Art Grading Policy
In 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade art, students will continue their journey to creating an artistic voice. Our goal at the middle school is to help our students develop art vocabulary, visual observation skills, thoughtful verbal and written responses, willingness to experiment with mediums and techniques, quality craftsmanship, increased independence, productive collaboration with peers, and the freedom to be creative. Students will be introduced to the elements and principles of art, and they will learn how to distinguish between different art mediums. Students in grades 5-8 will also survey major artists from the past and present. Art explores and builds on skills, techniques and critical knowledge. Students will not repeat projects, but may use techniques more than once (such as drawing) and will be expected to consistently improve on their individual levels of achievement.
Every discussion, activity or project is important and is directly linked to helping the students develop their artistic voice. Since every activity is integral in students achieving their personal best, each activity will have a grade associated with it. Below are the descriptions of the categories that describe the work undertaken in art class. Grades will be calculated by points earned/points possible.
Projects
Students will be completing 3-4 large projects during the trimester. The projects will be a culmination of the skills, techniques, and concepts that we learn about or practice in our sketchbook. An example of a project might be a charcoal drawing, a cardboard sculpture, a torn paper collage, or linoleum print. Projects will be graded on craftsmanship, attitude and effort, originality, compositional ability, and meeting the lesson objectives. At several intervals during the projects, students will be participating in either verbal or written critiques of their work, which will be graded separately.
Sketchbooks
In addition to being a place where students will focus on developing their drawing skills, the student sketchbook will also be used to record notes on vocabulary terms, art concepts and practice skills. The sketchbook material employs a scaffolding method, with every topic building upon the last. For this reason, students are responsible to keep their sketchbooks up to date. Students can come in during flex time or lunch to get a quick overview of missed materials and update their sketchbook. Some sketchbook activities might include a value scale, color wheel, pen and ink practice, or thumbnail drawings.
Quizzes
Students may be given several short quizzes throughout the trimester. The purpose of the quizzes is to give the students and the teacher a snapshot to check on the student comprehension of the main concepts.
Homework
Most homework assignments will consist of logging on to the classroom blog and commenting on posts, images, or articles.
Late Work
Late work will always be accepted until the end of the trimester when grades are due. There will be no consequences for work turned in late.
Redo/Retakes
Students are encouraged to re-do work if they are not satisfied with their grade or the outcome of their work. Projects, sketchbook assignments, and quizzes can always be reworked or retaken without penalty.
In 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade art, students will continue their journey to creating an artistic voice. Our goal at the middle school is to help our students develop art vocabulary, visual observation skills, thoughtful verbal and written responses, willingness to experiment with mediums and techniques, quality craftsmanship, increased independence, productive collaboration with peers, and the freedom to be creative. Students will be introduced to the elements and principles of art, and they will learn how to distinguish between different art mediums. Students in grades 5-8 will also survey major artists from the past and present. Art explores and builds on skills, techniques and critical knowledge. Students will not repeat projects, but may use techniques more than once (such as drawing) and will be expected to consistently improve on their individual levels of achievement.
Every discussion, activity or project is important and is directly linked to helping the students develop their artistic voice. Since every activity is integral in students achieving their personal best, each activity will have a grade associated with it. Below are the descriptions of the categories that describe the work undertaken in art class. Grades will be calculated by points earned/points possible.
Projects
Students will be completing 3-4 large projects during the trimester. The projects will be a culmination of the skills, techniques, and concepts that we learn about or practice in our sketchbook. An example of a project might be a charcoal drawing, a cardboard sculpture, a torn paper collage, or linoleum print. Projects will be graded on craftsmanship, attitude and effort, originality, compositional ability, and meeting the lesson objectives. At several intervals during the projects, students will be participating in either verbal or written critiques of their work, which will be graded separately.
Sketchbooks
In addition to being a place where students will focus on developing their drawing skills, the student sketchbook will also be used to record notes on vocabulary terms, art concepts and practice skills. The sketchbook material employs a scaffolding method, with every topic building upon the last. For this reason, students are responsible to keep their sketchbooks up to date. Students can come in during flex time or lunch to get a quick overview of missed materials and update their sketchbook. Some sketchbook activities might include a value scale, color wheel, pen and ink practice, or thumbnail drawings.
Quizzes
Students may be given several short quizzes throughout the trimester. The purpose of the quizzes is to give the students and the teacher a snapshot to check on the student comprehension of the main concepts.
Homework
Most homework assignments will consist of logging on to the classroom blog and commenting on posts, images, or articles.
Late Work
Late work will always be accepted until the end of the trimester when grades are due. There will be no consequences for work turned in late.
Redo/Retakes
Students are encouraged to re-do work if they are not satisfied with their grade or the outcome of their work. Projects, sketchbook assignments, and quizzes can always be reworked or retaken without penalty.