Arts Assessment Coalition

Assessments

Art
Cross Disciplinary
Music
Drama
Rubrics and other materials

All documents are in PDF Format

Art

Each assessments includes an art criticism worksheet. Due to space limitations, we have included the short version in the assessment, but if you prefer the longer version, you may substitute it.

High School
Art FUNdamentals Assesses knowledge and ability to apply the elements and principles of design in a non-objective artwork. 2- or 3-D. The historical/cultural aspect focuses on non-objective artists.

Coming to a Theater Near You Students explore the visual world of film.

Design through Baroque Eyes This 2-D project focuses on chiaroscuro.

Final pieces are a student choice of self-portrait or everyday scene. Historical/Cultural aspect focuses on Baroque painters, particularly Rembrandt.

Found Object Sculpture Students use found objects to create a thematic sculpture after looking at the work of artists who have created found object sculpture.

Functional Vessel
Students consider functionality by looking at factory-made vessels before creating their own functional vessel. They will then research artists who have made vessels for the same purpose.

Hands tell a story 2-D observational project focusing on hands and the objects they hold. Historical/Cultural focuses on artists using hands as expressive objects such as Albrecht Durer.

Plein Air: Outdoor Landscapes Students learnabout plein air, focusing on atmosphere and light, and study artists such as Thomas Moran.

Relief Carving Creating relief decoration on clay pots. Historical/cultural looks at relief decoration in a variety of cultures and art forms.

Still Life Students draw still life images, focusing on proportion, dimension and values in an attempt to replicate the composition.

Storytelling Photographs Digital or traditional photography which focuses on telling a story. Historical/cultural focuses on photographers who have used the medium to tell stories through single photographs.

Middle School
Art Fun duh mentals Assesses knowledge and ability to apply the elements and principles of design in a non-objective artwork. 2- or 3-D. The historical/cultural aspect focuses on non-objective artists.

Design through Baroque Eyes This 2-D project focuses on chiaroscuro. Final pieces are a student choice of self-portrait or everyday scene. Historical/Cultural aspect focuses on Baroque painters, particularly Rembrandt.

Found Object Sculpture Students use found objects to create a thematic sculpture after looking at the work of artists who have created found object sculpture.

Hands Tell a Story 2-D observational project focusing on hands and the objects they hold. Historical/Cultural focuses on artists using hands as expressive objects such as Albrecht Durer.

Masks Students learn about the roles masks have played in different cultures and create their own mask.

Pieces of Picasso A linoleum cut printmaking project (can be done without a press) which asks students to do a self-portrait in Cubist style. Historical/cultural focuses on Pablo Picasso and the history of printmaking.

Elementary
Aboriginal art Students study Australian Aboriginal art and make a drawing of an animal in the aboriginal style. They then create a clay animal using the drawing as a pattern and paint it. This is followed by creating a legend or story or poem about the animal.

A Dash of Van Gogh and a Dot of Seurat Students study Vincent Van Gogh and Georges Seurat and then choose one to emulate in a painting of their own.

Color wheel Students learn about colors and color mixing. They make a traditional color wheel and one in a design of their own choosing.

Pop Art Students study Andy Warhol and his style of creating repetitive images of culturally popular products and then create their own.

Cross Disciplinary

High School
Famous Person Project
Standards 2-4; any music, art or theater class. Students research a famous person of their choice within their discipline and write a paper covering the artist's life and contributions to the art form, their impact over time and other topics.

When I Grow Up
Standard 4; any art, music or theater class
Students investigate career opportunities in the arts, including the skills required, write a paper and give a 3-5 minute presentation.

Music

High School
Culminating Analysis Essay Standards 1-4; Band, Choir, Orchestra.Students keep a journal and write a final essay. Journals record information about composers, pieces, personal thoughts, audience reaction. The essay covers a variety of material including historical/cultural context, analysis of one piece of music, information about its composer, cross-disciplinary analysis and reflection.

Concert Preparation, Analysis and Performance Standards 1, 3 and 4; Band, Choir or Orchestra.Students rehearse a piece of music. They then play an excerpt of it as a solo and play it in a group performance. After performance, students reflect on their performance using specific musical language.

Introduction to Composition Standards 1 & 2; any music classStudents learn about and apply composition elements and create a melody. They then collaborate with another student to compose a harmonic line for their melody.

Musical Listening Examples Standard 2; any music classStudents listen to at least three musical genres, participate in discussions and write two essays, one on stylistic fundamentals and the other evaluative.

Sight-reading Graded Literature Standards 1 & 3; any performance class. Students practice sight-reading increasingly difficult music in different performance situations. Students then write a short essay.

Individual Student Performance and Self-Critique Standards 1, 2 and 4; Band, Choir, Orchestra Assesses independent performance skills through ensemble performances wherein each student plays/sings non-like parts. Students then evaluate their performance in writing.

Middle School
Performance evaluation: Standard 2
Students create an evaluation sheet and use it to evaluate their own taped performance. Evaluation includes revision plan.

Arts Opportunities: Standards 1 & 4
Students work in groups to research a variety of opportunities in the arts and create a skit, song or other performance to perform in front of the class.

Musical Eras Timeline: Standards 2 & 3
Students develop a timeline for the Renaissance, Baroque and Classical periods including composers and concurrent historical events. Students are then divided into groups in which they explore one of the eras in more depth, including listening to sample pieces of music from each era. They then discuss the differences in musical styles between the areas.

Elementary
Beat it!: Standard 1
Students, in groups, create beat patterns using body percussion and perform them.

Beethoven: Standards 2 & 3
Students study Beethoven’s life and take a short written test.

Composer Webs: Standard 3
Students create webs showing the relationship of composers to historical and cultural events.

Composing with Chris: Standard 1
Students apply musical knowledge to compose and perform a song about Christopher Columbus.

Square Dancing: Standards 3 & 4
Students explore the history of folk dance and singing and the instruments used as well as learn and perform a square dance.

Vocal Performance: Standard 1, 3 & 4
Using a folk song, a multi-cultural song or a historic based song, you will assess the students current vocal performance levels. Students will sing solo with appropriate accompaniment.

Drama

High School
Developing a Character
Students research and analyze a character and then prepare and deliver a monologue. They maintain a character development notebook and complete a self-evaluation.

Costuming the Character
Students choose a script and design four costumes for it. In the process, they research and analyze the character(s) for which they are designing the costumes.

Mime Time
Students work alone or collaboratively to develop a pantomime performance, including a detailed script and storyboard. They then perform it for videotaping before an audience.

Coming to a Theater Near You: Standards 2 & 3
Students study a genre of film, viewing at least 3 different films from the same genre, and write a paper that compares and contrasts at least two of the films.

Stage Spaces: Standards 2 & 3
Students study a variety of theater spaces. They then select a favorite and discuss its history and the type of performances appropriate for the space. Finally, they identify two areas in the community which could serve as acting spaces and give rationale for their choices.

Rubrics and other materials

Elementary Music Rubric
Elementary Visual Art Rubric
Middle School Music Rubric
Middle School Visual Art Rubric
High School Music Rubric
High School Theater Rubric
High School Visual Art Rubric

Long Art Criticism Form
Short Art Criticism Form

Any other questions, please email Camellia or call (307) 777.5305.