HELEN C. PEIRCE SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
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ART

 The art curriculum for K-5 is modeled after the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program and the Eight Studio Habits of Mind philosophy.

Our Primary Years Program (PYP) learning outcomes are as follows:

Phase 1-Learners:
  • Enjoy experiencing artworks
  • Show curiosity and ask questions about artworks
  • Describe what they notice about an artwork
  • Identify the materials and processes used in the creation of an artwork
  • Analyze the relationships within an artwork and construct meanings
  • Communicate their initial responses to an artwork in visual, oral, or physical modes
  • Make personal connections to artworks
  • Express opinions about an artwork 
  • Create artwork in response to a variety of stimuli
 
Phase 2 Learners:
  • Investigate the purposes of artwork from different times, places, and a range of cultures including their own
  • Sharpen their powers of observation
  • Identify the formal elements of an artwork
  • Use appropriate terminology to discuss artwork
  • Describe similarities and differences between artworks 
  • Identify the stages of their own and others’ creative processes
  • Become an engaged and responsive audience for a variety of art forms
 
Phase 3 Learners:
  • Compare, contrast, and categorize artworks from a range of cultures, places, and times
  • Identify and consider the contexts in which artworks were made
  • Use their knowledge and experiences to make informed interpretations of artworks
  • Reflect on their own and others’ creative processes to inform their thinking
  • Use relevant and insightful questions to extend their understanding
  • Recognize that different audiences respond in different ways to artworks
  • Provide constructive criticism when responding to artwork
 
Phase 4 Learners:
  • Explain the cultural and historical perspectives of an artwork
  • Understand the role and relevance of visual arts in society
  • Reflect on the factors that influence personal reactions to artwork
  • Reflect throughout the creative process to challenge their thinking and enact new and unusual possibilities
  • Critique and make informed judgments about artworks

The Eight Studio Habits of Mind in the curriculum include: Develop Craft, Engage and Persist, Envision, Express, Observe, Reflect, Stretch and Explore, and Understand the Art World. Students of all ages and abilities can create successful works of art. 

In art classes at Peirce, students learn about the Elements of Art and Principles of Design, expressive and interpretive qualities of art, art criticism, aesthetic theory, styles of art, and they make historical/personal/cultural connections to art. They also have a lot of time to experience making art by using their own imagination and to explore and learn by doing art.
 
Throughout their experience in the art program at Peirce, students have as many opportunities as possible to experience as many art forms as possible. Every year students have the opportunity to work with clay, paint, chalk, charcoal, artists’ pencils, oil pastels, building materials, printmaking, and more! We are fortunate to have a wheel and a kiln, and have had the opportunity in the past few years to offer after school programs in pottery, ceramics, and bricolage installation. 
 
"Primary Years Programme and Curriculum Guide." N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2017.

Our Middle Years Program (MYP) has the following aims:
  • Create and present art
  • Develop skills specific to the discipline
  • Engage in a process of creative exploration and (self-)discovery
  • Make purposeful connections between investigation and practice
  • Understand the relationship between art and its contexts
  • Respond to and reflect on art
  • Deepen their understanding of the world
 
"Barry Goldwater." IB Middle Years Program (MYP) / MYP CURRICULUM GUIDES 2014-15. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2017.
 
6th grade students: 
  • Generate innovative ideas for creating art
  • Demonstrate openness in trying new ideas, materials, methods, and approaches in making works of art and design
  • Reflect on whether personal artwork conveys the intended meaning and revise ideas accordingly
  • Identify and interpret works of art or design that reveal how people live around the world and what they value
 
Students are working to learn that in order to communicate effectively, we need to observe the world so that our interpretation represents the world accurately. Students learn skills, techniques, and processes needed to draw a self portrait, such as: drawing the value scale, learning about the art pencils, grid drawing, shading and gradation, proportions of the face and head, how to draw eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. They also identify and use the elements and principles to create correct proportions in a portrait drawing and how the interaction of light and objects are rendered in 2D.
 
7th grade students:
  • Apply methods to overcome creative blocks
  • Develop criteria to guide making a work of art or design to meet an identified goal
  • Apply visual organizational strategies to design and produce a work of art, design, or media that clearly communicates information or ideas
  • Reflect on and explain important information about personal artwork in an artist statement or another format
  • Explain how the method of display, the location, and the experience of an artwork influence how it is perceived and valued
 
In 7th grade, students are focusing on how the Styles of Art create an identity for time periods, places, and people, and can be interpreted differently using similar aspects of composition.​ Students research and learn about different Styles of Art and then choose a Style of Art they would like to learn more about. Through their research they find an artist and work of art they would like to interpret. Students then complete a planning guide in which they answer questions about the painting they choose and then they sketch out ideas of how to reinterpret the work of art on a 3 Dimensional surface. Students review color theory (the color wheel, how to mix colors, monochromatic colors, complimentary colors, etc.) and learn how to best create shades and tints of colors. Then the creation of the art begins by preparing their 3D object, and taking any steps necessary to make sure the final piece will be of high quality. Students use their knowledge of color theory and the Styles of Art to paint the 3D object. Finally, Students reflect on their work by writing an Artist's' Statement of what they did well and what they could improve on.
 
8th grade students:
  • Document early stages of the creative process
  • Collaboratively shape an artistic investigation of an aspect of present-day life using a contemporary practice of art and design.
  • Apply relevant criteria to examine, reflect on, and plan revisions for a work of art or design in progress
  • Explain how a person’s aesthetic choices are influenced by culture and environment and impact the visual image that one conveys to others
 
Students in 8th grade explore two different Statements of Inquiry: Humans use creativity and innovation to appeal to a particular audience; and, ​By paying attention to aesthetics and using innovation we can create work that appeals to a particular audience. Students create designs for ceramic mugs that could be sold by a local retailer and appeal to a particular audience. They also learn about different cultures and create an installation in which they combine knowledge from their Language Arts classes to make history come alive.


​Visit Ms. Buchbinder's Art website. 

MEREDITH BUCHBINDER

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Art Teacher, K - 4th grade
Ms. Buchbinder has had a lifelong love of the arts. Originally from Wisconsin, Meredith received her Bachelor's Degree from Hamline University in Minnesota, and graduated with a degree in Fine Arts. Her focus  and passion in college was in ceramics, where she did a combination of hand building and pottery on the wheel. She later earned a Masters Degree in Education from DePaul University. In addition to college work, she has completed ongoing professional development through the Art Institute's Terra Teacher Lab. She has been teaching Middle School Art at Helen C. Peirce for 6 years, and in 2016 started teaching Kindergarten through 5th grade art.

ALICIA ZAPATA

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Art Teacher, 5th - 8th grade
Ms. Zapata received her Master's Degree in Art Theory, Criticism and History and Certificate of Museum Studies from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. During that time she completed internships with Brooklyn Museum and International Center of Photography. She taught middle school and high school darkroom photography at Marwen Art Center in Chicago for years before receiving her teaching licensure from North Park University in 2015. She has taught art in New Orleans, Lousiana for the past 3 years. During this time, she created and built two art programs in the International Baccalaureate framework. In her classroom, Alicia promotes a student-centered space where inquiry and exploration are used to solve problems in the arts that have no standard answers. 
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 Helen C. Peirce
School of  International Studies
1423 W. Bryn Mawr
Chicago IL, 60660
Phone: (773) 534 2440
Fax: (773) 534 2577

PK Branch
5300 N. Broadway
Chicago, IL 60640
Phone:  (773) 534-2234
​Fax:  (773) 534-2235

Fax: (773) 534-2577 
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Non-Discrimination Statement It is the policy of the Board to prohibit unlawful discrimination, harassment, and retaliation on the basis of any protected category by the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of the State of Illinois, and applicable federal, state or local laws or ordinances, including but not limited to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504), specifically, but not limited to, discrimination, harassment, or retaliation on the basis of sexual orientation, gender or sex (includes gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and pregnancy-related medical conditions), race or ethnicity, ethnic group identification, ancestry, nationality, national origin, religion, color, mental or physical disability, age, immigration status, marital status, registered domestic partner status, genetic information, political belief or affiliation (not union-related), military status, unfavorable discharge from military service, or on the basis of a person’s association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics in the educational programs or activities the Board operates.

Concerns or inquiries regarding sex discrimination, harassment, or retaliation can be made to the Board’s Title IX Coordinator in the Office of Student Protections and Title IX (OSP) or the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR).

For information on mental health, go to Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Resources
  • Home
  • About
    • Our History
    • Mission & Vision
    • School Tours
    • Enrollment Information
    • Policies & Forms
    • Staff Directory
    • Local School Council (LSC)
    • Continuous Improvement Work Plan
    • Support Peirce
    • Branding Guidelines
  • Family Information
    • Before & After School Programs
    • Case Management
    • Student Door Entry
    • New to Peirce
    • Family Communication
    • Parent Organizations
    • Principal's Newsletter
    • Volunteer Opportunties
  • Academics
    • International Baccalaureate >
      • IB Primary Years Programme
      • IB Middle Years Programme
      • IB Learner Profile
    • Pre K
    • Art
    • English Learner Program
    • Counseling Department
    • Dance
    • Garden
    • Music
    • Physical Education
    • Restorative Practices
    • Spanish
    • Sports Programs
    • Technology
  • Calendar