Art Room Grading Policy
This policy is discussed with all students: I will be giving two grades on the report card every nine weeks: one for performance in art and one for citizenship in art. The citizenship grade is easy. There is no reason that anyone should get a poor grade. The children know how to behave appropriately in school and that is what I expect in my classroom.
The performance grade is also pretty easy, as long as the student follows directions, does his or her best work, and shows a positive attitude! It does not matter if the student is "good" at art or if he or she has a hard time with it. Also, the student does not need to get worried about not finishing an assignment. I do not care if they finish - I care about what they have learned from the experience. Actually, I would rather that they didn't finish something that they are working carefully on if they run out of time. I really don't like to see scribbling or work the student tried to do quickly (messy) so they would get it done in time.
If a student would like to finish his or her work at home, they may check out supplies from the art room. Supplies are to be checked out at the end of the day and are for overnight only. They must return them to me the next morning because I may need to use them for a lesson that day.
Extra credit
Extra credit is available for students in third through sixth grade, if the student would like. I will give extra points to students who have done something outside of my class that has something to do with art. For example, they may show me work they have finished at home that was started in class with me, or some art work that they've done completely on their own. The student may also read about an artist (we have great artist biographies in our media center - ask me or the librarian about them) or talk to a living artist and write about it. If they do this, they should include a few facts about the artist, such as where they lived and when, etc., as well as something about how the student feels about the artist's work and why. A student might also visit a museum or art show and write something about that.
Consequences (breakage, misbehavior)
Accidents happen, and a student never needs to worry when they do, but must tell me about them. I would like to know if something is broken or damaged so that I can replace it, fix it, or get rid of it. If, however, something is broken or destroyed on purpose (something which almost never happens, thank goodness), the student will be responsible for replacing or repairing the item (or cleaning up the mess). I will also be calling home to speak to a parent about it.
The way I respond to student behavior in my classroom depends on what the behavior is. Consequences for negative behavior will generally align with what happened. Sometimes we might just discuss together what is going on and why. Sometimes I may remove the student from the room for a few minutes to cool down and think. Other times I might call home to talk with a parent. There are also times where the student and I might work something out to help straighten out whatever the situation might be.
The performance grade is also pretty easy, as long as the student follows directions, does his or her best work, and shows a positive attitude! It does not matter if the student is "good" at art or if he or she has a hard time with it. Also, the student does not need to get worried about not finishing an assignment. I do not care if they finish - I care about what they have learned from the experience. Actually, I would rather that they didn't finish something that they are working carefully on if they run out of time. I really don't like to see scribbling or work the student tried to do quickly (messy) so they would get it done in time.
If a student would like to finish his or her work at home, they may check out supplies from the art room. Supplies are to be checked out at the end of the day and are for overnight only. They must return them to me the next morning because I may need to use them for a lesson that day.
Extra credit
Extra credit is available for students in third through sixth grade, if the student would like. I will give extra points to students who have done something outside of my class that has something to do with art. For example, they may show me work they have finished at home that was started in class with me, or some art work that they've done completely on their own. The student may also read about an artist (we have great artist biographies in our media center - ask me or the librarian about them) or talk to a living artist and write about it. If they do this, they should include a few facts about the artist, such as where they lived and when, etc., as well as something about how the student feels about the artist's work and why. A student might also visit a museum or art show and write something about that.
Consequences (breakage, misbehavior)
Accidents happen, and a student never needs to worry when they do, but must tell me about them. I would like to know if something is broken or damaged so that I can replace it, fix it, or get rid of it. If, however, something is broken or destroyed on purpose (something which almost never happens, thank goodness), the student will be responsible for replacing or repairing the item (or cleaning up the mess). I will also be calling home to speak to a parent about it.
The way I respond to student behavior in my classroom depends on what the behavior is. Consequences for negative behavior will generally align with what happened. Sometimes we might just discuss together what is going on and why. Sometimes I may remove the student from the room for a few minutes to cool down and think. Other times I might call home to talk with a parent. There are also times where the student and I might work something out to help straighten out whatever the situation might be.