The Core Knowledge Art Program
The Core Knowledge Foundation sees the arts not as a peripheral part of the curriculum, but as an essential part of the knowledge all children should learn.
Early, noncompetitive, instruction in the arts provides students with many opportunities to sing, dance, listen to music, play act, read and write poetry, draw, paint, and make objects.
It is equally important, to expose children to fine paintings, great music, and other inspiring examples of art. As children progress in their knowledge and competencies, they will begin to learn more about the methods and terminology of the different arts, and become familiar with an ever wider range of great artists and acknowledged masterworks.
Through attaining a basic knowledge of the arts, children are not only better prepared to understand and appreciate works of art, but also to communicate their ideas, feelings, and judgments to others.
A good understanding of the arts grows out of at least three modes of knowledge:
1. Creative (i.e.: directly making artworks)
2. Historical
3. Analytical.
Early study of the arts should embrace all three modes with special emphasis on creativity and active participation.
Core Knowledge Sequence