Art in Lower School

The Shipley Lower School visual arts program follows the developmental progression of children through a sequentially planned curriculum focusing on the foundational skills and concepts related to the visual arts. The curriculum is designed to facilitate experimentation, personal expression and individual success. Projects allow students to work in a wide variety of two and three-dimensional media including painting, drawing, collage, clay, Paper Mache, and wood. While experimentation is encouraged and process is emphasized over product, the completion of projects helps children feel a sense of accomplishment as well as a sense of competency through the development of newfound skills. Interdisciplinary projects with other subject areas such as social studies and science take up about a third of the curriculum. Bulletin boards, special art exhibits, and Arts and Science Night showcase student work throughout the year.

The Pre-K through second grade visual arts curriculum draws upon children’s inherent developmental desire to explore materials and express themselves through the arts. At the same time, the curriculum helps young children develop and master fine and gross motor skills, and coordination through continued use of a variety of tools and materials. More challenging projects utilizing new materials, tools, and techniques are introduced as children’s motor skills and competencies develop. Concepts explored include color, shape, texture, and line recognition, which encompass the basic elements of design. Children practice following a sequence of directions, develop good work habits, and learn the proper use and care of materials while appreciating their work as well as respecting the work of their peers. The curriculum encompasses opportunities for independent and cooperative work while incorporating both two- and three-dimensional projects.
The third through fifth grade arts curriculum is designed to harness children’s burgeoning competency with materials, tools and techniques, and to respond to the emerging developmental shift as children move from concrete thinking to an ability to abstract. Process over product is still emphasized as children develop an increased ability to engage in critical conversations about their work with peers. Projects are designed as open-ended, encouraging creativity and risk-taking with multiple choices and answers embedded in each lesson. Emphasis is placed on using art as a means to create personal statements focusing on individual growth in the areas of conceptualizing, technical skills, creativity, and personal interest. Basic art elements continue to serve as the building blocks of the curriculum, but with more emphasis on mastering the media as children are beginning to understand the relationship between 2-D and 3-D space. Art history is introduced, providing a venue for learning how art elements are used and to introduce ways to look, talk about, appreciate and consider the purpose of art now and in the past.
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The Shipley School is a private, coeducational day school for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students, located in Bryn Mawr, PA. Through our commitment to educational excellence, we develop within each student a love of learning and a desire for compassionate participation in the world.