There is considerable research on the academic value of students receiving instruction in the Visual and Performing Arts. All District 11 art classes are taught by qualified art teachers. Students will learn the elements of art and principles of design. They will learn about art in relation to history, culture, and the community. They will also recognize and use the visual arts as a form of communication, and will critique works of art through analysis, assessment, and evaluation. As we progress into the second quarter, more formalized assessments of each student's level of mastery begin and continue throughout the year.

Enduring Understandings - important ideas that students should carry with them years beyond the instruction received this year.

• A variety of musical skills and techniques learned from diverse genres and styles will allow for expressive singing and playing.
• Identifying, reading and comprehending various musical notations and terms are a necessity when reading and writing music.
• Creating and improvising melodies and ostinatos are important skills that allow me to think like a composer.
• Being able to describe and analyze music gives me a more in-depth understanding of music as a whole.
• Movement and dance of diverse genres and styles are important in today's America.

Essential Questions - most important “big picture” questions students should be able to answer after completing learning activities.

• As a famous composer, what do I need to understand in order to write music in parts?
• How will being able to identify and describe different notes and musical elements help me in reading and writing music?
• Why is it important that I learn how to notate melodies that are played?
• How will sight singing help me in reading and writing music?
• Why is improvising important to a composer?
• What does creating a melody for a poem prove about my composing skills?
• How will improvising a rhythmic or melodic ostinato in a layered/multi-part piece help me when I am composing my own song?
• How will improvising a melody help me when I am composing my own song?
• Why should I be able to recognize the sounds of different instruments and know what the families are?
• What does it mean when I hear someone talking about the moods in music, or mental pictures created by elements in music?
• How will evaluating a performance help me become a better musician?
• Looking back over history, how has the function of music altered?
• Why is it important for me to be able to differentiate between classical, jazz and spiritual music or know names of composers and some of their works?
• What is the importance of performing music from different historical periods, cultures and traditions?
• What function has music served in culture?
• Why is it important for me to know the differences between Asian, African, Native American, Middle Eastern, calypso and American Folk Songs?
• When looking at my community, how, when, and why is music used?
• Why should I be able to perform music that reflects my community's traditions?

Standards-Based Assessments
Standard I. Sings and plays instruments, alone and with others. (Sings from memory a repertoire of songs representing diverse genres and styles.  Sings a part in a two-part song as part of a group.  Sings expressively with appropriate dynamics, phrasing and interpretation.  Performs expressive elements while playing.)
Standard II.  Reads and writes musical notation. (Identifies sixteenth notes, triplets, and eighth rests.  Identifies symbols or markings that indicate ritardando, accelerando, staccato, and accent.  Identifies a bass clef sign.  Describes the effect of a dot when added to a note or rest.  Names any given note on the treble staff (middle C to high G).  Describes the effect of a sharp or flat, when added to a note.  Reads to play a rhythmic example containing sixteenth notes or triplets.  Reads to play a melodic example containing any note on the treble staff with any of the following rhythmic values: quarter note, eighth note, half note, dotted half note, whole note, quarter rest, half rest, or whole rest.  Sightreads melodic examples using la-sol-mi-re-do.  Notates melodic patterns using specified notes on the treble staff.)
Standard III.  Creates music. (Creates a melody for a poem or given rhythm.  Improvises a rhythmic or melodic ostinato in a layered/multi-part piece.  improvises a melody, unaccompanied or over a given rhythmic accompaniment.)
Standard IV.  Analyzes/describes and evaluates music. ( Identifies the form heard in a given piece of music as AB, ABA, rondo, or theme and variations.  Identifies a given chord as major or minor.  Categorizes the instruments by families.  Names instruments/instrument families heard in a musical recording.  Identifies expressive elements heard in a musical selection.  Describes the moods or mental pictures created by the musical elements above.  Evaluates a musical performance.)
Standard V.  Demonstrates an understanding of music in relation to history, culture, and community traditions. (Describes the functions music has served within given musical periods.  Describes how given events in history impacted music of today.  identifies three pieces of classical music by title or composer, upon hearing excerpts.  Identifies given pieces of music as classical, jazz, or a spiritual.  Performs/identifies music associated with American history.  Performs movements/dances from various countries/cultures.  Describes the functions music has served within given cultures.  Identifies given pieces of music as Asian, African, Native American, Middle Eastern, calypso, or an American folk song.  Performs/identifies music that reflects community traditions.  Describes roles and contexts of music within our community.  Describes how the beliefs and traditions of our community have been expressed through music.)

Unit 1