Welcome to Introduction to Art  

Fairfield High School  

Mrs. Doris Williams

Room 1412  

Class Schedule:

1st Period: Intro to Art

2nd Period: Intro to Art

3rd Period: Intro to Art

4th Period: Yearbook

5th: Intro to Art

5C/6th: Lunch/Plan Period

7th: Intro to Art (*Freshman)

Needed Materials: 

*2 pocket folder and a pack of #2 pencils  

*Everything else will be provided with studio fee money; however, any donated supplies such as magazines, containers, craft items, yarn etc. are much appreciated! 

Course Description: 

Introduction to Art is a prerequisite to any advanced art course. This course is designed to cover a variety of different art areas such as drawing, painting, ceramics, sculpture, color theory, perspective, printmaking and sculpture all while incorporating the elements and principles of art. In this class you will use: Personal Choice and Vision, Critical and Creative Thinking, Authentic Application and Collaboration and Literacy. Fairfield Arts Fair: Throughout the school year, artwork will be selected to be displayed at Fairfield’s Arts Fair in May! 

Fairfield City School District values arts as a critical piece in the development of the whole child. As students imagine, create, and reflect; they are developing both the verbal and nonverbal abilities necessary for school progress.  

Art Fees:

All art supplies and educational materials for this class are purchased with student fee money.  All fees must be paid within the first two weeks of the term in order to retain use of all classroom art materials.  The art fee is $65.00 for Introduction to Art.  If this deadline cannot be met, an alternative payment plan may be arranged by calling the office.   

Cell Phone Policy: 

Phones may ONLY be used for educational purposes with teacher's permission. Cell phones can be a good resource for looking up references for projects; however, electronic devices should not be a distraction to creating art!   

*Use of a cell phone at inappropriate times or without teacher's permission will result in a write up. The phone will be sent to the office and can be picked up at the end of the school day.  

1.)  Be Respectful, Responsible and Safe!  Be kind to others and don’t touch anyone else's artwork. Please do not intentionally misuse materials, tools, or supplies.  Any misuse will result in an automatic detention.  Students are responsible for asking the teacher if they are still unclear about the use of materials or tools after they have been demonstrated or introduced. Be respectful of all types of learners: visual, auditory, reading/writing and kinesthetic. Check your volume and be respectful of students that need a quiet room to work.  

2.) Have a Positive Attitude! Be kind and support others through positive words and actions. Have an open mind and do your best! A growth mindset starts with persisting through tough challenges and not giving up which grows your brain! (*See Growth Mindset display) 

3.) Show Creativity!  Students will experiment with different types of artmaking, not just drawing. Students will learn about the Artistic Creative Process to create more meaningful and authentic artwork. I am NOT looking for perfect, I am looking for EFFORT and for students to have FUN! 

4.) Clean Up! There are a large number of students using this art studio, any supplies and tools used by you must be cleaned properly,sanitized, and returned to their designated places.  Work areas must also be cleaned & sanitized properly.Students will have time to clean up their tables and put away any artwork and supplies. Tables will lose points if materials are not put away when the bell rings. Students are responsible for placing their artwork in the designated area for their class period. If artwork goes missing or gets lost, it is the student’s responsibility to find the artwork (search in other class drawers/areas) or start over.  

5.) Participation! 5 points are given daily for attendance and participation. Points are lost for being tardy to class, off task, disruptive/disrespectful, inappropriate use of cell phones, not cleaning up materials, misusing materials and/or being absent. If absent, it is the student's responsibility to find out what was missed. *Poor attendance can make this course difficult, as some projects are fast paced, and visual/hands on learning is required. 

*If Studio Habits are NOT met, parents will be notified, and students may be warranted a detention, removal from the classroom and/or a conference with the appropriate principal.

Grading Policy:

I grade on following directions, craftsmanship, attitude and EFFORT! Students will earn credit for this class through the evaluation of major art projects (about every 2-3 weeks), class performance and participation. For major projects, students will be evaluated with a rubric that follows the project requirements given at the start of the project. Students will self-evaluate, then be given a grade. 

1.)  MAJOR ART PROJECTS: (65% of grade)

- All major projects completed in class/at home

- Midterm Exam:  To be determined by teacher

- Final Exam:  To be determined by teacher 

2.)  CLASS PERFORMANCE: (25% of grade)

- Written assignments: responding to and analyzing works of art and self-evaluations for each project.

- Sketches:  You will be assigned a number of sketches for each major project.  The purpose of a sketch is to experiment with a variety of subjects and ideas before beginning the final project. This is an important aspect in developing successful art!    

3.)  STUDENT PARTICIPATION: (10% of grade)

-Students will be given 5 points a day for attendance and following studio habits.  Any day a student is absent for any reason or does not participate, those 5 points will be lost unless arrangements are made with the teacher to make up the missed class period.  NO EXCEPTIONS!  

Every artist works at a different pace:

 If the class has finished a project and the student needs more time, they can complete their work by coming in on their own time either during study halls, lunch time, before or after school, or taking it home and bringing it back to the teacher as soon as possible. The project will be marked in ProgressBook as “Missing” with a message “Please Turn In!”.

*If a student has used class time appropriately and is still UNHAPPY with the grade they received, they can either KEEP WORKING or REDO the project and I will regrade it with NO PENALTY.*

*It is the student's responsibility to check ProgressBook regularly. It is the student’s responsibility to turn in any late work as soon as possible or it will result in a zero. If the student needs to stay before or after school to finish a project, it is the student’s responsibility to arrange a time with the teacher.*