Course Syllabus
Art
Carolee Wright ·Room 101· cwright@dsdmail.net · (801) 402-6600 · Attendance office (801) 402-6605
Dear Student,
I am here for you; I respect and care about you the way you are. I think where you come from makes you interesting and unique. You are important to me, I see you as beautiful, creative, and intelligent. I expect great things from you. You have a place in my world. I am here to help you succeed; I will endeavor to help you become the best person you can become. Your success is my success, so I will fight for you. You are the reason I am here.
Welcome to art. This is a class where you will learn about the art elements and principles. This class should be challenging and fun. Do not expect an "easy" A grade. This class is a lot of work. I will let you rework any assignment till you get full credit. Most students that take me up on redoing and fixing the assignment get a better grade the second time.
Thoughts about the arts: I think the arts are a critical part of a student’s education. Art teaches critical thinking skills. It is a place where students can express themselves. It is a place where students can look at the artists of the past and present and better understand our shared history. This class is a place to develop communications skills. A drawing can communicate things words never will. It is a place where interest can develop into a passion for some students. I have found that when a student is passionate about one area of school, it carries over into the other classes as well. I hope this is an exceptionally good year for all of us.
Materials and cost: Art material fee: $5.00. It is important that the material fee is paid. This is the only money that the art department gets for supplies. It can be paid in the office at any time. It will be put in the computer after students stop switching schedules. It can also be paid online. I will E-mail parents at that time.
Please bring to class the following: A wooden #2 pencil. (Mechanical pencils are hard to shade with.)
The following are optional things to use at home: A good sketchbook is highly suggested, colored pencils like Crayola or better, fine tip markers, ruler, scissors, watercolor paints of red yellow and blue, small or medium size brush with natural fibers, drawing pencils 4H and 6B, and kneaded eraser. Please contact me if you have trouble finding any of these at a reasonable price.
Contacting me: Don’t be afraid to ask questions. If at any time you don’t understand what to do, please ask immediately. Several other students probably have the same question. Asking questions tells me that you are paying attention and want to learn. I truly enjoy helping students succeed. I like talking with students and parents. Please don’t ask personal questions while I am instructing. If you have a question about grades, or any other non-urgent personal matter, please contact me between classes, on Wednesday, before or after school. I can be contacted through Canvas or with the contact material at the top of the page.
Citizenship: I believe good citizenship starts with a positive and respectful attitude. I believe in following all school policies and rules. Gaming and food are not allowed in the classroom. Students should be in their seat and drawing when the bell rings.
Each student starts the term with an H for his/her citizenship. Citizenship will be dropped for each instance of disrupting class, non-approved electronic device usage, bringing food to class. Citizenship grade can be raised with good behavior, please contact me for how.
An automatic “U” will be given for the following: roughhousing, cheating, hurting another student, stealing, deliberately damaging property, or any other Illegal or grossly inappropriate behavior. A “U” can only be made up after a student conference with the teacher. In my class H means worked hard and contributed to class. G means made at least one mistake but mostly very good. S means disrupted class several times, but mostly OK. N means you still have work in learning how to behave in a class and it is starting to impact other students learning. U means unacceptable behavior.
Tardy Policy: Students need to attend class regularly and on time to help ensure students gain essential skills and knowledge are acquired as they prepare for career and civic responsibilities. It is our goal to help students be in their classes as much as possible. When getting to class on time becomes an issue, students will collaborate with counselors and administrators to resolve issues.
- 1st Offense- Student Warning
- 2nd Offense- One-on-one conversation with the teacher and expectations retaught.
- 3rd Offense- Teacher phone call home and a counselor referral
- 4th Offense- Referral to the office and a signed attendance contract
- 5th Offense- Referral to the office and lunch detention
- 6th Offense- Referral to the office and spending the rest of the day in ISS
Grading: Grades will be mastery based
4- Understands at a high level and can apply learning. Completes the assignment in a very neat or creative way. A=4=100% A- 3.7=90%
3- Understands the work and does enough to show that learning objectives are achieved. B=3=83% B+=3.3=87% B-=2.7=80%
2- Starts to understand, can do the work with support. C=2=73% C+=2.3=77% C--=1.7=70%
1- Tries but doesn’t understand the assignment well yet or doesn’t complete enough for teacher gage much understanding. D=1=63% D+=1.33=67% D-=.07= 60%
0- Little or no evidence of learning. F=0=0%
All assignments and tests should be turned in by the end of the period whether finished or not. Turn assignments directly to the teacher or follow her instructions on where to turn them in. Students have the option to redo any assignment they did not receive full credit on after the first grading. Extra credit does not show mastery, so it will not be given. We will use the school wide grading scale: All scores will be averaged, and a final grade assessed.
A = 94-100 B- = 80-82 D+ = 67-69
A- = 90-93 C+ = 77-79 D = 63-66
B+ = 87-89 C = 73-76 D- = 60-62
B = 83-86 C- = 70-72 F = 0-59
Make-Up/Late Work: You are responsible to make up the work if you are absent. Please look on Canvas to make up the work. If you are hospitalized, or have some other long-term absence, please check with me before you try to make up the work.
- Students will be RESPECTFUL! I expect respect and students can expect the same from me. I expect you to be considerate to the rights and property of others. Rude or disruptive behavior will not be tolerated. Pay attention and participate in class, and don’t talk while others are talking. I do NOT allow swearing, yelling, or sleeping in my class- your citizenship will drop if you do.
- Cheating will result in a “U” for the term and loss of all points on the assignment or test (this includes plagiarism).
- Cell Phones/iPods: Cell phones, etc. should be turned off and be out of sight during class. Students may not text or call during class. The first time the cell phone is used in class it
will be confiscated and returned at the end of class. The second time it will be taken to the office. - Students will follow the school dress code.
Davis School District is committed to providing educational and employment opportunities to students without regard to race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin or disability in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title XI of the Educational Amendment of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Art Skill As an artist, I draw from looking at objects almost every day. If I do not, I start to lose the skills I have developed. I must continually train my eye to see things accurately. Just like learning an instrument or a sport, if you don’t practice, you will lose skills, and not progress.
I know that every student can be successful in this class, provided they come to class and put in the time and effort. Art skills can be learned; they are not just based on talent. I look forward to getting to know you, and seeing the thoughtful art you produce. I look forward to working with you this year!
Below is a video on how to use canvas for this course. Listen to it if you have not used canvas before or if you want to see how I organize my files. This was made more than a year ago so the dates are not accurate in the video.