The Kindergarten Arts Project was created as a resource of learning activities that integrate the arts into the school’s adopted curriculum in English Language Arts and other content areas for kindergarten in the Keppel Union School District.
The units correspond to the district's adopted English Language Arts curriculum: National Geographic Reach for Reading, 2017. The project begins with a short, two week unit (Unit 1) which is intended to explore art with students. The rest of the units (2-5) are four weeks long each, with a culminating integrated art and subject matter project or performance.
The units consist of project planners, lessons, a design challenge planner, and an assessment rubric. Each unit will feature sample lessons for the subjects being integrated through the unit. The project components are meant to be used together as a unit, however, integrated lessons could be taught without including the unit design challenge (but the design challenge is half the fun!) The project planners are an overview of the entire unit. The lessons are the parts of the project that students will need to do in order to know how to create the final product. The design challenge is the final product or performance that the students complete. The assessment rubric is intended to be used for products or performances. For process assessment, it is suggested that the teacher keep a student portfolio, or keep documentation of observations and conversations with students. A digital portfolio would work nicely if you have a small classroom space, like me.
Project planners
The purpose of the project planners was to give the teacher an overall view of each of the arts integrated units. All project planners are set up the same way, with general information about the unit: the activity title, the subjects and standards that will be the focus of the integrated activities, the materials and the books needed as well as suggested materials, and the steps to teach the unit.
Lessons
The purpose of the lesson templates was to give a teacher sample art lessons and arts integrated lessons (consisting of arts and another subject) for each unit. The lesson templates under the lesson heading are meant to be used as a starting point from which to fill in the discrete learning activities, and give students the knowledge and tools to create the unit project by the end of the unit. I did not include all the lessons that could be taught in each unit; rather I presented lesson templates that will support the integration of arts throughout the unit and the end of unit project. The lesson templates include the objective, vocabulary, materials, procedures, and a discussion to incorporate aesthetic valuing. Because kindergarten students are learning the foundations of literacy, earlier in the year, the English language arts standards more strongly focus on speaking and listening than on reading and writing. The lessons that are ultimately taught in each unit will reflect the student and teacher choice of topic, Common Core English language arts standards that are consistent with the National Geographic Reach for Reading program, research group format, and choice of final product or performance. The visual literacy template occurs in each unit and is meant to strengthen the discussions that students have about art, and meet some of the English language arts standards for speaking and listening. Using the visual literacy process, students will learn how to build upon, and respond appropriately and respectfully to, the ideas of others, make sense of an image, justify their claims, and offer concrete evidence for inferences.
Design challenge
The purpose of the design challenge came from a desire to create a more meaningful and engaging project at the end of each unit within the program. Each unit has a general outcome that allows for differences in the project because of teacher and class individualities. The design challenge is the process the teacher will take the student group(s) through to complete the project(s). To allow enough time to bring the projects to completion, it is suggested that the unit project be discussed with the students early in each unit, rather than at the end, so they are aware of the process and the goal that they will be aiming to reach. The design challenge in kindergarten will look different than a design thinking challenge in other grades, where the students are doing more of the work of researching, reading, and writing.
Assessment
Several formats of evaluation of student work were suggested in this project, but only one is shown as a document on the website. A simple rubric was included on the site for ease of assessment of the art forms used throughout each unit. Other means of assessment throughout the units may include student portfolios, ongoing observation of students, and conversations with students about their work (Goldberg, 2012). Student portfolios are encouraged to show the process of learning in the arts. The students’ body of work can be photographed and digitized to simplify the process of evaluating student work. Observing and having conversations with students about their artwork can give teachers insight on students thinking and guide students toward self-reflection. Because many schools use the 6 Traits of Writing model, as do I, rubrics used for written work came from this model. The 6 Traits may be introduced at a slow pace through the year as students gain confidence in writing.
The Visual Thinking lesson is included in each unit. This lesson is used with any piece of artwork you desire, from classical artworks to illustrations in books and student artwork! Teachers are not limited to the materials I have suggested for use, or even the English language arts curriculum, for the Visual Thinking lessons.
The Resources page has links to websites supporting arts integration. This list will continue to grow as more links and ideas are found.
Because teaching is a work of art in that each teacher puts his or her own stamp of individuality on everything that teacher brings to the classroom, the items contained on this site should be thought of as a starting point from which to adapt and alter as needed to fit the teacher's pedagogy and personality.
Dianne Martinez is completing her Masters in Education with a focus on Literacy. She does not consider herself an artist, but enjoys creating things using a wide range of materials. She dabbles in paint, photography, and has been known to sew a few pieces here and there (including her wedding dress). She teaches kindergarten in the Keppel Union School District, which is in the northeast corner of Los Angeles county, in California, United States. Teaching kindergarten is one of the joys in her life, as well as her husband, two just-about-grown-up daughters, and her dog Jojo.