Art and Design
An Introduction to S 1&2
Curriculum for Excellence
In S1/2 there is a strong focus on, and an understanding of, the Visual Elements and how
this can be applied to the practical tasks set throughout the 2 year course. Pupils work
with a variety of media and reflect on personal choice and interest. Staff involve
their areas of expertise to motivate, artistically stimulate and challenge pupils to perform
to the best of their ability. Pupils are introduced to evaluation and reflective practise at
the end of each activity, to communicate thoughts and understanding with each other,
using appropriate artisic terms and language. Home learning tasks are used to encourage
parental responsibility and involvement and to let individual pupils become independant
through personal research. Pupils are encouraged to become aware of the world around
through being inspired by Design and Designers, Painters and Paintings from different
periods of Art History. Pupils are encouraged to visit galleries and web-sites of
galleries to broaden their appreciation of the world of Art and Design.This re-inforces the
four capacities that are promoted within the Curriculum for Excellence.
Art and Design
The S1 Course
A Curriculum for Excellence
.
The S1 course aims to be an enjoyable experience for pupils and one that is a
foundation for other levels of education within the school,
The course provides opportunities to work on cross-curricular projects and to
give pupils the experience of working in conjunction with other departments on
exciting and innovative projects from fashion to animation to stage production.
S1, along with S2, provides a breadth and range of activities for pupils to
undertake, allowing them to gain confidence in themselves and their work.
The Art & Design staff encourage a high standard of work and strive to support
pupils in a learning and teaching environment which encourages individual
responses to units of work. The department promotes a positive ethos and provides
the pupils with a stimulating and resourceful place in which to work. Pupils are
encouraged to work mainly from first hand sources and experiences to build up an
understanding of artistic terms, to work on sketchbook techniques at home and to
take responsibility and pride in the art work they produce.
Expressive Unit. This will mainly be a Drawing and Painting unit with a teacher
negotiated theme. This unit builds on previous experience of the elements LINE,
TONE, TEXTURE and COLOUR. Pupils are encouraged to work from first hand
sources and the unit centres around the subject matter, methods and materials of
the artist. Pupils are encouraged in self-expression with a range of media, using a
variety of drawing and painting techniques, and produce individual expressive
pieces of work. The main paint experience within this unit is poster paint, with
colour mixing/colour theory a focus. For Evaluating & Appreciating, pupils are
given the opportunity to view and comment on the work of a specific painter or
painters.
3-D Unit. This short unit focuses specifically on clay handling techniques,
considering the elements FORM, SHAPE and TEXTURE. This unit is aimed at
introducing pupils to basic clay processes, and the safety issues related to working
with this media. The specific clay handling techniques tackled are PINCH, COIL
and SLAB this could lead on to a development in model-making, mask- making or
decorative panel-making. Evaluation is an important part of all our S1 units as it
allows pupils to reflect on what they have learnt and identify strengths and
development needs.
Design Unit. The main Design unit will focus on the Design Process and consider
the elements SHAPE, COLOUR and PATTERN, working from both first and
second hand sources. Pupils will gain an understanding of the importance of a
Design Brief and learn about the restrictions of working to this brief. Awareness of
target markets and design issues will also be a focus, with Evaluating &
Appreciating forming an integral part of this unit.
All three units will run continually throughout the year and are open to
interpretation by all art staff, building on areas of interest and expertise. This
flexibility will give teachers a freedom to explore their own artistic interests and
develop their own creativity which will be beneficial to all the pupils in class