Welcome to the Art Room

I am Ms. Heidi Thompson, the Art teacher, and I am excited to connect with and teach your child/children this year. My approach to art is filled with fun, creativity, and a lot of art production! We do get messy in here, so please have your child/children dress accordingly.    

We are very fortunate to have the arts programs that we have in this district! Don't forget to come and see the vast array of musical and artistic talent we have at our yearly Fine Arts Festival.

About Ms. Thompson

Teaching art is a second career for me. I earned my master's degree from Concordia University and my special education degree from Lewis University. Before that, I graduated from Drexel University in Philadelphia and was an interior designer there. I truly enjoy working with students and helping them learn to express themselves in unique ways using their talents. I have been working in this school district since 2001, and both of my children graduated from our district high schools, one from Waubonsie and one from Metea. In my free time, I enjoy, cooking, biking, reading, fishing, and gardening with my son and daughter.

The Art Curriculum

We will be starting the year off with a review of the art elements of: line, shape, color, form, texture, value, and space. Throughout the year, many projects will be focused on giving children experiences with each of the above art elements. Upper grade levels also focus on art principles, such as: pattern, movement, balance, emphasis, unity, and movement. 

 After this, each grade level will work on our annual projects. This year’s focus is cultures and celebrations. Each grade focuses on a different aspect of a culture’s rituals, traditions, and art so that all students can be exposed to a variety of styles and concepts from different cultures as they observe each other’s art displayed in our hallways. Please ask your child/children what we discussed in class about their artwork. 

Art history is also a large component of our curriculum. Each grade level focuses on learning about the lives and work of historical as well as some contemporary artists. This year, each grade will be learning about the following artists: 

Kindergarten: Vincent Van Gogh, Eric Carle, Joan Miro, Jim Dine, Dr. Seuss

1st Grade: Norman Rockwell, Claude Monet, Salvador Dali, Paul Klee, Piet Mondrian

2nd Grade: Henri Matisse, Gustav Klimt, Faith Ringgold, Henri Rousseau, Vincent Van Gogh, Andy Warhol

3rd Grade: Wassily Kandinsky, Jackson Pollock, Jim Dine, Pablo Picasso, George Rodrigue, Dale Chihuly

4th Grade: Diego Rivera, Heather Galler, Edgar Degas, Alexander Calder, Mary Cassatt, Louis Tiffany

5th Grade: Dale Chihuly, Chuck Close, Diego Rivera, Salvador Dali, Roy Lichtenstein, Georgia O’Keeffe, Friedrich Hundertwasser

We also keep our curriculum lively by incorporating inspiration from literature and art careers for our art. Many of our projects are inspired from picture books, especially with our younger students. Also, all grades have projects that connect to art career choices such as: Graphic Design, Architecture, Film Production, Fine Art, Art Education, Fashion Design, Entertainment Design, Photography, Industrial Design, Interior Design, and Art Museum Director. 

Finally, we try to have each grade level gain experience in a variety of materials and genres. Some genre choices include: portraits, landscapes, cityscapes, architecture, cartoons, realism, abstraction, sculpture, 3D design, and figure drawing. 

Classroom Expectations

In art we have three main expectations for all students:

• Listening/Following Directions
• Respect
• Work Quietly

-Heidi Thompson