Hong Kong Academy-Art

THE ART PROGRAM AT HONG KONG ACADEMY

"The Arts provide:
-A means of communication
-Opportunities for becoming skillful
-A means of expression of both emotional and intellectual perspectives
-Exposure to other cultures and other times
-A means of accessing other disciplines
-A vehicle for wandering, reflecting and consolidating"
(IB Primary Years Programme Scope and Sequence)

At Hong Kong Academy, there is a specialist Art teacher who works, each week, with all students from K3 to Middle School.

The aim of the Art program is to enable students to develop skills, concepts and understandings which allow them to express themselves with creativity. It is also to enable them to make appropriate choices and ask relevant questions based on their knowledge and understanding of tools, materials and techniques. This is done through a combination of inquiry and direct teaching.
The Programme is designed to be continuous and progressive; each year building upon the last. To ensure this continuity and progression, the programme has been drawn up, taking into account what happens horizontally (across the year) and vertically (how it all fits together over the years between K3 and Y8).
Hong Kong Academy has a spacious and light Art room with long benches for individual and group work and a large area which allows for bigger collaborative pieces to be done.

Sketchbooks
Students from Years 1 to 8 use sketchbooks to explore and record ideas. This is seen as a learning tool and also a resource for the future. The students are also encouraged to use them at home or on holiday.

The Primary Program
The Program, operating within the Primary Years Programme (PYP) curriculum framework concentrates on four main strands
-Creative Processes
-Elements of Art and Design
-Visual Arts in Society and
-Reflection and Evaluation.
Within those strands, five main genres are developed
-Painting
-Clay
-3D work
-Printmaking
-Drawing and
-Textiles
and the children work within the three contexts of memory, imagination, and observation. The work of artists and artisans permeates the programme to enhance the students’ learning.
Wherever possible, the work undertaken in the Art lessons supports the units of inquiry in the classroom and sometimes leads them.

Homework
Students from Years 3 to 5 are given Art homework. It is not given every week; but rather when it supports, prepares for or consolidates work in the Art room.

Assessment
In Early Childhood and Primary, assessments are made and reported upon using the following PYP criteria:
-Creative Processes
-Elements of Art and Design
-Visual Arts in Society
-Reflection and Appreciation
-Personal Engagement
Each statement is broken down into more subject specific criteria directly relating to each Art area at each year level.

Early Childhood and Primary Lesson Structure
Early Childhood lessons take place in the classroom. In K3, Art is part of their exploration time and in K4 it is part of a rotation with two other activities, each led by the class and the co teacher. In K5 the Art teacher works with the class or co teacher with half the class at a time. This is a stepping-stone towards whole class teaching in the Art room, which happens in Grade One.
Students attend the Art room with their co teacher as a class. Lessons vary in length depending on the age of the students. Children work in flexible groupings in order to differentiate and so, better meet individual needs.

The Middle School Programme
In the Middle School, Art is an elective, each one running for 12 weeks with two lessons per week. Students can choose up to two Art electives each year from the following options:
-Printmaking
-Textiles
-3D
Painting, Drawing and History of Art runs through all electives.

Homework
Home work assignments are given on a regular basis. They are often an extension of work in the Art room but can also be research and presentation based. Homework forms part of the overall progress grade at the end of each elective.

Assessment
In Middle School, assessments are made and reported upon using the following criteria
-Knowledge and Understanding
-Application
-Reflection and Evaluation
-Artistic Awareness and Personal Engagement
Each statement is broken down into more subject specific criteria directly relating to each Art elective.

At A Glance

Year/Group	Lesson Duration	Lessons/week	Location	Lesson Structure
K3-K4	45 min	1	Classroom	Small groups
K5	45 min	1	Classroom	Half class
Y1-Y2	60 min	1	Art Room	Whole class
Y3-Y4	75 min	1	Art Room	Whole class
Y5	90 min	1	Art Room	Whole class
Y6-Y8	80 min	2	Art Room	Elective group

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