Spring Hill Art Program

During art classes at Spring Hill Elementary School, our students focus on their place in the world through grade-level themes:

Me (Kindergarten)
Family (First Grade)
Community (Second Grade)
Culture (Third Grade)
State (Fourth Grade)
World (Fifth Grade)
Exploration (Sixth Grade)

Art lessons extend classroom learning through interdisciplinary connections to the Social Studies, Science, Language Arts, and Math Program of Studies.

The Elementary Art Program of Studies incorporates lessons in drawing, painting, collage, printmaking, fibers (stitchery and weaving), ceramics, sculpture, and architecture. Students are introduced to a variety of media, and skills are developed throughout the seven years of elementary school.

As an example, we begin the school year with drawing. Kindergarten and first grade students learn about drawing themselves with shapes. In second grade, we introduce the concept of overlapping two figures to indicate space. Third grade students learn to draw the human face in proportion. In fourth grade, students learn to draw the human figure in proportion. Fifth grade students practice contour drawing, a type of drawing that requires careful observation and slow execution. In sixth grade, contour drawing techniques are used to draw the human face and shading is introduced as a way to create the illusion of three dimensions on a two-dimensional surface.

Our students’ artwork can be found on display year ‘round at Spring Hill Elementary School. Framed artwork is always on display in the halls, and teachers often proudly display their students work on the halls outside of their classrooms. The Artists of the Month Gallery features a work of art from an artist at each grade level, with new selections every month. Students’ artwork is featured in The Connection Newspaper’s
annual children’s edition in December. In celebration of Youth Art Month in March, many Spring Hill artists have their work on display at a special art show at the McLean Community Center. We are proud of our Spring Hill artists!

The Fairfax County Public Schools K-12 art curriculum is based on the assumption that art education is a fundamental part of the total education of each child. Art education in Fairfax County Public Schools is a core discipline, essential to the growth and development of the creative and expressive capabilities of all students. It has its roots in the disciplines of visual communication and production, cultural context and art history, judgment and criticism, and aesthetics. Through instruction in the four disciplines, the curriculum provides opportunities for all students to:

•Recognize the role and importance of art and artists in society, culture, and
history.
• Critically assess works of art from many aesthetic and cultural perspectives.
• Express their own ideas and feelings.
• Think visually and creatively.
• Enhance their self-image.
(From Elementary Art Program of Studies, Instructional Services Department, Office of High School Instruction and K-12 Curriculum Services, Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax, Virginia, 2000.)

Please contact Spring Hill Art Teachers Carolyn Gore-Ashe or Morgan Grant for more information or visit the FCPS Fine Arts program site:
http://www.fcps.edu/DIS/OHSICS/FineArts/index.htm

Please review this page for more information on Spring Hill PTO's Art Appreciation Program.