Art

Dear Carnegie Families,

Hello and welcome to another exciting school year! My name is Mrs. Bate and I am the Kindergarten through Eighth grade Art teacher, which means I work with all Carnegie Students! I am a Chicago area native who has been honored to be part of Carnegie’s faculty since 2004. I received my Bachelors of Fine Arts in Art Education and K-12 Specialty Teaching Certification from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign in 2003. In order to better meet the learning needs and spark the creative interests of all of my students, I recently completed my Masters of Teaching in Curriculum and Instruction from Olivet Nazarene University. When I am not teaching or being a student myself, I am practicing artist who specializes in Oil Painting.

Although my main areas of expertise lie in drawing and painting, I am very knowledgeable in several forms of art, cultures, and art history to ensure that every Carnegie student participates in well-rounded and valuable artistic learning experiences while they are in my classroom. Students will have the chance to create drawings, paintings, mixed-media pieces, and three-dimensional artwork during the school year. They will also learn about artists and art forms from around the world, including important African American Artists and well-known Hispanic Artists in order to make connections to cultures and traditions learned in Spanish class. I also believe it is important to work closely with my colleagues in order to teach an interdisciplinary subject approach where students can understand how Art relates to Math, Science, Humanities, and Literature.

Like other subject areas, all students in first grade and up will receive a letter a grade in Art each quarter. Each week that students come to art class, they are eligible to earn up to 10 participation points which can be easily earned through listening, participation in discussions, asking questions, and working diligently on artwork during work time. Along with the accumulation of participation points, art projects are worth 20-30 points each.

The percentage of points earned translates to a letter grade:  100-90%= A         89-80%= B       79-70%= C       69-60%=D        59% and below= F

Students who are in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade are in Carnegie’s International Baccalaureate Program, which means they participate in long-term Art project units. Each project during these units is worth 40 points and scored accordingly:

IB Art Class Artwork Evaluation  (Fine Arts Criterion A-D)
A: Shows knowledge and understanding of the movement or art form being studied____/7
B: Application: Artwork shows high quality craftsmanship, skill, and creativity____/15
C: Reflection and evaluation questions are complete ____/10
D: Artistic Awareness and Personal Engagement: Works diligently and shows interest throughout the unit____/8
Grand Total ____/40

As always, I look forward to working with your child. If you have any questions or concerns I can be reached through the school’s main office number, 773-535-0530 or via email, befriedlander@cps.edu.

Thank you very much,
Barri Bate