"Wait; what? We have homework in Art?" This question is a common refrain heard from my students after presenting their first art homework assignment in the sixth-grade. And, for some time, I did contemplate the significance of whether this should be a component of my Art curriculum. Some of these considerations included:
Conversely, I also believed that I needed to give homework assignments to validate the importance of the Art program; no homework could convey that Art is an "easy" course, one that lacks the inquiry of other disciplines.
After years of reflection and implementation, I am convinced that homework should be a fundamental part of my Art curriculum. It helps to reinforce the concept that artmaking should not take place only when the students are in the Art room and, it should not stop when they leave. Ultimately, I want my students to become active makers of art and develop the ability to be critical, analytical observers of their visual world, i.e., images from world cultures, from corporate culture, as well as images within a formal artistic culture.
I design my homework assignments to foster these habits. They are developmental to each grade level, and they are supplements to the work we do in the art room. The drawings are recorded in a sketchbook that the students maintain during their time in the middle school art program.
As we know, many students moving into their middle school years become hyper-aware of their drawing capabilities. In an attempt to shift the focus away from "who draws the best," sixth-grade homework assignments celebrate the importance of the idea over the student's drawing abilities.
This practice is implemented during the first couple of weeks of sixth-grade Art with 3-5-minute daily drills. In these exercises, students are asked to visually articulate their best idea for prompts such as draw another use for a CD, a television, an old shoe, etc. During these exercises, students are encouraged to move beyond typical responses. For example, when I ask students to draw another use for pizza, it often generates ideas such as pizza frisbees or pizza wheels for a car or bike. With that in mind, students are encouraged not to use those ideas to promote deeper thinking.
Following the completion of the drills, students walk around the room and consider a favorite idea that was generated by a classmate. This practice provides early opportunities for students to acknowledge each other and become more comfortable with the process of sharing one's work.
These drills serve as the groundwork for week-long homework assignments. I ask students to invest an equal amount of time in both the idea and the development of these drawings. One sixth-grade homework assignment asks the students to illustrate how humans inhale dust as an annual dosage. When assigned in class, we collectively brainstorm what dust could look like and how humans might consume it.
Homework assignments are treated like daily drills; when the assignment is due, students walk around the room to view each other's work and then share out favorite ideas. They quickly learn the power of humor in these exercises. One assignment requires students to design a cereal for adults and one for children. Some of my favorite adult cereal titles include: 50 Shades of Grain, Espresso O's, and No LIFE!
Seventh-grade homework assignments are more contemplative, asking students to think creatively and expansively about their place in the world. One homework asks students to utilize the image of the earth to create a meaningful illustration. When the assignment is due, rather than walking around the room to view each other's work, each student is allotted a 30-second time frame to present to the class the meaning behind their idea. These opportunities help to build a skillset for verbally articulating one's artwork.
In the eighth-grade students can elect to take Art, which has traditionally been an indicator that they will pursue these interests in the Upper School Art program. Within this framework, homework assignments center on building a technical skillset and correlate with in-class work. For example, self-portraits are an annual eighth-grade unit of study, with slight variations from year to year on how the final product is executed. During the timeframe of this unit, homework assignments focus on observational drawings of the eyes, nose, and mouth, of prominent historical figures. While these exercises are supplements to the skill-building we do in class, referencing these individuals and their stories allows for deeper thinking about oneself and the world. Additionally, it furthers my efforts to get students to be more reflective during the self-portrait unit.
One homework assignment focuses on the study of the human eye and requires students to utilize well-known images of Martin Luther King and Sharbat Gula*, the Afghan girl whose portrait famously graced the cover of National Geographic in June 1985. The nose drawing exercises refer to images of Sitting Bull and Sir Ian McKellen.
In an eighth-grade observational drawing unit, students draw a series of apples (3) at various stages: as a whole, with a few bites, and the core. During this unit of study, the assigned homework requires students to draw an apple symbolically to incorporate social themes.
By the time my art students leave the eighth grade, my hope, or goal, is that I have instilled the importance of developing their ideas through artistic behaviors that extend beyond their time in my classroom. And, that they are referring to their sketchbook as a place of journaling and recording those ideas. Designing art homework assignments that are fun and thought-provoking can help to cultivate these habits.
*For additional information behind the story of Steve McCurry's National Geographic photo of Sharbat Gula, check out the following link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuFKpaV_jj
- Grading homework is too much time and energy in an already demanding discipline.
- Students have enough homework in their other classes; why add to their workload?
- If I assign homework, then students might not enjoy their experiences in Art.
Conversely, I also believed that I needed to give homework assignments to validate the importance of the Art program; no homework could convey that Art is an "easy" course, one that lacks the inquiry of other disciplines.
After years of reflection and implementation, I am convinced that homework should be a fundamental part of my Art curriculum. It helps to reinforce the concept that artmaking should not take place only when the students are in the Art room and, it should not stop when they leave. Ultimately, I want my students to become active makers of art and develop the ability to be critical, analytical observers of their visual world, i.e., images from world cultures, from corporate culture, as well as images within a formal artistic culture.
I design my homework assignments to foster these habits. They are developmental to each grade level, and they are supplements to the work we do in the art room. The drawings are recorded in a sketchbook that the students maintain during their time in the middle school art program.
As we know, many students moving into their middle school years become hyper-aware of their drawing capabilities. In an attempt to shift the focus away from "who draws the best," sixth-grade homework assignments celebrate the importance of the idea over the student's drawing abilities.
This practice is implemented during the first couple of weeks of sixth-grade Art with 3-5-minute daily drills. In these exercises, students are asked to visually articulate their best idea for prompts such as draw another use for a CD, a television, an old shoe, etc. During these exercises, students are encouraged to move beyond typical responses. For example, when I ask students to draw another use for pizza, it often generates ideas such as pizza frisbees or pizza wheels for a car or bike. With that in mind, students are encouraged not to use those ideas to promote deeper thinking.
Following the completion of the drills, students walk around the room and consider a favorite idea that was generated by a classmate. This practice provides early opportunities for students to acknowledge each other and become more comfortable with the process of sharing one's work.
These drills serve as the groundwork for week-long homework assignments. I ask students to invest an equal amount of time in both the idea and the development of these drawings. One sixth-grade homework assignment asks the students to illustrate how humans inhale dust as an annual dosage. When assigned in class, we collectively brainstorm what dust could look like and how humans might consume it.
Homework assignments are treated like daily drills; when the assignment is due, students walk around the room to view each other's work and then share out favorite ideas. They quickly learn the power of humor in these exercises. One assignment requires students to design a cereal for adults and one for children. Some of my favorite adult cereal titles include: 50 Shades of Grain, Espresso O's, and No LIFE!
Seventh-grade homework assignments are more contemplative, asking students to think creatively and expansively about their place in the world. One homework asks students to utilize the image of the earth to create a meaningful illustration. When the assignment is due, rather than walking around the room to view each other's work, each student is allotted a 30-second time frame to present to the class the meaning behind their idea. These opportunities help to build a skillset for verbally articulating one's artwork.
In the eighth-grade students can elect to take Art, which has traditionally been an indicator that they will pursue these interests in the Upper School Art program. Within this framework, homework assignments center on building a technical skillset and correlate with in-class work. For example, self-portraits are an annual eighth-grade unit of study, with slight variations from year to year on how the final product is executed. During the timeframe of this unit, homework assignments focus on observational drawings of the eyes, nose, and mouth, of prominent historical figures. While these exercises are supplements to the skill-building we do in class, referencing these individuals and their stories allows for deeper thinking about oneself and the world. Additionally, it furthers my efforts to get students to be more reflective during the self-portrait unit.
One homework assignment focuses on the study of the human eye and requires students to utilize well-known images of Martin Luther King and Sharbat Gula*, the Afghan girl whose portrait famously graced the cover of National Geographic in June 1985. The nose drawing exercises refer to images of Sitting Bull and Sir Ian McKellen.
In an eighth-grade observational drawing unit, students draw a series of apples (3) at various stages: as a whole, with a few bites, and the core. During this unit of study, the assigned homework requires students to draw an apple symbolically to incorporate social themes.
By the time my art students leave the eighth grade, my hope, or goal, is that I have instilled the importance of developing their ideas through artistic behaviors that extend beyond their time in my classroom. And, that they are referring to their sketchbook as a place of journaling and recording those ideas. Designing art homework assignments that are fun and thought-provoking can help to cultivate these habits.
*For additional information behind the story of Steve McCurry's National Geographic photo of Sharbat Gula, check out the following link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuFKpaV_jj