I+Am+an+Artist

PYP PLANNER Discipline(s) to receive the major emphasis
 * Theme: How We Express Ourselves**
 * Unit Title:** I Am An Artist
 * Focus:** Art, Literacy
 * Level:** Preschool
 * Proposed duration:**  3-4 weeks
 * Teacher(s):** Fischer
 * School:** Alsup

//A concise description of the central idea to be addressed and the scope of the inquiry//
 * Stage 1: What is our purpose?**


 * a) Central idea:** Creativity is an expression of myself.
 * b) An inquiry into:**
 * Learning different ways to express myself
 * How various mediums can be used for self-expression


 * Stage 2: What resources will we use?**

//People, places, audio-visual materials, related literature, music, art, computer software etc.//

· Music · Dance · 3-dimensional art · visual arts · paints, clay, construction paper

//The key questions which will drive the inquiry//. //What is it like?// || //How does it work?// || //Why is it the way it is?// || //How does it change?// || //How is it connected to other things?// || //What are the points of view?// || //What is our responsibility?// || //How do we know?// ||
 * Stage 3: What do we want to learn?**
 * **Form**
 * **Form**
 * 1 ||
 * 2 ||
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 * **Function**
 * **Function**
 * 1 ||
 * ||
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 * **Causation**
 * **Causation**
 * ||
 * ||
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 * **Change**
 * **Change**
 * ||
 * ||
 * ||
 * **Connection**
 * **Connection**
 * 1 ||
 * 3 ||
 * ||
 * **Perspective**
 * **Perspective**
 * 2 ||
 * 3 ||
 * ||
 * **Responsibility**
 * **Responsibility**
 * ||
 * ||
 * ||
 * **Reflection**
 * **Reflection**
 * 2 ||
 * 3 ||
 * ||

1. What is art? 2. How does an artist show self-expression? 3. How can you show who you are through your artistic creativity?
 * Teacher Questions:**


 * Student Questions:**

//Teacher and/or student designed activities which will address the key questions//.
 * Stage 4: How best will we learn?**

//The strategies which will be used to assess learning.//
 * Stage 5: How will we know what we have learned?**

__Summative Assessment__

Given a choice of paint, clay or music, the student will create an expression of himself/herself


 * Student self-assessment:**


 * How will we take action?**

//How the students will demonstrate their ability to choose, act and reflect//. A student says, “I am going to be an artist when I grow up.”

//To what extent: were the purposes fulfilled; was the unit relevant, engaging, challenging and significant; were the resources adequate; were the concepts, skills and attitudes address//
 * Stage 6: To what extent did we achieve our purpose?**


 * __May, 2007__**

The students understood the central idea through tangible lessons. It was fun and engaging for the students. Students were introduced to different mediums of art. They experienced sculpture with clay, painting, styles of dance and music. They created various musical instruments. They explored various genres of music. They explored music’s pitch, tempo and rhythms. Students were introduced to famous artists.

Most of the students began the unit with no prior knowledge. One student knew what an instrument was. The timing of the unit was very appropriate for this age level. The significance is manifested by the basic introduction of art and music for elementary students.

Students used different senses to explore the unit. Students had the opportunity to gain a different perspective of the world by painting outside the classroom. Next year, we would like to try having students paint to music so students can artistically express what they hear.

The resources were adequate, but we would like to add better visuals and artistic literature. The art teacher was a great resource when it came time to sculpt with clay and fire the products.

Skills addressed: Social – students interacted with each other during the dance and art lessons. Communication – students practiced non-verbal communication using various artistic mediums. Self-management – students were able to use gross and fine motor skills a great deal of the time.

Students were very reflective during this unit. They were able to identify what their favourite form of self-expression was.

Overall, this was a good start for introducing students to artistic expression. Next year, the dancing and music sections need to be planned out better.