Sixth graders rotate through woodshop, drama, studio art, media arts, and music during the academic year so that they can gain a wide appreciation for the different art forms.
Some essential questions for sixth grade art students include:
- How can I manipulate sound, vibration, and silence?
- How does my body respond to music, sound, and silence?
- Why do people tell and listen to stories?
- How do we use physicality (bodies and facial expressions) to communicate a character?
- How do art/artists make artifacts that best reflect cultural values?
Drama: This class is a dynamic and playful exploration of theatrical storytelling and welcomes students at all levels of experience and interests. Students study basic acting and theater skills, including improvisation, puppetry, mask work, and mime. The work culminates in students writing an original play and performing it for an audience.
Media Arts: students dive into digital arts and photography, starting with Procreate. They learn composition and design, then head outdoors to capture the world's beauty through a lens. Back in class, they master photo editing with Snapseed, crafting stunning artworks. In visual storytelling, they create captivating tales using words and images, igniting a passion for self-expression and endless artistic exploration.
Music: Students apply elemental form to melodic and rhythmic concepts, and explore these concepts through percussion instruments, ukuleles, and garage band composition on iPads. In terms of movement, they define levels and body leading to help them understand the body as an artistic musical instrument and to increase their comfort level with movement. To build ensemble skills, students work on pentatonic-based pieces. Students discuss musicological concepts, such as lyrical text painting, tempo, and form so that they can be applied to music experiences outside the classroom.
Studio Art: The focus is "problem solving" using different mediums, including A4 printer paper, colored construction paper, green foam, and clay. Students learn how to use tools, such as Exacto knives, rubber cement, scissors, drawing pencils, erasers, and carving tools to create original art in the studio. Students engage in beginning, middle, and final critiques, as well as artist statements for each completed original artwork. Students also document their artwork for future reference.
Woodshop: Students use hand and power tools to construct and finish wooden boxes with rabbet joints. Along with joinery, students learn shop etiquette and safety, practice measuring and layout, and develop basic skills in finishing techniques and using essential hand tools. Later in the year, students carve spoons or other small objects with a knife and gouge, introducing students to tools and techniques that can be easily replicated at home without a specialized work space or expensive equipment.