If you are unable to view the powerpoint presentation about the fine arts curriculum in District 59, please read the text-only version on this page.

Slide 1:  The Fine Arts Curriculum in District 59

Welcome to my presentation which will explain the history and organization of the fine arts curriculum in District 59 in Arlington Heights, Illinois.

Slide 2: A Brief History

Most districts offer music and art as separate classes with separate teachers in their elementary schools.  Sadly, some schools don't even offer these programs at all.  Very few elementary schools have drama and dance instruction available for their students.

Six years ago, District 59 in Arlington Heights, IL, decided to created an innovative program that combines all four fine arts.
Therefore, one teacher teaches all four - music, art, drama, and dance - to all students in the building.  This integration allows the teacher to create one comprehensive, cohesive curriculum that stresses the commonalities and the connections within the arts.

Slide 3:  A Brief History Continued

When I began teaching at Juliette Low in 1997, no formal curriculum existed for the fine arts program.  The art, music, drama, and dance programs had already been combined to one large program, but the teachers were given little training and very few resources with which to work.

All schools had music books, but very few - if any - visual art, drama, or dance resources were available to the teachers.

At the 10 elementary schools, the teachers were simply told to ensure that all four subject areas were covered sometime during the year.  However, the lack of resources made this extremely difficult.

Slide 4:  The Curriculum Writing Begins

During the summer of 1998, the fine arts teachers began writing a fine arts curriculum from scratch.  Since it was such an innovative program, we had no references to which we could refer; no one else we could find had created such a curriculum, including the textbook companies.

 We decided that the most effective way to both teach the elements of the arts and demonstrate the connections within the arts was to teach using concepts and themes.

Slide 5:  Curriculum Writing Continued

The fine arts teachers created units based on the following themes and concepts: Color, Emotion, Focus, Line, Pattern, Shape/Form, Tempo, and Texture.

Each teacher at each school still determines the order of the units and the projects within these units.  The theme-based organization helps all of us ensure that, no matter what projects we're doing within each unit, we are all still covering the important and necessary elements within the arts.

Slide 6:  Basic Structure of a Unit:  Focus

For each unit of study, the teacher creates lessons and projects that demonstrate the important elements of that theme in each of the arts.  This process is done for each unit at each grade level, grades K-5.

To further demonstrate this fine arts concept, I have included in the following slides an outline of the structure of my focus unit for second grade.

Slide 7:  Focus Unit, Continued

The second graders start the focus unit by defining the word, “focus”.  We then begin with Drama.  We learn the four drama words, which we remember as "city with an I":  concentration, imitation, transformation, and imagination (CITI).
We also learn the three drama tools, which are the mind, body, voice.  We then begin learning three drama games that revolve around concentration or focus.  These games are Zip, Zap, Zup, Eye Contact, and Ice Wizard.

Slide 8:  Focus Unit, Continued

After learning these drama games, we move on to discuss focus in dance/creative movement.  We discuss various dance forms, and I show samples of each type discussed, be it through pictures or videos.

We then move on to visual art.  We discuss the work of Vincent Van Gogh and his use of focus within his works.
Each student then creates his/her own piece in the style of one of the following Van Gogh masterpieces.  They may choose from his  Bedroom picture, one of his Sunflower pictures, or his masterpiece Wheatfield and Crows.

Slide 9:  Focus Unit, Continued

After the students have completed their masterpieces, we begin discussing focus in music.  In music, we complete an in-depth study of the orchestra, in which we focus on each section of the orchestra, as well as each individual instrument.
Students must be able to identify each section and each individual instrument by sound and by sight.

Upon completion of our music unit, we begin discussing the connections of focus among the fine arts.  We discuss similarities and differences in the use of focus in music, art, drama, and dance.

Slide 10:  Current State of the Curriculum

Although we feel we have accomplished a great deal, the fine arts teachers are still developing, piloting, and revising the curriculum.  This year, we have focused on the assessment portion of the curriculum.  We have also focused on working to ensure that all schools have similar, adequate resources for each subject area within the arts.

The fourth grade now receive testing during their ISATs on the fine arts concepts and the connections among the arts.
We have found that our program has helped prepare our students for those types of questions.

All in all, the fine arts teachers in School District 59 are very pleased with our accomplishments thus far and will continue to update and revise our fine arts curriculum.

Slide 11:  Thank you for your interest in the fine arts curriculum.

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