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Being Artistic with Atkison



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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions: This page contains answers to common questions 
of students and parents.
  1. What is my child's homework?
  2. How do you judge the students work for grades?
  3. Is there art club being offered to the students?
  4. What is needed to be prepared for art class?
  5. How can I get a hold of the art teacher?
  6. Is there a way my student can improve their grades?
  7. What is taught in the art class room?
  8. When will the parents get their child's art work?
  9. My child did not get into art club is it still possible for them?
  10. What is that new page you added to your website?(Adopt a classroom)



What is my child's homework?

Your child recieves their homework assignment each week during 
their art 
class time and the end of the period. If your child does not 
remember what 
their homework was have them draw a free-drawing. You can also 
check in the 
homework page and see what has been assigned for homework that 
week. I will 
be updating the homework page weekly for the parents to see what 
their child 
is being assigned for the week
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How do you judge the students work for grades?

Art is a very subjective topic and I don't believe it is fair to 
grade a student on how pretty is the picture.  I have set up 
requirements for each step of a lesson that is being taught to 
the student and look for these goals from the 
student. As a teacher I grade the student by how well did the 
student follow directions on the assignment, how much of the 
assignment did the student finish, how well they use the 
materials given, and the ability to grow beyond the basic 
directions.
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Is there art club being offered to the students?

Art club is being offered to students in the 4th and 5th grades 
only.  At 
the beginning of the school year we test the students who want to 
try out.  
From there Miss Atkison and Mr. Diaz select the club members.  
Students can 
get into art club by invitation after if a student from the 
original list 
drops out of art club.  There are only 20 to 25 art club members 
a year.
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What is needed to be prepared for art class?

Your child will need one pocket folder, a pencil, and a good 
eraser.  We 
create a homework sketchbook The second week of classes which 
your child 
will need to do their homework in.  If lost they will need to 
replace the 
book by either making one or buying one. The teacher does supply 
the 
students with the materials they need for that class day.
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How can I get a hold of the art teacher?

I do recieve messages from the office and return phone calls when 
I have 
time.  This is usually after 3:00 since I am teaching classes 
most of the 
time. If you leave a message with the office please remember to 
include a 
phone number which I can reach you at around this time. I also 
check my 
email regularly.  The address is KAtkison@dadeschools.net,(please 
check the 
spelling of the address carefully) please give me time to respond 
to any 
messages or notes from you.  I will try to return the messages or 
notes as 
soon as I am able.
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Is there a way my student can improve their grades?

The most important thing to help your child get better grades is 
first make 
sure they have handed in their homework on time.  Your child will 
be 
assigned a page to draw in their sketchbook every week.  If your 
child is  
late or does not hand in their homework it can hurt their 
grades.  It is 
important that in class that students will need to show that they 
are 
working to finishing their assigned work. Also care and handling 
of 
materials is taught in class.  If a student wishes they can earn 
extra points by working on the word search puzzles found on the 
website.  I 
accept two puzzle for extra credits to help in the homework 
grades every 
grading period. A total of 8 puzzles can be done in a school 
year. Also 
students can earn an extra class grade by successfully completing 
the 
webquest also found on the website. They will need to show that 
they have 
completed the work by handing in the paper to the teacher to get 
the 
credits.  The webquest is an activity that can be enjoyed by the 
family and 
helps people understand that art has a lot of interesting aspects 
and 
styles. There is also a  page on the website called the artist 
challenge.  
You need to find 7 facts about the artist of the month and write 
a paragraph 
about the artists. Your child can do 2 extra papers per grading 
period for extra credit.
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What is taught in the art class room?

Students in art learn not only how to create art on their own but 
also 
a lot of history and how art has played a role in our life.  
Artists often 
times paint pictures that are a reflection of that time period.  
Art was our 
first form of comunication with the paintings by cave men on 
walls.  It is 
also our first form of writing in a language.  Art has developed 
into 
records of history and even stories that we can learn about 
today.  In class 
students learn about the history of time and how art is reflected 
by that 
time, about the artist who painted the pictures, and how they can 
use a 
variety of materials to create a painting or an original piece of 
art work. 
I try to teach students a variety of different techniques and 
show they 
different styles of art so they can learn to use their own 
imagination in 
creating new and exciting forms of art.
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When will the parents get their child's art work?

In the first week of class students create a portfolio that will 
store their 
art work for that school year.  They are responsible for caring 
of their 
folder and work.  During the year Ms. Atkison has several shows 
and contests 
that occur which she might select a piece of work that your child 
has done 
to enter in the contest or show. Invitations and information 
about these 
shows and contests are relayed to the parent when the teacher 
finds out if 
they did well or if they might have won.  Since Ms. Atkison might 
have need 
of your child's work at different times of the year, the art work 
remains in 
your child's portfolio in the art class.  At the end of the 
school year the 
portfolio with all of the work your child has done for that year 
will be 
sent home.
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My child did not get into art club is it still possible for them?

Yes it is still possible for your child to get into art club.  We 
have 
completed the first list of students that earned the positions 
through a 
test that is given equally to all the students who want to try 
out.  If a 
student either does not want to continue in or is dropped from 
art club then 
we pull up students from the alternate list that will be 
mantained and 
updated by both Mr. Diaz and Ms. Atkison.  We often find students 
during our 
classes that we would like to see in art club.  They are then 
added to the 
alternate list and can be invited later in the school year to art 
club.  
Sometime we use a lot of the alternates and sometimes few but 
during the 
school year we do find that we add new members along the way.
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What is that new page you added to your website?(Adopt a classroom)

This is a wonderful program that is offered to the teachers to 
register 
for.  We often times spend a lot of our own money so we can make 
our lessons 
more interesting.  This site allows individuals who are 
interested in 
supporting a teacher a chance to donate money to the classroom.  
The 
teachers who get adopted are allowed to shop for a variety of 
materials from 
several vendors and place an order for the amount of money that 
is donated.  
Teachers do not touch any of the actual cash involved but receive 
credit to 
spend through adopt a classroom which then pays the vendors.  All 
of the 
money you donate to the teacher is given to the teacher and not 
used in any 
other way.  Also, the money you do donate is tax deductable for 
you.  This 
is a wonderful chance to assist the teacher is enhancing their 
lessons. 
Please take some time and visit the site and read more about this 
program.  
ANY teacher you decide to adopt would appreciate any gesture you 
can make 
since it will be for the students they teach.
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Last Modified: Monday, May 18, 2009
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