Independent Study Art / Special Topics
Course syllabus
Teacher: Bryan Mosier
Contact Information: 606-473-9812 or
Web Address:
Course documents, assignments, and, if they have a signed “permission to publish” form on file, student work, will be posted at this site. (Due to limited storage space not all students’ work may be able to be posted).
Course Description: Independent Study Art is an upper level elective art course designed for those students who wish to explore art further than that offered in Advanced Art. Students taking Independent Study Art will establish goals for individual growth and exploration of their own interests and style in their study of the visual arts. After discussing their goals for each 9-weeks, the teacher and student will establish an expected number of projects / assignments along with approximate dates of completion that the students will complete. Independent study students work at their own pace, choose their own subjects, and are responsible for monitoring their own progress in terms of meeting the goals that they and the teacher establish for them at the beginning of each 9-week grading period. In addition to completing the aforementioned art projects, the students will be responsible for completing both written and reading assignments as well as a semester and final exam.
Prerequisites: Students must have passed Advanced Art at an acceptable level and have signed approval by the instructor at the time of scheduling.
Course Text: No text assigned to this course.
Expectations:Students taking Independent Study Art are expected to adhere to the code of conduct / discipline policy / and acceptable computer use policy set forth in the Greenup County High School student handbook. Students are also expected to complete all in class and out of class assignments on time. Students will be given time outside of class to complete assignments. It is the responsibility of the student to make sure they have the materials necessary to work at home and that the assignment is completed and turned in by the assigned date. Participation in all class activities is mandatory so students should be prepared with proper materials when they come to class each day. If you are absent and it is excused it is also your responsibility to make up any missed work. Work missed due to an unexcused absence cannot be made up. Being an upper level art course, students are expected to put more time and effort into their work with the expectation that this added effort and attention will increase the overall quality and skill level demonstrated in their art. Independent Study Art level work should demonstrate a high level of individual expression, exceptional understanding of the core elements and principles, and a high degree of craftsmanship.
Assignments: The primary focus will be on the production of visual art projects. Students will plan, develop and produce each work of art according to a timeline set for each project and in accordance with goals and expectations agreed upon by the teacher and student at the beginning of each 9-week grading period.
Students will be required to maintain a digital portfolio of work generated during the school year. A review of their portfolio will occur twice during the year (at the end of each semester). The portfolio will include work done inside and outside of class.
Grading Scale: A=100 – 90, B=89 – 80, C=79 – 70, D=69 – 60, F=59 – 0
Grading is based on three categories – formal qualities (referring to the students demonstration and understanding of the formal elements of art and principles of design), expressive qualities (this being creativity and adherence to original ideas and style), and craftsmanship (referring to the skill with which the media is used to create the artwork).
Extra Credit: Students are allowed to complete one extra credit assignment each 9-week grading period. The work can be of any type or subject. The extra credit work will be assessed the same as any assignment with the following point value assigned:
A = 25 points, B = 20 points, C = 15 points, D = 10 points, F = 5 points
Extra credit must be clearly labeled as such and will only be accepted if all other work has been completed and turned in .
Students will also have the opportunity to redo any work that receives an unsatisfactory score. Any extra credit or work that is to be redone must be completed at least one week prior to the next grade report deadline (ex. midterm grades or end of 9-week grades)
Required Materials: I understand that art supplies can be expensive. For the most part, students will be provided with the art supplies that they need to work in class but they will be expected to purchase a few items.
Notebook paper
Pencils (Preferably No. 2 wooden lead pencils)
A sketchbook
Suggested Materials: (while not required these may make it easier for the student to work on projects at home)
Colored pencils
Crayons
Markers
Oil Pastels
Tape
Glue
Paintbrushes
Paint
A container to store supplies in
Construction paper
Scissors
Ruler
Compass
Protractor
Block eraser
Charcoal pencils
A drawing board
Some type of tube to transport a rolled up paper to and from school
Classroom Rules:
- Be on time to class.
- Adhere to the school dress code (in particular, no hats are to be worn in class)
- No cell phones are to be used in class (turn them off and put them away before class starts).
- Bring all necessary materials to class every day (including pencil, notebook paper, and your artwork if you have taken it home to work on).
- Always write your name on your artwork (name, date, and class period should always be legibly written on the lower right hand corner of the back of your artwork. For writing assignments, the name, date and class period should be in the top right hand corner of the page, sketchbooks should have the name on the front cover).
- Do not touch any artwork other than your own without permission.
- Do not take any materials from the classroom without permission.
- Be respectful of other people’s work even if their ideas about art may differ from your own.
- Do not use the computers without permission and when using them follow the acceptable use policy set by the school (if you are caught using the computers for an unacceptable purpose then your privileges to use them in class will be revoked).
- Turn your work in on time
Field Trips: Students will have the opportunity to attend a number of field trips during the school year. The usual cost of attending these field trips ranges from $10 to $15 per trip.
Course Overview: Along with the following outline students will also study aspects of art history, art vocabulary, and the process for analyzing a work of art.
1st 9-weeks
Basic drawing media
Graphite
Charcoal
Marker
Colored pencil
2nd 9-weeks
Advance drawing media
Pen and Ink
Pastels
3rd 9-weeks
Basic painting media
Tempera
Acrylic
Watercolor
4th 9-weeks
Basic Sculpture media
Clay
Cardboard
Plaster / Paper mache’