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Lakeside Middle School Arts Department

Visual Arts Course Descriptions Performing Arts Course Descriptions Concert Dates Instrumental and World Music

5th grade still life 6th grade self portraits 7th grade masks 8th grade clay sculptures

Instrumental Music - 2007-08 Courses

Chorus

Grade 6 Chorus
A more advanced choral group. Music of various musical types and historical styles is presented, the majority of which is in three-part harmony. Greater emphasis is given to developing performance skills as well as individual and group vocal skills. Two written and oral music research projects are also included as a part of the two choral terms. Note: Members of this group will be asked to devote some out-of-class time to concerts and/or rehearsals

Grade 6 Drama is incorporated in the English curriculum. In the Spring the class creates a drama based on a piece of literature and rehearses it for a public performance.

Grade 7 Chorus/Drama
One trimester of Chorus is devoted to Drama class. Using a variety of acting exercises and scenes, students learn the elements and vocabulary of theatre as a form of communication. The goals for the class include stimulating the students’ creativity, refining their communication skills, and developing a trusting group dynamic. The class culminates in the rehearsal of a collection of scenes that are performed before an audience.

One trimester of Chorus is devoted to Drama class. Using a variety of acting exercises and scenes, students learn the elements and vocabulary of theatre as a form of communication. The goals for the class include stimulating the students’ creativity, refining their communication skills, and developing a trusting group dynamic. The class culminates in the rehearsal of a collection of scenes that are performed before an audience.

Grade 8 Chorus/Drama/Improvisation
This year-long course continues the emphasis on group singing and the exploration of a wide range of music styles. Almost all of the music presented will be in three-part harmony. Further instruction and coaching in good vocal technique is given, along with a greater focus on developing performing skills. The 8th grade chorus will perform in concert three times each year. There is a small choral group project that is a part of the choral term’s work.

For one term of this course, students will participate in a drama/improvisation class, which builds upon the basic acting skills students learned in their Drama 7 class and provides new opportunities to build trust and acceptance in a group experience. In this class students develop skills that will enable them to harness their imagination in order to create believable characters and develop interesting dramatic situations. Students will work with pantomime, props, costume and set pieces and short scripts from which whole scenes are improvised. The goal is not to make a finished product but to discover how to keep the story alive, honest and engaging. Students will also play a significant role in the class by giving one another honest and helpful feedback. A secondary goal of this class is to help students expand their understanding and appreciation of themselves and others in their group.

Grade 8 Musicals
Two musical plays are produced each year, one in the fall/winter, one in the winter/spring. In addition to three school day class periods, we also rehearse Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30 – 5:00 for 14 weeks. Cast members must attend all rehearsals to which they are called. Some additional rehearsal or work time may be required in the final weeks before the production. All eighth-graders not enrolled in Ensemble or Electronic Music will participate in one of the musicals. Recent productions include The Music Man and Damn Yankees. When registering for 690, you may indicate a preference for section 690A (fall) or 690B (winter) in order to avoid conflicting obligations.
Ensemble and Electronic Music students may participate in the Musical on an after school, non-credit basis.

Note: 8th grade students who are enrolled in either Ensemble or Electronic Music will have the opportunity to take part in the 8th grade musical by attending after school rehearsals on a non-credit basis.

Fine Arts – Visual
Studio art courses at the middle school offer regularly scheduled classes twice a week, at each grade level. The rooms are also open and available for work during free time and lunch periods, when supervised.. All students have a sketchbook to use throughout the year for sketching from life, and for thumbnail studies of projects. Students are presented with assignments designed to build and maintain specific skills for both two and three dimensional projects. Work grows more sophisticated and challenging as the student matures. Assignments are developed with the availability of materials and the skill level of current students in mind. Elements of design (color, line, value, shape, pattern, texture) are the backbone of every assignment. Vocabulary and technique for critiques are demonstrated when discussing works in progress and final projects. Different artists, styles, and techniques are discussed at all levels.

Grade 5
In this full year course fifth grade students are exposed to many different materials and basic skills. Students work on blind contour drawings, gesture drawings, positive/negative space drawings, color wheels, and still life painting during the first term. Next they begin to explore the world of printmaking. Students experiment with many methods of monoprinting such as: additive, reductive, stencils, and draw through. The final unit of the year is the all school sculpture project which alternates yearly between clay and paper-mâché or paper sculpture. Emphasis is on the fundamental principles of design and composition, as well as cooperation and problem solving. Appropriate use of tools is taught in all media.

Grade 6
The main goal in this full year course is to expose students to different materials and techniques they can use to find their own expression. Traditional drawing and painting techniques such as: shading, value, and color theory are taught in the first term. Different sketching techniques are demonstrated throughout, such as: gesture drawing, blind contour and use of viewfinders. Ther final drawing project is a self portrait. During the painting unit students learn how to mix, shade and tint colors. The class learns the process of enlarging a painting and working together as a team, creating a mural out of a poster-sized model. Students carve linoleum blocks, and experiment with many different printmaking methods during the printing unit. The final unit of the year is the all school sculpture project which alternates yearly between clay and paper-mâché or paper sculpture. Students learn about different artists and styles throughout the year. Appropriate use of tools is taught in all media.

Grade 7
In this full-year course continues as above with more sophisticated approaches to sculpture, drawing, painting and printmaking. The fall term begins with a drawing unit on drawing from life and the basic rules of perspective drawing. Students learn techniques of watercolor painting such as how to do transparent washes and dry brush work, and then put all these techniques to work in a landscape painting. The 7th graders are introduced to printmaking with an etching press. They learn a variety of monotype techniques and embossing. They then put these skills to work on a final collage project using prints they have made. The final unit of the year is the all school sculpture project which alternates yearly between clay and paper-mâché or paper sculpture.

Grade 8
In this full year course begins with a unit on charcoal drawing, starting with figure drawing and ending still life. The emphasis is on seeing and depicting the light values. Students create and light their own still lives for a final drawing project. This is followed by a painting unit with tempera paint. Students are asked to select a still life painting and to use all or some of it as the basis of their own painting. They are required to add or replace one still life object with another object and to painting this object in the style of the painter whose work they are using for inspiration. A goal of this unit is familiarize students with color theory, color mixing with complements, and the use of tints and shades. This unit is followed by further studies in printmaking using the press. In the 8th grade the emphasis is on relief printing, with a review of monotype. They learn how to do a reduction linoleum cut print, a sophisticated way to print with multiple inks. The final unit of the year is the all school sculpture project which alternates yearly between clay and paper-mâché or paper sculpture.