The course is also intended to allow a broad range of possible focuses within any of the fine arts disciplines or combination of the them. Examples of several possible focuses are elaborated in the Content Models section of this Integrated Resource Package (IRP).
Nature of Fine Arts
Central to our humanity is the capacity to feel, to think, and to express. The fine arts cultivate the student's potential to feel more intensely, think more profoundly, and express more originally. Through education in dance, drama, music, and the visual arts, students become more complete as individuals. Through their own experiences in the fine arts students learn ways to celebrate our collective human experience.
Graduation Requirements
To satisfy the requirement for two credits of fine arts, students must select one of the following options in grade 11 or 12:
Curriculum organizers are used to categorize the learning outcomes for Fine Arts 11, and to give teachers a conceptual framework for organizing course content. The curriculum organizers for Fine Arts 11 are:
Elements and Principles
Each of the fine arts disciplines has a set of elements and principles with which it is associated. The following is a list of elements and principles which should be addressed in this course, depending on which discipline or combination of disciplines is chosen. An in-depth definition of each i listed as Appendix G:
Elements and principles of Dance:
Personal, Social, Cultural, and Historical Contexts
All works of art are created and experienced in unique social, cultural, and historical contexts. These contexts both affect and are affected by artists, their work and their audiences. Understanding these relationships is essential to appreciating both works of art and the societies or culture in which they are created. The study of these relationships is an essential part of this course.
Expressing Our Humanity
The fine arts reflect a human need to understand our world. The fine arts are used to express and communicate experiences, thoughts and feelings and to design objects and events which meet personal and social needs. In this course students will reflect on and respond to these aspects of the function of the fine arts.
For each of the above curriculum organizers, Creating/Performing/Communicating, and Perceiving/Responding/Reflecting are represented as categories under which the prescribed learning outcomes are listed. Creating/Performing/Communicating, and Perceiving/Responding/Reflecting describe ways in which we experience and learn about the fine arts. These ways of experiencing the fine arts are considered to be of equal importance and essential to this course curriculum.
Creating/Performing/Communicating
Fine arts involve creating, performing, and communicating through images, sound, movement, and language. Creating is a personally or culturally meaningful act involving images, sounds, movement and/or language. Communication through the fine arts disciplines is a powerful means of expressing ideas and emotions to satisfy a range of personal and social needs. Presenting and sharing is an important part of communication.
Perceiving/Responding/Reflecting
Fine arts involve perceiving, reflecting on and responding to images, sound, movement, and language. Perceiving involves exploring the world through the senses. Reflecting on, and responding to, involves observing, listening, describing, analysing, interpreting, and evaluating the arts. Perceiving, responding to, and reflecting on are personal and social activities which develop sensory awareness and aesthetic appreciation. An informed and sensitive response takes into account the contexts of the artist, the student as artist, and audience and may involve self evaluation.
Creating/Performing/Communicating and Perceiving/Responding/Reflecting are interrelated processes for experiencing the fine arts. By engaging in both, students become more aware of the artistic process and experience their own creative potential.
Learning Outcomes
Elements and Principles:
Creating/Performing/Communicating
It is expected that the student will:
It is expected that the student will:
It is expected that the student will:
It is expected that the student will:
It is expected that the student will:
It is expected that the student will:
The Content Models section is designed to help teachers implement the prescribed learning outcomes. Models are provided for each curriculum area. As well, two models that integrate all four arts disciplines are provided. The models can be delivered as presented, or they can be used as examples of how teachers may design their own content. An overview and descrption of each model is found in Appendix I.
Each model is presented in a three-page format. The first page is an overview and description of the model. This is followed by two pages that represent an example of possible content for meeting the outcomes of the course. The two pages include Prescribed Learning Outcomes, Suggested Instructional Strategies, Suggested Assessment Strategies, and Provincial Recommended Learning Resources. Prescribed Learning Outcomes are listed in their entirety in each model. The remaining three columns are not prescribed or required. Suggested Instructional Strategies includes teaching techniques, activities, and methods that can be used to meet diverse student needs when implementing the prescribed curriculum. Assessment Strategies include specific methods and tools for gathering information about student learning, along with suggested criteria to assist in the assessment process.
Definition of Learning Resources
Learning resources are defined as information, represented and stored in a variety of media and formats, that assists student learning as defined by provincial or local curricula. This includes but is not limited to, materials in print, video, and software formats, as well as combinations of these formats intended for use by teachers and students.
Rationale for Learning Resource Evaluation
The Ministry promotes the establishment of a resource-rich learning environment through the selection of a wide variety of educationally appropriate materials to meet the needs of all learners and to satisfy various teaching styles. Resources are selected to support provincial programs and curricula through an evaluation process carried out using an ÒexpertÓ model, that is, using practising master teachers as evaluators. It is expected that teachers will select resources chosen from those items that meet the selected criteria and that suit their particular pedagogical needs and audiences.
All usage of materials involves the teacher as mediator and facilitator of learning. However, students may be expected to have some choice in materials for specific purposes such as independent reading or research. It is expected that multiple resources will be utilized to support learning outcomes at any particular level. A multimedia approach integrating materials from different packages and media is encouraged.
A number of selected resources support cross-curricular integration by enabling various approaches to content or the inclusion of a variety of different types of content. The Ministry includes special needs audiences in the evaluation and annotation of learning resources. As well, special format versions of some selected resources (Braille and taped-book formats) are available.
Status of Learning Resources
Learning resources fall into one of three categories:
Recommended Materials
Materials evaluated through a formal evaluation process, approved through Minister's Order, and purchased using targeted learning resource funds. These resources are listed in the print and CD-ROM versions of the Catalogue of Learning Resources.
Authorized Materials
Materials selected prior to 1989 by curriculum committees and purchased through the Credit Allocation Plan. These resources are listed in the print and CD-ROM versions of the Catalogue of Learning Resources.
Locally Selected Materials
Materials evaluated through local (district/school) evaluation processes and approved for use according to district policy.
All learning resources used in schools must either have recommended or authorized designation or be approved through district evaluation and approval policies. Recommended learning resources for this curriculum will be evaluated and added to the Catalogue of Learning Resources in the upcoming school year.
Local Resource Evaluation As previously indicated, districts that choose to evaluate materials locally for school use must have in place a district evaluation policy in accordance with section 182 (2) (e) of the School Act as outlined in Minister's Order #143. Users at the local level may select provincially authorized or recommended resources, or they may choose resources that are not on the Ministry's list. There is also the option to develop materials at the local level to support provincial or locally developed curricula.
Resource Selection
Currently, all authorized or recommended materials are listed in the Catalogue of Learning Resources, published periodically by the Ministry. The same information is available in a CD-ROM catalogue, which also includes an efficient search capability. This enables the rapid identification of resources that meet particular users' needs. Although the main purpose is to help teachers select classroom resources, it can also be useful for the ordering and management of resources. Both English and French discs are available in both Macintosh or MS-DOS format.
Teachers are reminded that all recommended and authorized learning resources may be used at the discretion of the teachers. A keyword search in the CD-ROM version of the Catalogue of Learning Resources can be used to find relevant resources.
Province of British Columbia
Ministry of Education
Curriculum Branch
© 1995 Copyright
Maintained by: Fine Arts Coordinator
Revised: April 1995
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