fine art and private & home school K-12th grades Christian art curriculum
supporting the grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric stages of Classical education
FAQ's About
Spears Art Studio High School Art Survey, A Study from a Christian World View©
supporting the grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric stages of Classical education
FAQ's About
Spears Art Studio High School Art Survey, A Study from a Christian World View©
Spears Art Studio High School Art Survey,
A Study from a Christian World View©, a student manual
A Study from a Christian World View©, a student manual
Teach your children art
from a Biblical worldview (perspective).
This curriculum is more than an art study. It is based on God's Word and is presented in an understandable manner for students who have no art background as well as for developing the serious art student who has had some art training. It is easy for educators to monitor, even if they have had no formal art training. The Scripture references for meditation are related to the units and lessons in a natural and flowing manner that expands understanding of both art and God's Word.
from a Biblical worldview (perspective).
This curriculum is more than an art study. It is based on God's Word and is presented in an understandable manner for students who have no art background as well as for developing the serious art student who has had some art training. It is easy for educators to monitor, even if they have had no formal art training. The Scripture references for meditation are related to the units and lessons in a natural and flowing manner that expands understanding of both art and God's Word.
Q. What do I use for art images if I can't find the ones listed in the lesson?
A. The art images listed in the lesson are SUGGESTIONS. They are the ones most frequently found in libraries and other resources. If the specific suggestion cannot be found, find another of the same genre that will provide the information needed for the lesson.
Q. What sources other than the library can I use for art images?
A. The internet is a great source - simply "Google" the artist and image. A list of internet art sources is being created and will be posted on the high school web page when completed. If you wish to purchase posters or postcards of images, find the web sites for the National Gallery of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, and many others. Many museums have actual art lessons based on their collections that can supplement your program. Museums also sell post cards of well-known images from their collections. The large poster books of famous artists' work are valuable resources found in discount and used book stores.
Q. Does the entire high school survey manual need to be presented in one school year?
A. The purpose of the high school art survey is to give students experiences that cover a wide range of media and processes. However, the same goal can be extended over two years in greater depth. Students do not need to rush through just to cover the manual in one year if the quality of study and products will be compromised. The goal is real learning, not just covering material. Because each lesson contains enough information and activities (library research, sketchbook assignments, visual memory exercises, and one or more main art activities), each lesson can be extended over two or three weeks. The first 18 lessons (ideally the first semester) cover only drawing and could be extended over a whole school year, and the lessons 19-36 (second semester) can be in-depth and more advanced study over a second year. Always feel free to adapt any program to the needs of your students.
Q. Can the manual be used for middle school/junior high students?
A. If students are advanced for their grade levels and have a good art study foundation, the answer is a qualified yes. It would be imperative that all students in this group be on the same level, which is rare. The author recommends that only high school students be part of this study. Younger students normally still need more experience with THINKING in art in a variety of activities that include some crafts as well as "real" art.
Q. If I can buy only one version (the hard copy or the CD-Rom), which should I get?
A. The ideal situation is to purchase both the hard copy for the classroom and the CD-Rom for home preparation (or the class computer). If you can purchase only one, the hard copy is recommended, because it is copy-ready for students. There are 25 pages that must be copied in color. If you have a good color printer at home or school, then the CD-Rom will do for the pages that must be in color. The PDF format is also copy-ready. The manual was designed with the intention that each student should have his/her own copy, because (1) some of the assignments can be independent of the classroom. (2) the manual is written to the student (and educator), making the program more personal to them, and (3) the students need to refer to previous pages for test review. Some pages from the manual can be copied onto transparencies and shown to the entire class, thus eliminating some of the copying for each student. You may be able to think of clever ways to eliminate copying for each student and still give them the information. Perhaps printing one copy of the glossary for the class to share and making transparencies of the visual memory exercises may suffice. Another suggestion is to make copies of the manual for each student, but keep them as the property of the school (placing them in transparent sleeves for permanence).
Q. How does the curriculum support the Rhetoric School of the Classical Education Model?
A. The Rhetoric School emphasizes writing and oral presentation of truth. The survey contains one or more writing components with each lesson. Students are required to THINK in art and express informed opinions about artworks both in writing and in oral presentation.
Q. Is the curriculum suitable for home school education?
A. Definitely, yes. The Spears Art Studio High School Art Survey is particularly suited for HOMESCHOOL art education. The curriculum is specifically written to the student and can be adjusted to any study schedule to coordinate with other subjects and research.
A. The art images listed in the lesson are SUGGESTIONS. They are the ones most frequently found in libraries and other resources. If the specific suggestion cannot be found, find another of the same genre that will provide the information needed for the lesson.
Q. What sources other than the library can I use for art images?
A. The internet is a great source - simply "Google" the artist and image. A list of internet art sources is being created and will be posted on the high school web page when completed. If you wish to purchase posters or postcards of images, find the web sites for the National Gallery of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, and many others. Many museums have actual art lessons based on their collections that can supplement your program. Museums also sell post cards of well-known images from their collections. The large poster books of famous artists' work are valuable resources found in discount and used book stores.
Q. Does the entire high school survey manual need to be presented in one school year?
A. The purpose of the high school art survey is to give students experiences that cover a wide range of media and processes. However, the same goal can be extended over two years in greater depth. Students do not need to rush through just to cover the manual in one year if the quality of study and products will be compromised. The goal is real learning, not just covering material. Because each lesson contains enough information and activities (library research, sketchbook assignments, visual memory exercises, and one or more main art activities), each lesson can be extended over two or three weeks. The first 18 lessons (ideally the first semester) cover only drawing and could be extended over a whole school year, and the lessons 19-36 (second semester) can be in-depth and more advanced study over a second year. Always feel free to adapt any program to the needs of your students.
Q. Can the manual be used for middle school/junior high students?
A. If students are advanced for their grade levels and have a good art study foundation, the answer is a qualified yes. It would be imperative that all students in this group be on the same level, which is rare. The author recommends that only high school students be part of this study. Younger students normally still need more experience with THINKING in art in a variety of activities that include some crafts as well as "real" art.
Q. If I can buy only one version (the hard copy or the CD-Rom), which should I get?
A. The ideal situation is to purchase both the hard copy for the classroom and the CD-Rom for home preparation (or the class computer). If you can purchase only one, the hard copy is recommended, because it is copy-ready for students. There are 25 pages that must be copied in color. If you have a good color printer at home or school, then the CD-Rom will do for the pages that must be in color. The PDF format is also copy-ready. The manual was designed with the intention that each student should have his/her own copy, because (1) some of the assignments can be independent of the classroom. (2) the manual is written to the student (and educator), making the program more personal to them, and (3) the students need to refer to previous pages for test review. Some pages from the manual can be copied onto transparencies and shown to the entire class, thus eliminating some of the copying for each student. You may be able to think of clever ways to eliminate copying for each student and still give them the information. Perhaps printing one copy of the glossary for the class to share and making transparencies of the visual memory exercises may suffice. Another suggestion is to make copies of the manual for each student, but keep them as the property of the school (placing them in transparent sleeves for permanence).
Q. How does the curriculum support the Rhetoric School of the Classical Education Model?
A. The Rhetoric School emphasizes writing and oral presentation of truth. The survey contains one or more writing components with each lesson. Students are required to THINK in art and express informed opinions about artworks both in writing and in oral presentation.
Q. Is the curriculum suitable for home school education?
A. Definitely, yes. The Spears Art Studio High School Art Survey is particularly suited for HOMESCHOOL art education. The curriculum is specifically written to the student and can be adjusted to any study schedule to coordinate with other subjects and research.
Q. How does the curriculum support the Classical Education Model (The Trivium)?
A. The rhetoric stage of the Classical Model is strongly supported in this curriculum by the requirements for journaling personal responses to Scripture and to famous artworks. Students are required to write out formal analyses of artworks, apply the same principles to their own, and defend their opinions in discussions with other students or with the educator. It is at the discretion of the educator how much of the provided material is used to support the Classical Model.
