Finding the Fine Arts in the Generalist Teaching World

With some PD work under your belt, this is a golden opportunity to incorporate the fine arts into your post-spring break projects and end-of-year cumulating projects! After our PD today on 'Designing Worthwhile Work', we were left with a variety of strategies to go with a 'hook', which - not surprisingly - was multimedia based. The project 'hook' my group chose was this:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD7eagLl5c4 Here is an example of how to take story writing to a new level through group work and either photography or stop-motion animation. The essential task is that through viewing a variety of short films, how can we discover the 'short story' and use these examples to collaboratively develop our own story as a class? Focuses include developing transitions throughout the story, effective and collaborative group work and developing visuals to communicate the story. Each group would be responsible for a part of the story. The project would cumul...

In many schools, this is the time of year for fire side chats with administration. When thinking about next year, consider talking to your administrator about potential fine arts ideas and possible changes and/or enhancements your creative mind has been thinking about! We need advocates! If you feel strongly that there could be or needs to be more fine arts representation and/or specialization at your school, speak up! Get your team partners to speak up too! Get creative in how you can present this information. One of the key areas to mention is considering a dedicated place for fine arts in the building . Is there a place where the school as a whole is storing art supplies? Is anyone keeping track of these materials? Is there a dedicated space for creating art and cleaning up? It is surprising how many useful and versatile materials get lost in the back of a classroom cupboard. By having a common place for art supplies , teachers are more likely to use them and share ideas ...

Greetings all generalists seeking ways to blend the fine arts into your programming! My name is Julie Herman and I am the Generalist representative for the ATA's Fine Arts Council.  My role: Communication - fellow educators can connect with me and each other Help and assistance - I aim to give you resources, lessons and tips on teaching the fine arts for those who have found themselves a novice in providing both quality and fun learning and integration Representation - I am  If you have questions or needs, I am here to help! Please tell me what you want and feel free to leave comments. You can contact me through this blog or email me at jrherman@cbe.ab.ca or jrherman@educbe.ca.