MY HERO and Arts Standards
by Sara Armstrong, Ph.D.
In a time when so many schools and districts have cut their fine arts programs, a project that ties art to curriculum is a welcome idea. The MY HERO Project provides opportunities for students to create artwork on the hero theme, and produce short films on the topic as well.
Always an issue, national, state, and local standards form how our time is spent in the classroom with students. National Visual Arts Standards were developed by the Consortium of National Arts Education Associations, through a grant administered by:
The National Association for Music Education (MENC) according to The Kennedy Center ArtsEdge. Another site, the Art Teacher Connection also lists these national standards, and provides links to a number of resources that support art instruction.
The National Visual Arts Standards consist of six items and are discussed in three grade levels—K-4, 5-8, and 9-12—that promote developmentally appropriate student work and understanding of concepts.
The six standards are as follows:
1. Content Standard: Understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes
2. Content Standard: Using knowledge of structures and functions
3. Content Standard: Choosing and evaluating a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas
4. Content Standard: Understanding the visual arts in relation to history and cultures
5. Content Standard: Reflecting upon and assessing the characteristics and merits of their work and the work of others
6. Content Standard: Making connections between visual arts and other disciplines
Didax Educational Resources states, “As a result of developing these capabilities, students can arrive at their own knowledge, beliefs, and values for making personal and artistic decisions. In other terms, they can arrive at a broad based, well-grounded understanding of the nature, value, and meaning of the arts as a part of their own humanity.”
A sampling of states—California, Texas, and Florida—reveals that state standards documents suggest that including fine arts—particularly drawing, painting, and multimedia work—in the curriculum is more than a good idea.
For example, California’s visual and performing arts standards, adopted in January 2001 lay out five areas:1. Artistic perception
2. Creative expression
3. Historical and cultural context
4. Aesthetic valuing
5. Connections, relationships, applicationWhen students view the MY HERO Gallery, they see many examples of genres and content. Asking students to identify, research, and develop art works about their own heroes—which can then be posted, shared, and responded to by the global community—provides a wonderful opportunity to help students meet visual arts standards.
Similarly, Texas fine arts standards--part of TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) include four aspects: perception, creative expression/performance, historical and cultural heritage, and critical evaluation.
Texas also has standards for art teachers, including “The art teacher understands the skills and techniques needed for personal and creative expression through the creation of original works of art in a wide variety of media and helps students develop those skills and techniques (Standard II of V).
MY HERO offers a perfect opportunity for students to practice and share their original work, and for teachers to promote personal expression through art.
In Florida, the Sunshine State Standards include five areas in their arts standards: Skills and Techniques, Creation and Communication, Cultural and Historical Connections, Aesthetic and Critical Analysis, and Applications to Life.
When students are challenged to create art on the theme of heroes and heroism, they can improve their art skills, share what is important to them, and expand their observation and evaluation of other artwork. Specifically, expectations for students in grades 3-5 in the visual arts state: “The student creates works that are personally meaningful and draws from experience, observation, or imagination.” Students in grades 9-12 are challenged to “understand that works of art can communicate an idea and elicit a variety of responses through the use of selected media, techniques, and processes. … know and participate in community-based art experiences as an artist or observer.”
Contributing artwork to the MY HERO Gallery encourages students to consider their subject, decide on how they will express their statement, and share it with the world.
When you visit the MY HERO Art Gallery [make this a link to the gallery], you will find an inspiring array of art by students and adults from around the world. You can include work by your students by following the instructions on the Gallery introduction page.
The MY HERO Short Film Festival [www.myhero.com/filmfestival] provides another opportunity for students to explore the idea of heroism using multimedia.
And, of course, the MY HERO collection of stories lets teachers and students research the subject of their art or film, write the story, post it to the site, and then go on to develop their art or film project. Interdisciplinary work allows teachers to collaborate and enriches student experiences—as well as making it possible to address standards for art, English, social studies, and other curriculum areas in a single project.
