Art Is Fundamental: Teaching the Elements and Principles of Art in Elementary School

by Eileen S. Prince

This comprehensive art curriculum can easily be integrated into any teacher's existing instruction and provides thrilling and rewarding projects for elementary art students, including printmaking techniques, tessellations, watercolors, calligraphic lines, organic form sculptures, and value collages. Detailed lessons—developed and tested in classrooms over many years—build on one another in a logical progression and explore the elements of texture, color, shape, line, form, and value, and principles such as balance (formal, informal and radial,) unity, contrast, movement, distortion, emphasis, pattern and rhythm. Each lesson also represents an interdisciplinary approach that improves general vocabulary and supports science, math, social studies, and language arts. Though written for elementary school teachers, it can be easily condensed and adapted for middle or even high school students. A beautiful eight-page color insert demonstrates just how sophisticated young children’s art can be when kids are given the opportunity to develop their skills.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Education, Teaching

214 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Awoman · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an Ebook I read on Hoopla. The first part of the book is instructions for the teacher. The rest of the book, which is the majority, are lesson plans.
I found her instructions arrogant and patronizing to the point where I actually could envision her looking down her nose at every one.
What disappointed me the most was in the first chapter she talks about her policy of no one can touch other peoples nor destroy other students artwork, which I fully agree. But then she turns around and says that if she doesn't like the design of the student's artwork, she'll take a pencil and draw all over it till she, the teacher, likes it.
I read it, I wasn't impressed, but, perhaps someone else will like it.

[Temple · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Her tone is both conversational and serious and her passion for art shines through. Her knowledge is derived from years of experience in the classroom and even includes such basics as the best brand of crayon and the best way to structure clean-up. Lessons were very specific but also left room for adaptation. The book focuses on teaching the elements of art rather than the purpose of art or art history. Those topics are covered more in her other book, Art Matters, which is for teachers of older children.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

You could follow this exact lesson plan and never need another art resource as long as you teach. It had everything!

[Rosanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. It has a lot of good ideas. The author explains her theory of art education, and then she gives numerous lesson plans in a sequential order. She has many years of experience along with a big art budget!

[Mills College Library]

372.5044 P954 2008