Art Literacy

We want to bring art lessons to your home during this difficult time.

Please click on the links below to see Art Literacy's new program, "Artists Teaching Students."

Through a slide deck, our students learn about different local artists, their art, how they create their work, their studios, childhoods, and how to become an artist.

All of the lessons are in our elementary and middle schools, adjusted for different grade levels. All of the lessons are also in audio read-along so all of our students can participate. They can learn about our artists as if they're being read a story!

We have painters, sculptors, children's book authors and illustrators, ceramicists, encaustic artists, a mouse designer, a bamboo artist, and even a monster maker. (The monsters aren't too scary, we promise!) 

We hope you, and your children, enjoy and learn from these lessons.

THANK YOU to Oregon artists Karen Carman, Janel Pahl, Yong Hong Zhong, Nancy Coffelt, Maggie Rudy, Terresa White, Veronica Arquilevich Guzman, James DeRosso, Charissa Brock, Margaret Godfrey, Tierney Davis Hogan, and Kim Nickens for volunteering to bring art to Beaverton School District's students. We appreciate you! 

 

Beaverton Art Literacy

The Beaverton School District is home to an exceptional, volunteer-staffed elementary and middle school art education program called Art Literacy. About 1,600 volunteers currently participate in Art Literacy in 48 Beaverton elementary and middle schools.

Art Literacy lessons are presented six times a year at the elementary level, from October to June, and three times a year at the middle schools, during regular school hours. 

If you are a Community Volunteer, you are assigned a classroom at a school where there is a need. You may present the lessons/art projects to the students, or choose to act as an assistant to the presenter.

This is an opportunity for those who enjoy working with students in a teacher-like role. The classroom teacher remains with the class, but you are presenting or assisting with the lesson.

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NO ART BACKGROUND IS REQUIRED AND ALL MATERIALS ARE PROVIDED.

Art Literacy volunteers need to attend a training meeting before each classroom presentation. The times and days for these are different at each school

At the training, volunteers receive a copy of the lesson they will be teaching. The Art Literacy coordinator will present the lesson/artist overview, the focus of the lesson, and then will teach the lesson as if in a classroom setting. The art project the students will be completing is demonstrated and explained. You, too, will complete the art project, so you will know how to best teach the students.  All of the art supplies are provided by each school program.

Classroom assignments for volunteers are made at the beginning of the school year, and the presentations are scheduled with the teacher, by you or the coordinator, to take place during regular school hours.

The artists that are presented during the year are pre-selected according to a district-wide rotation that includes a painting, non-painting, 20th century artist, woman, minority or regional artist, as well as introducing art from another culture. 

The program’s elementary curriculum is based on 72 artists and the middle schools' curriculum has over 40 artists.

The students study European masters, renowned American artists, some living and local artists, and cultural arts. For example, Marc Chagall, Bev Doolittle, Dale Chihuly, Claude Monet, Beatrix Potter, Grandma Moses, Faith Ringgold, Mary Cassatt, Deborah Butterfield, Rembrandt, Frank Lloyd Wright, the Canadian Inuit, Ancient Greece, and Korea, are all part of the curriculum. 

You can see the rotations and a schedule of the artists month by month by looking at the Box Rotation section on this website.

Each year the rotation adjusts to bring a new set of artist lessons to the students.

Generally, each classroom lesson and art project takes a little over an hour. Total time commitment for each lesson is about three and a half hours, which includes training, classroom time, preparation and clean up. 

Teaching Art Literacy is an extremely rewarding volunteer opportunity for both the volunteer and the students.

If you would like more information about volunteering for the Art Literacy program in the Beaverton School District, please contact Ann Peplinski at Ann_Peplinski@beaverton.k12.or.us. Thank you for volunteering in Beaverton Schools!

The Beaverton School District requires ALL volunteers to fill out and pass an online background check. Volunteers will also need to create a Volunteer Profile Account for signing in prior to volunteering in any school. Click on this link for more information... https://www.beaverton.k12.or.us/departments/communications-community-involvement/volunteer

 

Art Literacy Volunteer Coordinator

Job Description

The Art Literacy Coordinator (or team) at each school site is responsible for:

1.     Copying the Art Literacy lesson, Production, and Take-Home information for the volunteers for each artist/culture presentation, and buying all necessary art supplies for the lesson.

2.     Studying and presenting each lesson and art production to the volunteers during training meetings throughout the year. Meeting times and number are to be determined by the coordinator(s) on a site by site basis. Follow up with volunteers who do not attend the training meetings.

3.     Recruiting classroom volunteers, often in conjunction with the school Volunteer Coordinator, through Back To School Info, PTC meetings, school website, principal newsletters, etc.

4.     Maintaining a master calendar for equipment check out and volunteer training meetings.Checking each month that all classes are scheduled (by you or by your volunteers in communication with the teachers) and following up with volunteers who are not scheduling or showing up to teach their lesson.

5.     Maintaining a Roster of the Art Literacy volunteers at your school and confirming they have completed the district application/background check. Establish a volunteer sign in account.

6.     Inventorying and exchanging the artist box materials with the schools in your assigned block, according to the monthly schedule.

7.     Attending three district coordinator meetings a year. One each in September, January and May.

8.     Communicating with the principal, teachers, school Volunteer Coordinator, parents and PTO groups as needed regarding scheduling, yearly funding and equipment needs.

9.    Communicating with the two Art Literacy Volunteer Coordinators employed by the school district.

10.  Displaying an Art Lit bulletin board in conjunction with each artist presentation. Make a project board for each Artist Box to explain, step by step, the production, if possible.

11.  Thanking your volunteers. (And THANK YOU for all your time and efforts. The students at your school are lucky to have you.)

All of the lesson materials are supplied for each school including a PowerPoint presentation, lesson plans (K-2, 3-5 & middle school versions), bulletin board materials, production samples, artist biographical information, books, a laptop and a projector as needed.

Each site-based parent group (PTO, PTC, PTM) provides funds for the purchase of the art production supplies used by the students.

Any questions? Please email Ann_Peplinski@beaverton.k12.or.us.