Early Years | Curriculum
Arts
In the Primary Years Program (PYP), the arts are an integral part of the curriculum. The arts are understood to include a range of creative and expressive activities, such as music, dance, drama, visual arts, and media arts.
In a PYP school, the arts are integrated into the curriculum in a variety of ways. For example, students might:
- Engage in artistic expression: Students have opportunities to create and perform in a range of artistic media, such as music, dance, drama, and visual arts. They might create their own compositions, performances, or works of art, or they might interpret the works of others.
- Explore the elements of the arts: Students learn about the fundamental elements of the arts, such as form, line, color, and texture, and how these elements can be used to create meaning and expression.
- Analyze and interpret the arts: Students learn to analyze and interpret works of art, music, dance, and drama from different cultures and historical periods. They might also learn to reflect on their own artistic expression and the expression of others.
- Use the arts as a tool for learning: Students use the arts as a tool for learning and expression across all subject areas. For example, they might use music to learn math concepts, or they might use drama to explore social studies concepts.
The goal of the arts at ISL is to help students develop their creativity, self-expression, and appreciation for the arts. Through the arts, students learn to communicate and express themselves in new and meaningful ways, and they develop skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, and creativity.
At ISL we believe the Arts positively stimulate, inform and empower human development.
Engagement in the Arts promotes creativity, self-expression, self-discipline, problem-solving, social interaction and an understanding of the human condition. We aim to inspire all students to develop their artistic literacies in positive learning environments through exploration, application, analysis and critical reflection. We encourage a lifelong appreciation for the relevance of the Arts in our lives.
Art is an integral part of the Lower School curriculum. Within our programme Lower School students are encouraged to experiment with a variety of media, techniques and processes in order to learn skills for self-realisation through visual expression. The art program leads increasingly to an interdisciplinary study where inquiry in art is woven, when applicable, into the class Units of Learning. Our art programme aims to develop visual awareness and creative expression providing the students with an opportunity to talk and write about art in the manner of artists, art critics and art historians.
Creativity and skills development are at the heart of our programme.
Students learn to coordinate their hands and minds in explorations of the visual world as well as to evaluate the merits of their efforts. They learn to make choices that enhance communication of their ideas. Their natural inquisitiveness is promoted, also the value of perseverance. Students are further encouraged to express their sense of joy and their continued desire to learn as they make and share their works of art with others. Students from grade one to grade five attend art classes taught by specialist teachers. Art is integrated into the Early Years Program by the classroom teachers.