Saint Joseph School

The Kindergarten-Grade 2 art curriculum is designed to introduce students to the visual arts. Art classes and all courses in our Catholic school incorporate the Catholic faith throughout the curriculum. Students are encouraged to appreciate their God-given talents, become confident in their work, and respect the efforts of others. Our program follows the Archdiocese of St. Louis Fine Arts Guidelines and the Missouri Learning Standards-Fine Arts. Weekly art classes help develop the children’s motor and language skills, creativity, and decision making as they are taught, then begin to practice the elements of art and principles of design that will serve as building blocks throughout their education. The focus of our program is based on the four main content areas of the visual arts: create, present, respond, connect. Each year, students further develop their knowledge and skills.

 

Students bring their own art supplies for class and a sketchbook that is used throughout the year. The use of Clevertouch enhances our weekly classes; students experience nature, famous art, examples of what we are learning about in a particular lesson, and listen to instrumental music as they work. Students gain experience in using a variety of media at the different levels: crayons, colored pencils, oil pastels, self-drying clay, and watercolors, in addition to learning the basic skills of drawing, coloring, pasting, cutting, and folding.

 

A photo gallery of students' artwork is located on the art teacher’s website. 
Weekly art projects are also displayed in the hallways.

The third through eighth grade visual arts curriculum is designed to advance the visual arts concepts introduced and taught in kindergarten through second grade. We continue to incorporate our Catholic identity throughout the curriculum. Students are encouraged to believe in themselves and their ability to create works of art. Students are also challenged to be respectful of others and the way they choose to create and express themselves. We strive to see God’s beauty in ourselves, others, and our world.

The program follows the Archdioceses of St. Louis - Fine Arts Curriculum Guidelines and Missouri State Standards Guidelines. Weekly classes include Art History, Art Appreciation, and a solid foundation of the Elements of Art and Principles of Design. A large variety of media (materials) and several styles of art are used to prepare the students for the future. Canvas paintings with acrylics, metal foil tooling, scratch art, oil and chalk pastels, watercolors, pen and ink, and charcoal are some of the materials and art forms they use. Some of the lessons are based on an artist, historical event, seasonal and/or religious theme, etc., expressing their knowledge of the lesson's content through their artwork.

The use of technology through Clevertouch gives an additional learning element to our classes by incorporating music while creating inspiration for ideas, virtual tours of the world’s museums, and historical background on artists and periods of art through various websites.
An Art Gallery on the third - eighth grade website features our own talented young artists.

 

The Performing Arts Curriculum is introduced in the classes by incorporating short plays, improvisational activities, skits and speeches in the classroom. A brief overview of the components of producing a drama piece (props, sets, costumes, makeup, etc.) will be discussed. It can include the students' experience of  working together with their peers on presenting a drama piece. They learn to put themselves into a character by memorizing lines, help design and make costumes, creating and using props correctly and creating sets to help portray the story setting and timelines.