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Show iris Seen As Necessary To Valued Life By Norman Rombercjer East Elementary School Since the Sputnik was hurled into space many Americans have become very much aware of what is offered in the school curriculum. curricu-lum. Many, have become so excited excit-ed that they are advocates of eleminating the so called frills and trivial subjects such as the arts from our schools. Before any action is taken to change our school system we had better do some serious thinking as to Just what are the true values of our society. Do the arts really help to mold our children into betrer citizens, citizens who are not only socially better adjusted but who are better scientists, mathematicians, mathema-ticians, and deep-thinkers? Art has a very Important place in this molding process for these reasons: 1. Art is an excellent release for built-up emotional tensions. (If used in the right way.) Learning Learn-ing cannot take place if a child, or adult, is so full of tension that there is no room for anything else. 2. Children learn better in a pleasant atmosphere. What better bet-ter way of creating this learning environment is there than by skillful use of the arts? 3. Learning skill and basic art concepts in the elementary school may lead to a profitable career, useful hobby or pastime to be used in spare momements or after af-ter retirement. When americans are talking of a shorter work week with more leisure time, what better way of enjoying oneself and also being creative than working with art? 4. Art is a very valuable learning learn-ing aid, when used In correlation with other subject areas. If the preceeding reasons are not justifiable to include art in the curriculum then certainly using us-ing it in correlation with other activities to aid the child's understanding under-standing of important concepts1 in areas such as history and arithmetic should be reason enough to place it on our teaching teach-ing agenda. The first step in any correlated art project is basic planning. A decision must be made as to what the best subject would be, what media will be the best to use, how much time will be spent, what each child or committee com-mittee is expected to do and how materials will be distributed, used, and collected. Preliminary sketches by the teacher, individual individ-ual students or groups are often very useful. If the media or techniques tech-niques are new to the children, special work periods should be set up to acquaint them with these new experiences. Housekeeping House-keeping duties on how to keep clean and replace materials that have been used, should be planned plan-ned with the children. The culminating e.erience i an evaluation: 1. To compare finished work with original plans as to theme or important ideas. 2. Of working habits, prwe-dure, prwe-dure, and cooperation. 3. Of artistic qualities as to color, design, those aspects best liked and those to be improved. 4. Of the teacher as to the effectiveness ef-fectiveness of the activity in regard re-gard to educational and personal growth for the children. Art in your elementary school is not Just a period to take up time and space and is not purely for enjoyment. It should be a well pla ined, correlated activity, designed to help release emotional emotion-al tension; create a useful pastime, pas-time, help make a pleasant working work-ing environment , teach skills, techniques and fundamental con-icepts con-icepts of art; and to clench concepts con-cepts in other subject areas. |