Welcome to Art! Hi, my name is Ms. Betsy, and I am in my sixth year as Visual Arts Specialist at J.J. Hill Montessori School.  I believe that art is for everyone, and use a Discipline Based Art Education approach to support this.  Students not only make art, but also study art history, art criticism, and aesthetics using inquiry as a driving force.  Art is an experience of higher order thinking.  The art classroom is a prepared environment where students do both teacher directed activities and autonomous learning reflecting the teaching approach of the Montessori classroom.  Many adults believe that “art” is not for them, and I work daily to combat this thinking by helping my students become life-long learners in and through the arts.   Descriptive Review is an analysis tool we use regularly to support and validate visual thinking and learning not only about art, but any number of other subjects.  The steps…Describe without judgment, What questions does it raise?, and Speculate (meaning or intent).  A secondary analysis tool we are using this year is Visual Thinking Strategies, commonly referred to as VTS.  When using this protocol students move quickly to "What is going on in this artwork."  Students gain confidence in talking in front of their peers while gaining understanding through the use of multiple perspectives.  Other focuses…learning to see like an artist, the Elements and Principles of Design, drawing using the basic shapes, using books as idea builders and resources, cultural studies from around the world, and creating an environment of peace, love, and respect.   Inspiration is all around us! Ms. Betsy Further information on Descriptive Review can be found at the following website: http://opd.mpls.k12.mn.us/Descriptive_Review2.html Please contact me at Elisabeth.Wright@spps.org with any questions or concerns. More information and images will be added soon.  Thanks!

Image Gallery: Masks! by Elementary 1 Students

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Image Gallery: Elementary 2: Expressive Self-Portraits
Student photographers: Xavier and Samantha
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