Meet our Art Teacher Extraordinaire- JULIE DAVIDSON
You might realize that your child gets the chance to spend an hour in the art room once a week. What you might NOT realize is that Miss Davidson spends countless hours working with the teachers at Dilworth coordinating projects that align with what the students are learning in their classrooms. If your student really learns their geography, social studies, history, or science... chances are, Miss Davidson has had a hand in teaching them... along with their teachers. There are lots of pretty pictures, but often the art project of the week reiterates what your student is learning from the common core. It's amazing how much ART can teach us all, and how important it is to implement different ways of learning- using our hands and eyes to learn about the world around us.
The purpose of the art program at Dilworth is not only to teach students to understand art concepts, but most importantly, to use art as a powerful tool to reinforce what the students are learning in the general classroom. Parents would be amazed at what these kids remember when they relate it to an art project they’ve spent time creating. For example, when the Grade 3 team is teaching the students about landforms and mapping, we are creating maps and Clay sculptures of Landforms in the art room. When Grade 4 learns about Utah’s habitats, students are creating 3-D Artwork of a Utah animal within its habitat, complete with the plant life and environmental characteristics that their animal needs to survive and thrive. When Grade 2 students are studying literary styles, they are making puppets in the art room to put on their plays in the classroom. Grade 1 learns about adaptation, migration and hibernation by creating their winter bird artwork, and clay polar bears. We start some deeper math concepts very early on so that the students are ready when their Mathematics core requires these concepts, and they are able to recall what they’ve done in the art room that corresponds with it. For example, Kindergarten students create symmetry monsters, and learn through movement and visuals what symmetry means, and how to identify symmetry in various objects. They will use the concept of symmetry in many areas of their math core in each of their subsequent grade levels. The connections that art creates for students at Dilworth is really limitless. We’re always coming up with new ways to connect the Core Curriculum, and to help the students deepen their connections and retention of the concepts that they’re learning.
Past and Upcoming Favorite projects:
Gr K Symmetry Monsters - teaches color and symmetry… the kids crazy love this project!
Color Books- Teaches kids the color wheel, refines fine motor skills and painting techniques
Portraits- Teaches proportion, refines listening skills…and they’re always SO cute!
Gr 1 Utah Aspen Trees –Reinforces visual texture, collage, Plant cycle, Season cycle, trees in Utah
Polar Bears- Reinforces 3D sculpture, Adaptation, Migration and Hibernation, and Arctic Wildlife
Winter Birds-Reinforces Adaptation of Utah Birds, reinforces Hibernation/Migration/Adaptation
Gr2 Sunflowers Van Gogh- Reinforces Life cycle of seeds and plants
Tree Book- Reinforces Life and Season cycles of seeds, plants and trees throughout the year
Puppets- Reinforces Fairy tale genres, and how to visually tell a story with a unique character
Gr3 Portraits – Reinforces what makes us individual and unique, Accurate Skin-Color Mixing
Landforms- Reinforces identification of landforms, and reading maps using map keys & compass
Weaving, Pottery- Reinforces knowledge about Native American cultures and traditions
Winter Shadow Art- Reinforces Moon Phases, Values and Shadows in art
Totems- Reinforces knowledge of Native American traditions and culture, concept of Symmetry
Gr 4 Habitats- Reinforces Knowledge of Utah Habitats, Biomes and Ecosystems, and Wildlife/Plants
Bats- Reinforces science core about nocturnal animals, and species of bats + moon phases
Red Rocks- Reinforces Utah Desert Environment, Landforms and Utah Desert Plant life.
Gr 5 Cecret Lake Landscapes- Reinforces geological formation of Utah Mountains and Lakes
Patriotic Program- Reinforces knowledge of Unites States Patriotic Symbols
Code Quilts- Reinforces understanding of Codes used by slaves in the Underground Railroad
Gr 6 Moon Bowls- Reinforces Moon Phases and 3D Clay Sculpture Techniques
Constellations- Reinforces Astronomy concepts, and knowledge of Star Charting
Microorganisms- Reinforces knowledge of microorganisms and their significance
