Quality Standard 1: Teachers demonstrate mastery of and pedagogical expertise in the content they teach. 

The elementary teacher is an expert in literacy and mathematics and is knowledgeable in all other content that s/ he teachers (e.g., science, social studies, arts, physical education, or world languages). The secondary teacher has knowledge of literacy and mathematics and is an expert in his or her content endorsement area(s). 

• Element A: Teachers provide instruction that is aligned with the Colorado Academic Standards, their District’s organized plan of instruction, and the individual needs of their students. 

• Element B: Teachers develop and implement lessons that connect to a variety of content areas/disciplines and emphasize literacy and mathematical practices. 

• Element C: Teachers demonstrate knowledge of the content, central concepts, inquiry, appropriate evidence-based instructional practices, and specialized characteristics of the disciplines being taught.

Sumi-e Painting: Studio

Sumi-e is a Japanese style of painting that emphasizes meditation, embracing negative space, simplicity, intentionality, and a harmonious union with the ink, brush, and canvas. This project teaches students to slow down, to let go, and only make the marks they need to. 

This project is often difficult due to highlighting, slowing down, breathing, and only making marks when needed. Often, students found themselves saturating the watercolor paper with bold blacks as a reflex of details flooding their hand muscles. Letting go, trusting the minimalist movement, and negative space is very hard for people to give up. 

Quality Standard 1: Teachers demonstrate mastery of and pedagogical expertise in the content they teach.

• Element A: Teachers provide instruction that is aligned with the Colorado Academic Standards, their District’s organized plan of instruction, and the individual needs of their students. 

Mastery of the brush, the ink, the canvas, and the breath. This lesson is designed to have students slow down and plan out where they want to make a mark, what value of black they want to use, how thick the brushstroke will be, how long the brushstroke will be, and how to utilize negative space.  

To show my full understanding of this style, I made sure I demonstrated several exercises that focused on brush control, brush movement, brush saturation,  and brush placement. They started out with an enso circle, a one-stroke circle you do as you breathe out from a deep breath.  A 3-stroke fish, which emphasizes the manipulation of the brush as it glides across the paper, the saturation of ink on the brush tricking the eye to believe it's something else, and embracing the negative space to fill in the details. A 5-stroke bird. Asking students to emphasize thoughtful placement of the brush, ink, and pressure.

These warm-ups led students to create 2 studies of the Denver skyline. Where they would talk to me about what was good and what they could do to maximize their final painting, those 2 studies and the conversation with me allowed students to embrace what this painting style was all about, as most of them were able to successfu

lly use minimal movement, embracing the negative space, and confidently using value. 

Studio Habits of Mind: Developing Craft. This class is the highest-level art class offered in middle school. Students in this class have demonstrated the skills of composition, values, and layering with drawing, painting, and mixed media. This has the students take into account more complex ideas while doing less. 

While in other classes, they would use the full canvas, sketch paper, or watercolor paper to use composition and color value, to create the most detailed picture they could.  This has the students take those same basic ideas with fewer strokes and trick the viewer's mind into filling in the negative space. This helps students when planning their art.

Face Pot

Scaffolding from their prior pinch pot work, students were tasked with creating a coil pot in the form of a “face jug.” They began with a pinch pot base to establish a strong foundation, then built upward using coils. Students practiced proper techniques: scoring, slipping, attaching, and smoothing, to ensure structural integrity as they added each coil. Throughout the process, they considered coil size, placement, and surface refinement to develop the jug’s form. Each student was also required to incorporate at least eight appendages.

While traditional face jugs inspired the lesson, students were encouraged to make their work personal. Face jugs provided an entry point to discuss the historical practice developed by enslaved Africans in the 1800s. To avoid cultural appropriation, students were guided to use symbolism that reflected their own identities and experiences.

Element B: This lesson connected artmaking to history, cultural studies, and literacy by incorporating discussion, reflection, and symbolic representation.

Quality Standard 1: Teachers demonstrate mastery of content and pedagogical expertise.

A key challenge in this project was achieving proper proportion, particularly creating a smaller head and base relative to the body. To support student success, I provided multiple demonstrations on how to manipulate coil placement to control form. I showed that placing a larger coil on the outer edge creates an outward curve, while placing a smaller coil on the inner edge creates an inward curve. Students were also taught that each properly attached coil becomes the structural base for the next, supporting the form through drying and firing.

Throughout the project, I emphasized that coil building is a slow, methodical process. Rushing often leads to weak walls, uneven thickness, and structural failure during firing. About half of the students demonstrated strong craftsmanship, producing pieces with consistent thickness, intentional curves, and well-secured attachments. This exercise of slowing down, not rushing, and focusing on the task at hand,  I connected to other subjects students are in, like Math and English.

An important learning experience for students was understanding the unpredictable nature of ceramics. Despite careful construction, some pieces experienced minor damage during firing. We discussed the importance of not becoming overly attached to outcomes and the value of documenting work by photographing pieces before firing. While some attachments chipped or broke, the overall structures remained intact, and students showed resilience and pride in their work.

Studio Habits of Mind: Develop Craft
This project emphasized careful craftsmanship and attention to process. Students practiced wedging clay, creating consistent coils, and using proper attachment techniques. The focus on patience, precision, and persistence supported their development of technical skill and artistic discipline.

Conclusion

When it comes to Standard 1: Teachers demonstrate mastery of and pedagogical expertise in the content they teach, I believe I demonstrated proficiency in this area. Throughout each aspect of this standard, I aimed to showcase my ability to help students focus on quality through thoughtfulness and intentionality.

The lessons involving Sumi-e painting, Coil Pots, and the Wheel Game all scaffolded skills students had previously learned while encouraging them to think critically about how to create a completed and meaningful piece of artwork. Each lesson approached this differently: Sumi-e focused on simplifying the artistic process and making intentional marks, coil pottery emphasized slowing down and carefully forming and attaching each component, and the Wheel Game challenged students to creatively combine random prompts into a cohesive visual story.

Focusing on mastery helped me grow in confidence in the content I was teaching while also giving students confidence in my ability to guide them through the learning process. During both the Sumi-e and coil pottery lessons, students demonstrated growth by trusting the instruction, techniques, and processes I presented to them.

One of my professional growth goals is to continue expanding my mastery of the subjects and mediums I teach. The three examples I discussed are areas where I already feel confident, simplifying processes, slowing students down, and encouraging thoughtful adjustments throughout artmaking. However, there are still mediums and projects where I have significant room for growth.

My goal moving forward is to include at least one project per grade level or class that pushes me outside of my comfort zone. I want to enter the planning process recognizing that I may not yet feel fully confident in the material, while striving to develop mastery of it by the time I teach the lesson. In doing so, I hope to model lifelong learning, adaptability, and creative growth for my students.