Science & ArtWhere are the Crossing Points?

Basic Processes Are Alike

Scientific Process Artistic Process

Requires: Requires : • Close observation• Seeing patterns• Careful lab habits• Seeking and seeing

new frames of reference

• Reflection on possibilities and results

• Close observation• Seeing patterns• Careful workmanship• Seeking and seeing

new frames of reference

• Reflection on possibilities and results

Standards and Elements Intersect

• Scientists use the creative thinking that the arts nurture• Art uses science knowledge• Examples include:

– Light & color theory– Chemistry in clay and glazes– Chemistry in paint pigment and binders

Grade 3 ExampleScience GPS: • Organisms have habitats

Art Standards/Elements:• Artwork reflecting a range of

concepts ideas, subject matter• Formal qualities of art…• Media and technique• Artist as researcher

Observational paintings of landscapes (landforms) of habitats found in Georgia; research and include appropriate plants and animals for the habitat selected; research could be done in science class prior to art class; paintings taken back to classroom to write about in science class

Grade 4 ExampleScience GPS: • Nature of Light

Art Standards:• Understands and applies

media, techniques, and processes

Watercolor Painting: transparent, translucent and opaque paint media; how watercolorists use the transparency of the medium to create tints of colors; color wheel and pigment based color theory compared and contrasted to the spectrum seen with a prism

Transparent? Translucent? Opaque? Why?

Grade 5 ExampleScience GPS: • Classify organisms

Art Standards:• Reflects on and assesses

characteristic and merits of artwork

• Critical thinking skills and perceptual awareness necessary to understand and produce art

Classify different styles of art; relate the process to scientific classification of organisms.

True Integration Keeps The Validity of Both Disciplines

But adds power to learning in both

Art validates scienceScience enhances art

How can it work?

• Pre-teaching (before)• Concurrent teaching• Reinforcement (after)

Pre-Teaching

• 4th Grade: Survival or Extinction of Organisms

• Clay Sculpture Unit: Invent, plan & sculpt a creature with all adaptive features needed to survive in selected habitat

• Take to science class to create habitat in which it will live and

• Write how each adaptive feature helps creature survive

Concurrent Teaching• 5th Grade Science:

Physical and chemical changes

• Clay Unit: stages of clay• Plastic – malleable• Bone Dry – physical change

– water evaporated – dissolves in water – can reprocess to plastic

• Fired – chemical change– will not dissolve in water– permanent chemical change

• In art or science do an experiment with bone dry and bisqued clay to observe the above – write up in “experiment form”

Concurrent Teaching

• 4th Grade Science: weather patterns and measurement; severe weather research paper

• Computer Art Unit: create computer art image, based on research, as cover for severe weather report

Place appropriately altered self-portrait into severe weather event

Severe Weather / Computer Art Units

Reinforcement

• 3rd Grade: Rocks and Soils • Art: Natural Pigment Paintings• Minerals as pigments in paint and other art materials• Show minerals and other pigment in natural form, as

pigment, as paint

Natural Pigments From Rocks & Minerals

How to make it happen?

• Classroom and art teacher review science GPS and Art QCC or local art curriculum

• Identify natural crossing points • Look at year-long pacing/units and plan for pre-

teaching, concurrent teaching or reinforcement of • Art in science and • Science in art• Identify common vocabulary and non-common but

related vocabulary to stress in both classes

Why do it?

• Motivated Learners

• Personal Meaning

• Deep, lasting learning

Prepared by:

Denise JenningsCoordinator of Art & Drama Education

Fulton County Schoolsjennings@fultonschools.org

With thanks to:

Fulton County Art Teachers Marylou Andrews

Kacey Ciprari-MurphyStephanie Menke

Nancy Reed