Art

North Reading Public Schools
Visual Arts Department 
Mission Statement

Creating art is a major form of communication and expression that connects people to one another.  The North Reading Public Schools Visual Arts Department is dedicated to teaching young people the value of this essential human function. Students will learn about visual literacy skills to help create art that shows intent: the evoking, expressing and communicating specific ideas. This skill will help students better recognize and share the cultural contexts embedded in all art. Students will learn a wide variety of core art concepts as well as foundational art making techniques and processes. The creative problem-solving strategies taught in visual arts will enable students to achieve success across other disciplines. The teachers strive to help children discover visual art’s connectedness within visual careers and beyond. 

The North Reading Public Schools Visual Arts Department follows the DESE Visual Arts Curriculum Frameworks. 

The Four Standards of Artistic Practice

• Creating art with artistic intent.
• Presenting or performing artistic works to evoke, express, or communicate.
• Responding to arts through intellect and emotion.
• Connecting the arts to the self, society, history, culture, and other disciplines and bodies of knowledge. 

Guiding Principles for Effective Arts Education
The following principles are philosophical statements that underlie the standards and resources in this Curriculum Framework. They should guide the design and evaluation of arts programs in schools. Programs guided by these principles will prepare students for colleges, careers, and their lives as productive citizens.

Guiding Principle 1:  An effective arts education enables students to become artistically literate. 

Guiding Principle 2:  An effective arts education develops students’ understanding of the concept of artistic intent. 

Guiding Principle 3:  An effective arts education fosters a coherent and rigorous progression of learning. 

Guiding Principle 4:  An effective arts education is relevant to students’ interests.

Guiding Principle 5:  An effective arts education provides students with broad and frequent access to great works of art from the past and present, across genres, time periods, and styles, and represents diverse cultures in the United States and from around the world in order to develop an appreciation for the richness of artistic expression, understand the connections between art and history, and cultivate one’s own sense of beauty.

Guiding Principle 6:  In effective arts education programs, students have the opportunity to experience different artistic roles, groupings, and uses of media. 

Guiding Principle 7:  An effective arts education makes connections with other disciplines and bodies of knowledge. 

Guiding Principle 8:  An effective arts education promotes family and community engagement.

Guiding Principle 9:  An effective arts education supports social and emotional growth. 

Guiding Principle 10:  An effective arts education program is inclusive; all students participate and benefit.