On the Art Home Page, you will find:

Gates Art Teachers
Art Department Mission Statement
Art Objectives for the Current Grading Period
Current Art Lessons
Web Links

GATES ART TEACHERS

Mrs. Betty S. Blackburn

Mrs. Blackburn studied Art Education at Virginia Commonwealth University and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Education in 1987. In August of that year she was hired by Chesterfield County and taught Art II and Photography I at Clover Hill High School. The following year, she came to teach art to K-5 and Exceptional Education students at O. B. Gates Elementary School. Gates has been her professional home for 20 years, and she feels that the opportunity to teach young children each day is a privilege and a joy. She says that one of the great things about being a teacher on the team of resource specialists is that one has the chance to know and watch every student in our school grow and develop over a long period of time - from Preschool or Kindergarten to Fifth Grade age - and that this experience is a treasure!

Mrs. Kimberly E. Ellington

ART DEPARTMENT MISSION STATEMENT

Art is a universal language, a form of communication that is a reflection of our world throughout history. As art teachers at O. B. Gates Elementary School, our goal is to provide a positive atmosphere in which each child is able to learn about the elements, principles, tools, history, and aesthetics of art. We teach the basic artistic and life skills of seeing and observing, imagining, problem-solving, and critical thinking through lessons designed to fit the diverse developmental needs of our students. We teach all children to value and respect themselves, each other, and the individual creative abilities that exist in every person. Art is an essential part of our world, and it touches almost every aspect of our lives. It is our goal to help our students develop a lifelong participation in and appreciation of the visual arts!

ART OBJECTIVES

Third Nine Week Grading Period 2008-2009

Mrs. Blackburn's classes

K Core values (Using good manners and "silent signals"),

1^st Core values (TEAMWORK model),

2^ndCore values (TEAMWORK model),

3^rd Core values (TEAMWORK model),

4^th Core values (TEAMWORK model),

5^th Core values (TEAMWORK model),

Execeptional Ed. Takings turns, sharing/passing materials, holding/ tracing w/crayon, hold/turn/squeeze from glue bottle, pat down artwork in place, color and shape recognition, object recognition in artwork: snow/snowflake, heart shape

CURRENT ART LESSONS

Mrs. Blackburn's students are currently in the process of creating...

Kindergarten - Cityscape Collage

Grade 1 - Winter Tree (landscape painting)

Grade 2 - Chinatown Kites

Grade 3 - Bookmaking

Grade 4 - Weaving (textile art - yarn)

Grade 5 - Middle-Eastern Carpet Designs

Exceptional Ed.:

Early Childhood (Preschool) - Valentine Hearts

Severe Disabilities (SD) - Valentine Hearts

Intensive Day Program (IDP - Mrs. Duffy's Class) - Greek Architecture (drawing and painting)