ Sitting and talking and not working is not acceptable! You may not use the excuse that you are “thinking about what to do”!  (If this is a repeated practice, then this is just an excuse not to work).

§ Good artwork requires hands on work that takes time!  Many times, you will need to rework one idea over and over and change things as you get new ideas during the process of creating.  This can be hard work!  Don’t “settle” for “it’s good enough” or “can I be done”?!!!  I would hope that every student will raise their bar and work towards outcomes they did not think they could achieve.

§ IF some students are doing something that is “off task”; this does not mean you should!  Mrs. Daniels will deal with each student on a one-to-one basis.  Be careful not to get involved in inappropriate behavior that now is your

§  

§ Grading: Your grade in art will come from the following: Mrs. Daniels uses the Brandon Visual Fine Arts Grading Rubric to determine your grade on every project.  A copy of this is handed out in the first few days of class. You should keep this and use it to determine if you are doing the best work, you can during each project!  You do not have to be the “best” artist to get an A in this class! Everyone is an Artist!  You are here to learn!  Learning to not be afraid to try and push your limits and to not be afraid to repeat and practice, over and over until you get it right is a mind set some of us need to get more skilled.

·         I expect that you will do what is assigned and meeting the objectives of the project; however, if the project I assign does not interest you, and you have a different outcome idea, you should share that with me!  I am not looking for “cookie cutter art outcomes”! I want you create artwork that interests you, but it MUST be school appropriate.

·         The Originality of your work, being neat and well crafted, using your class time wisely going above and beyond the project assigned (creativity) Using your ability to the fullest and not rushing to be done!

You MUST be on task and respectful!

There are NO deadlines in this class!  There is only QUALITY ART!

I am looking forward to a productive year with respectful students.  I am here to teach to all students and to help you increase your creative abilities.  I truly believe that all students can succeed in this class.  It is up to the student to be a respectful functioning member of this classroom.  This includes not laughing when other students are disrespectful!  We are all a team in this room, so let’s work together for a great outcome!

PROHIBITED BEHAVIOR AND ACTIONS

§ Refusal to work.  (Sitting and talking, and not working)

§ Refusal to clean up (arguing that it isn’t your mess)

§ Wasting or abusing art materials and tools

§ Throwing “ANYTHING”

§ Tampering or causing intentional harm to another student’s artwork or their personal belongings.

§ Putting any materials on yourself / your skin/ NO drawing of any kind on your skin!

§ Making a mess on purpose

§ You should NOT create inappropriate distractions during demonstrations, discussions or critiques that are random off topic comments, meant to be funny or disrespectful.  You will be removed from the classroom; a call will go home; a detention will be served or other appropriate discipline up to and including dismissal may result. 

§ Please, think before you speak or act! 

§ Please do NOT draw on our tables, or contribute to any “holes” in the surface.  These tables have a long history to me trying to restore them.  Please do not intentionally draw on them!

New this year:

§ PHONES are not to be used in the Art Room Classroom.  No exceptions. 

§ IF you chose to have your phone in your pocket it must be off.  You may not check it to read a text or any other purpose. 

·         You will need to email yourself any personal pictures you need for artwork outside of school.
  The rules for phone use in the art room are as following and will be strictly adhered to. 

1.       Phones will NOT be used to take photos of your artwork for Google Classroom uploads, you will need to use your Chromebook.  For this reason, it is imperative that you have your Chromebook with you, and that it is charged.

2.       NO texting allowed / as you are NOT using your phone in my classroom!

3.       NO Social Media / as you are NOT using your phone in my classroom!

4.       NO Videotaping from any device / as you are NOT using your phone in my classroom!

5.       NO other students or the teacher should be in the background of your artwork photos when using your Chromebook camera.

6.       NO Phone calls, or any other use of the phone, not even searching on the internet; you have your Chromebook for that. 

Again, you are NOT using your phone in my classroom.   IF you do, you may get one warning and then your phone will be taken to the office.

If you violate any of these rules, you will be given ONE warning, with consequences to follow.

·         IF you bring your phone to class because you forgot to put it in your locker, it should be kept in a pocket where I can’t see it. 

GOOGLE CLASSROOM INFO:

·         Students will use their Chrome Books and Google Classroom to turn in their work. 

·         This is where I will do all grading.  When deadlines are announced for a project,
  (which is usually announced when the majority of the class is done with the project

that we have in progress, you are expected to upload your work, EVEN IF you are NOT done! You will NOT be marked down for not being done, but you WILL be marked down if you do not turn you work in progress)!

·         IF your student is absent on any given day, they should be able to keep up with what is going on in class via Google Classroom.  I will allow extra time in the classroom to catch up, however, if the student does not attempt to complete any work after their return, points will be deducted.

·         Please make sure your student is checking their school email daily, if they are absent for any extended time, I may be contacting them to see how things are going through email 

·         Please make sure your student has ALL of their assignments posted on time in Google Classroom! Generally, when students post in Google Classroom for all Art Classes; they should include their rough draft, a picture of their final artwork and they are required to write something about their artwork.   I will not be posting individual assignments here.  All assignments will be posted in Google Classroom under the Classwork Tab.

·         I would prefer to keep the Stream page of Google Classroom open for resources that I will post for students regarding assignments; this is not a place for questions.  Should they have an urgent question that cannot wait until the next day, they should email me.  

·         Please also know that all students work at different speeds, all student's artwork will vary; so some students may have chosen to place more details in their artwork than others, and due to that students may possibly not have completed their artwork by the due date.  As long as students are working diligently, but may not have their artwork completed by the deadline, I prefer and need them to post their work that is in progress anyway.  IF this happens, they should write a note in private comments, that they are not finished and what it is they still need to complete. This way, when I grade after the due date it will remind me.  They are required to finish all unfinished work though!

·         If the student does not post ANY artwork by the due date, the grade entered will be entered as a zero.  This grade can be altered if the student makes efforts to contact me; and complete their work in a timely manner, but more importantly that they post their unfinished artwork  at  or near the time of that contact.  It is likely the student will lose points due to posting after the due date.  The longer the absence of posting any artwork after the due date; *(finished or unfinished), the more deduction of points are probable. Ultimately, if no artwork is posted, the grade will remain a zero.

·         Please understand that students should NOT consider emailing me artwork to get credit.  ALL artwork is graded in Google Classroom. 

If you have ANY questions or concerns, please email me!   jdaniels@brandon.k12.mi.us  

Please see the list of materials needed on the first page of my website.  

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Please see the list of materials needed  on the first page of my website.  

Students will STILL use their Chrome Books and Google Classroom to turn in their work.  This is where I will do all grading.  IF your student is absent on any given day, they should be able to keep up with what is going on in class via Google Classroom.  

Please make sure your student is checking their school email daily, if they are absent for any extended time, I maybe contacting them to see how things are going through email..  

Please make sure your student has ALL of their assignments posted on time in Google Classroom! Generally when students post in Google Classroom for all Art Classes; they should include their rough draft, a picture of their final artwork and they are required to write something about their artwork.   I will not be posting individual assignments here.  All assignments will be posted in Google Classroom under the Classwork Tab.

 I would prefer to keep the Stream page of Google Classroom open for resources that I will post for students regarding assignments; this is not a place for questions.  Should they have an urgent question that can not wait until the next day, they should email me.  

Please also know that all students work at different speeds, all student's artwork will vary; so some students may have chosen to place more details in their artwork then others, and due to that students may possibly not have completed their artwork by the due date.  As long as students are working diligently, but may not have their artwork completed by the deadline, I prefer and need them to post their work that is  in progress anyway.  IF this happens, they should write a note in private comments, that they are not finished and what it is they still need to complete. This way, when I grade after the due date it will remind me.  They are required to finish all unfinished work though!

 If the student does not post ANY artwork by the due date, the grade entered will be entered as a zero.  This grade can be altered if the student makes efforts to contact me; and complete their work in a timely manner, but more importantly that they post their unfinished artwork  at  or near the time of that contact.  It is likely the student will loose points due to posting after the due date.  The longer the absence of posting any artwork after the due date; *(finished or unfinished), the more deduction of points are probable. Ultimately, if no artwork is posted, the grade will remain a zero.

Please understand that students should NOT consider emailing me artwork to get credit.  ALL artwork is graded in Google Classroom. 

If you have ANY questions or concerns, please email me.   jdaniels@brandon.k12.mi.us  

I will supply all the paper needed for this class.  I suggest that students have their own pencils, and erasers.  I will supply everyone with a "tortillion" .... I call them "smudgers"!   You can buy professional pencils, and they are wonderful, however they are also expensive!  You can buy pencils at Michaels in an assortment of brands from rather inexpensive to the best pencils.  You can also buy individual pencils.  IF a student had a 6B or 8B pencil and an H pencil at a minimum with the other pencils I also supply this will be beneficial for them.

I also suggest that each student has their own black Sharpie, Ultra think and regular thickness.

 If you have any questions, please contact me.   IF you are unable to afford this, please let me know and I will make sure your student has what they need.