Emily Carr Secondary School VISUAL ARTS DEPARTMENT 2008-2009
Ms. Farrugia, Ms. Hess, Mr. Meyer
Visual Arts, Grade 12, University/College Preparation (AVI 4M)
This course focuses on studio activities that will involve working with a variety of media. Students will create art works that explore a wide range of subject matter, and will evaluate art works, providing ground for their aesthetic judgements. They will also examine historical and cultural contexts of Western art (including Canadian art) and art from various world cultures to support their study of specific media and themes. This course will support students in the preparation of a presentation portfolio.
Prerequisite: Visual Arts, Grade 11, University/College Preparation or Open
ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION POLICY
Purpose
The ECSS Assessment and Evaluation Policy reflects and supports the school mission:
Excellence with Character; Success with Support. In order to be successful, you must accept responsibility and take initiative for your own learning. The teacher will work with you to provide effective and appropriate support.
Principles
(From Guidelines for Assessment and Evaluation and Guidelines for Literacy documents)
1. The primary purpose of assessment is to help you learn.
2. Our assessment practices are intended to be fair and equitable.
3. Our communication about assessment will be ongoing and meaningful.
4. You will learn most effectively when you believe that you can achieve high levels of success and when you participate actively in formative and summative assessment activities.
5. You will become a skilled self-assessor when you take ownership of your learning by:
- knowing and understanding what you are expected to learn;
- being able to identify your strengths, needs and interests by reflecting on your progress and setting goals; and
- taking steps to improve your learning and advocate for yourself.
Achievement Chart
Your final mark will be calculated according to the categories of the Achievement Chart.
As per ministry requirements, the final grade for this course will be broken down as follows:
- Assessment and evaluation activities conducted throughout the course70%
- Final Studio Evaluation 20%
- Final Written Examination10%
Term work will be broken down as follows:
Knowledge/Understanding25%
Thinking/Inquiry 20%
Communication20%
Application35%
When a summative for this course is distributed or assigned, the handout that explains the summative will include a breakdown of marks by categories of the Achievement Chart.
Learning Skills (Work Habits/Homework, Team Work, Works Independently, Initiative, Organization)
Good learning skills are crucial to your success in every course. You will know when and how learning skills are being tracked by your teacher. The teacher will discuss your performance in learning skills at various points in the semester.
You will have the opportunity to reflect on your learning skills at various points over the semester.
Formative Assessment
Practice improves performance. You wouldn’t play a hockey game or compete in a music recital without practicing many times, receiving feedback and using that feedback to improve. Similarly, before completing a summative assessment task, you must practice demonstrating your knowledge and skills and use teacher feedback to correct your mistakes and fine-tune your abilities.
In this course, you will understand the relationship between formative assessment activities and the summative assessment.
All summative projects will require preliminary work and stages. Preliminary work will be assessed through oral and written feedback. It is very important for you to show your work for teacher feedback while you are working on a project. This gives you the opportunity to improve your demonstration of course expectations to help you achieve your highest level of achievement. You and your teacher will use rubrics based on the Achievement Chart for Visual Arts, as well as checklists and log sheets to assess your progress as you work on a project.
You will actively participate in formative assessment activities and submit all work for feedback in order to improve your understanding and skills. If you do not participate in or submit formative activities, you will be jeopardizing your success on the summative task and, ultimately, in the course. The behaviour will be tracked in the learning skills.
Summative Assessments
Summative assessments for this course include studio and written components, as well as presentations. Preliminary work may be completed as homework if not completed in class. Your teacher will indicate when work, or parts of a project, may be completed at home. However, all summative studio projects must be completed in class in the presence of your teacher.
At the beginning of each unit, you will;
- know which knowledge and skills you will demonstrate by the end of the unit;
- have a list of the summative assessments for the unit;
- understand the steps involved in completing each summative;
- know the criteria for success; and
- know how each summative will be marked.
The chart on the following page summarizes the units of study for this course.
Grade 12 UNITS OF STUDY
Unit 1: The Artist as Fact Finder and Experimenter (Painting and Relief Printmaking)
Students will focus on gathering information and experimenting with media. Western and non-Western art will be discussed. Students will explore patterns and motifs from different cultures, and incorporate their research to design and complete a mixed media work of art.
Unit 2: The Artist as Social and/or Cultural Contributor (Acrylic Painting/Mixed Media)
Students will review the art historical periods beginning from Prehistoric Art to Realism. They will explore the periods from Impressionism to the present by researching and preparing a concise overview of one art historical period that will be presented to their classmates. The major studio project for this unit will be the creation of an original acrylic painting which makes a statement about a social or cultural issue.Unit 3: The Artist as Reflective and Conceptual Thinker (Sculpture/Installation)
After researching the work by a 20th Century sculptor/installation artist, students will create a work of art inspired by the artist. Students will write a comparative analysis essay based on their creation and the artist’s piece.Unit 4: Presentation Portfolio (this is an ongoing project)
Your presentation portfolio must meet the following criteria:Include 10-15 of your best artworks – these should be as current as possible (include work from this course, as well as 1 or 2 detailed drawings). You may include originals, photocopies, or photographs of your work. Aim for the best reproductions of your work. Work is not to be matted. Your sketchbook may be included as one of the pieces.
Show a variety of your talents and skills by including works in various mediums, styles, etc. For example, include drawings, paintings, prints, mixed media pieces, sculpture pieces, photographs, and digital media works.
Show evidence of the creative process for at least 1 or 2 artworks (i.e., show the steps and thinking process along the way). You are encouraged to include a sketchbook.
For each piece, you must include appropriate and thorough documentation that is neat, professional, and free of any spelling or grammatical errors. Refer to the section entitled “Portfolio Organizer”.
Each artwork should include as part of its documentation an explanation, quote, poem, or lyrics. Aim for variety.
In addition to the individual pieces, you must prepare the following as part of the presentation portfolio:
Artist Statement: Discuss yourself as an artist.
Personal Resume: Your resume can be formal or informal.
Presentation: All work must be presented in a professional manner, with attention to detail and neatness. You may choose any mode of presentation: book, portfolio case, folder, box, CD, website, etc.
Interview: You will present your portfolio toward the end of the semester. You will prepare responses to questions that will be asked during the interview. See “Portfolio Interview Questions” to help you prepare.
Unit 5: The Artist as Independent Thinker (Final Culminating Project)
This is the final studio evaluation component for the course, and will be worth20% of the final mark for the course (the remaining 10% will be the art exam). Students select a theme and media of their choice and submit a proposal for a major art work. The possible media to choose from are: printmaking, acrylic painting, drawing, sculpture and/or installation. Works are peer critiqued, and will become part of their final presentation portfolio.There may be some changes to the summative assessments based on the needs of the class.
Due Dates, Absences and Late Submissions
At the beginning of each unit, you will know approximately how much time you will have to complete the summative for that unit. All due dates will be discussed in class. The due date will be confirmed at least 5 school days before the summative is due. It is your responsibility to submit all summative assignments on the due date. Work must be submitted directly to your teacher unless other arrangements have been made. If you know in advance that you will be absent on the due date, it is your responsibility to speak to your teacher to see if alternate arrangements can be made. Not submitting assigned work on time is a serious decision which may jeopardize your success in the course.
If you do not speak to your teacher and you do not submit a summative on the due date, actions taken by the teacher may include a test retake, an alternate assignment, an alternate due date or a mark of zero. Your teacher will phone home. Certain opportunities for demonstrating learning cannot be rescheduled (e.g. group presentations, labs, performances, etc.). Therefore, you must make every effort to be present on the assigned date.
If an agreement is made regarding an alternate date for missed summative assessments, the information will be recorded in writing so there is no misunderstanding about the date, time and place you are expected to appear. If your summative is not submitted/completed as scheduled, a mark of zero will be assigned.
If you miss a due date (test or assignment) as a result of truancy, a mark of zero will be assigned. However, you are still expected to complete the missed work the following day, or within a timeframe which will be determined by your teacher, so that you still receive the benefit of the learning. At the end of the course, the department may consider the submitted work in calculating the final grade in accordance with Board and Ministry policies.
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I have read and understood the assessment and evaluation policy.
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Student nameParent/Guardian name
(please print)(please print)
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