EDU

543 VAPA Frameworks Reading Assignments

Use this table to complete your reading assignments. Work with a group of 3-5 colleagues and divide the chapters 1-7.
The rest each person must do. Then share the work and each person will compile your own set of notes.
Chapter 1
Chapter 1: 10 Guiding
Principles of the VAPA
Framework (p. 2)
List each principle in brief
terms.
1. Support of Ed Code
requiring instr. In the arts
2. Use of VAPA content
standards adopted by SBE
as basis of Curriculum
3. Definition of Arts
Program

4. Promotion of alignment
of standards based
curriculum
5. View of assessment of
student work.
6. Expansion of Technology
in the arts
7. Inclusion of all learners.
8. View of Culture
9. Arts role in society
10. Usefulness to teachers
etc.

Planning/administering
VAPA

This section outlines 51210 and 51220 which specify that the required adopted course
of study used by schools for grades one 12 must include visual and performing arts.
However these do not state the number of minutes of instruction required.
This section discusses the standards that serve as curriculum guideposts for teachers
and provide clear-cut curriculum goals. These goals would include the study, practice,
creation, or performance of works of art.
Students are expected to master the standards of an arts discipline within the following
groups.
a. artistic perception
b. Creative expression
c. Historical and cultural context
d. Aesthetic valuing
e. Connections, relationships, and applications.
Instruction throughout the grade levels will provide comprehensive, coherent structure
for visual and performing arts that will prepare students to meet new visual and
performing arts requirements for freshman admin to the Cal State and UC systems.
The use of portfolios, projects, exhibitions, and reflections as inherent assessments of
student work which provides teachers with information for improving instruction and
curriculum.
This portion of the framework uses the term New Media and Electronic Technology to
include traditional photography and film along with developments in computer
technology and electronic, audio, and digital forms of media.
Using arts instruction to provide avenues in which each student can work at a
personalized pace to learn and develop self-expression and self-confidence.
Students experience the five component strands from the perspective of American
culture and of worldwide ethnic, racial, religious, and cultural groups.
Discusses the students preparation for direct training for jobs in the arts industries in
California. Education in the arts prepares students for work in any field.
Visual and performing arts framework is a tool for teachers and a guide for publishers
who develop educational materials. It is also useful in planning arts programs and
instruction.

Chapter 2:
Explain key points.
Planning and administering arts education starts with collaboration between the
district school board, administration, school staff members, parents and the
community. When these groups are all aligned in the desire to have a great VAPA
program, they need to figure out what kind of program they want. They can use an
Education Program Toolkit to help in this process. This toolkit consists of assessing the
following areas:
1. Standards-based curriculum
2. Instruction and methodology

3. Student assessment
4. Professional development
5. Qualified teachers, personnel, and program admin
6. Partnerships and collaborations
7. Budgetary needs
8. Facilities, logistics, and necessary resources
9. Program evaluation
10. Time and timing
Conducting arts education Explain how this is done.
in Elementary Schools
Programs should include performing and experiencing the arts as well as talking,
reading, and writing about them. Delivering programs to help students achieve the arts
content standards may involve the collaboration of credentialed arts specialists,
classroom teachers, professional artists, another community resource persons to
support standards-based arts experiences. Teachers should include arts activities that
relate to the interest of the students and should balance student-initiated and teacherdirected activities.
Partnering with library
How and why?
staff.
The school library acts as a center point for VAPA materials, access, and meeting
location for all parties involved in teaching VAPA. Students can use the many different
types of resources from books, biographies, printed art, CDs, videos etc. the library is
used by all students, staff, and is frequently open to the community making it ideal for
a variety of activities. In addition, the credentialed library staff can give assistance to
teachers with instruction, tech application, and resources to provide a great arts
experience for the students.
Evaluating Arts ed.
Briefly explain how to evaluate a VAPA program.
programs
A structured implementation plan should be used for ongoing evaluation and should
provide a general profile of what was accomplished, what is still needed to enrich the
program, and what would revitalize the program. Schools can use a preliminary selfevaluation instrument that will help determine a baseline for comparing results later.
After the baseline has been established, a revision and expansion implementation plan
should be put into place focusing on what financial and human resources are needed or
available to expand the program.
Providing Access for all
Explain how to provide access for all students.
students
VAPA instruction in each of the arts disciplines provides all students the ability to grow
and advance artistically by allowing for diverse individual learning styles and abilities.
The use of programs like ensembles, varied teaching strategies, and modified
instruction for students with disabilities gives students of varied ages and expertise to
learn from each as well as from the teaching staff. Accommodations can be made for
students whose needs may fall on either end of the competency spectrum.
Application of media and
Explain how to use media and technology in an appropriate manner in elementary
technology
VAPA programs.
New media and electronic tech can be incorporated into lessons, presentations, and
explorations in each of the arts disciplines. These lessons can be connected to other
content areas giving the student a broader understanding of how art spans different
aspects of life. For example, videos of historical events such as the gold rush can be
shown, or monologs spoken from the perspective of a revolutionary soldier can be
listened to, and the prominent art of the time period being discussed in social science
can give students a view of what life was like.
Chapter 3 VAPA Content
Select ONE of the 4 content areas of VAPA listed below. Explain the Key Standards in your content area selection for
your selected grade level. Provide an example. Keep notes simple/to the point.

Select a grade level K-6

Explain the content of each area
of the VAPA Standards in the
space below.

Describe the developmental

levels. What changes do you
see from the younger age
group to the older students?

Provide an area of
integration for each area
with social studies/science.
Explain your ideas. Be sure
that your ideas are age
appropriate.

Provide an area of integration for each

area with literature/language arts.
Explain your ideas. Be sure that your
ideas are age appropriate.

Dance:
Ex. Explain dance content in
level of your choice.
Note Level you have
selected: _________.

Music
Theater:
Theater content in grade 4
works to promote creative
expression, historical and
cultural context, and
aesthetic valuing
1. Development of
the vocabulary of
theater.
2. Comprehension
and analysis of the
elements of theater
3. Development of
theatrical skills
4. Creation /
invention in theater

Visual Arts

Students in the fourth
grade are able to
memorize longer pieces
of dialog, sing more
difficult songs, and be
more animated in their
acting. This means
teachers can use a
larger variety of plays or
musicals for topics
currently being studied
in their curriculum.

In the fourth grade
students can perform a
musical play about the
California Gold Rush. In
this play the students
explore the cultural
changes to the state,
scientific discoveries
and inventions,
geographic issues of
immigration, and
environmental
problems such as strip
mining.

Students review and portray key
individuals during the Gold Rush
by reading monologs of these
individuals writings, reading the
stories written at the time, and
looking at other print materials
such as advertisement posters.

Chapter 4 Read and Discuss in class

Chapter 5: Assessment of the Arts

Purpose of Assessment
Explain purpose:
Types of assessment: Fill in Entry level
Progress monitoring
each type in boxes to right. Entry level assessments Progress monitoring is
are designed to
designed to monitor if
measure mastery of
students are
foundational standards. progressing adequately
This gives the teacher a toward achieving the
starting point for what
targeted standard.
they are going to be
Teachers can see if they
teaching next.
need to reteach a
portion or move on to
the next task based
upon how well the
students are doing
according to their
progress monitoring.

Summative Evaluation
The purpose of the summative
evaluation is to determine if the
students have achieved the goals
set out by the objective and
standard the lesson was working
to teach. If a teacher sees the
students have not met the
standard they can either reteach
the topics that are lacking or
move onto the next task if the
students score well.

Assessment Tools:

Read and reflect: How
might you develop your
knowledge and ability to
teach the VAPA (arts)?

Explain the Instructional

Approaches mentioned in
the Category 5 paragraph
on Instructional Planning
and Support

Rubrics
Scoring rubrics are
designed to assess
assignments based
upon a predetermined
set of criteria. This
criteria is given to the
students beforehand so
they know and
understand how and
what will be assessed.
This allows the teacher
to identify levels of
success in meeting the
content standards.

Portfolios
Media
Portfolios are great for Media can be used to download
assessing a student by
student work to be saved digitally
looking at a collection
and shared with others for
of their work. These
assessment. These digital
portfolios can be used
portfolios can be given to other
as both formal and
teachers, administrators or
informal assessments
colleges for review.
and can also be used to
display the students
work. Portfolios can
also be used in
applications to college.
There are several
different types of
portfolios such as
process portfolios,
assessment task
portfolios, best work
portfolios, and
competition portfolios.



Chapter 6: Professional Development
Use this information to guide your philosophy paper below.
I think it is important for those of us who are not that artistic to make an effort to
involve ourselves in ongoing professional development workshops and collaborative
training. There are so many programs available to educators through the web, within
districts, and professional organizations that any new teacher should be able to
participate in some form of professional development. Also understanding the VAPA
framework and standards associated with the grade level you are teaching is also a
good idea.
Chapter 7: Page 193: Instructional Planning and Support;
Direct instruction: is the use of straightforward, explicit teaching techniques, usually to
teach a specific skill. It is a teacher-directed method, meaning that the teacher stands
in front of a classroom and presents the information.
Reading: Teachers can instruct reading through read alouds, choral reading, partner
reading among others. Students with learning difficulties benefit from explicit
instruction in decoding skills and strategies, fluency (modeling fluent reading, directly
teaching how to interpret punctuation marks when reading orally, etc.), vocabulary
word meanings and word-learning strategies, and comprehension strategies.
Writing: To become an effective writer, students need to acquire knowledge about the
characteristics of good writing as well as the different purposes and forms of writing.
One way to acquire knowledge about writing is through reading. Reading well-crafted
literature provides a model that illustrates the characteristics of good writing. This
includes how authors use words to evoke specific images and feelings, manipulate
sentences to speed or slow down the flow of text, organize ideas, and set and change
the mood of text, or use illustrations to reinforce and sharpen a readers
understanding.
Demonstrations: Teachers can use hands on demonstrations where they physically do
the task or show someone else demonstrating how it is done. You can use yourself of
digital media to give the students a visual example of both what it to be expected of
the project or process and how to accomplish it.
Creation of artwork: using artwork in the classroom can come in many different forms.

Any lesson can use some form of art to either express it or enhance it. The students can
be given the opportunity to express themselves through art in all the content areas by
utilizing many different mediums.
Internet use / inquiry: the internet is full of resources that can be utilized in the
classroom to improve art appreciation and understanding. There are countless web
sites, videos, photos, and educational sites that can bring art to the students. Being
able to visually see different genres and styles can excite student imagination and
hopefully encourage them to use visual and performing art in their own lives.

Reflection: Philosophy Paper for the teaching of VAPAs

Write a short ( -1 page) paper concerning your philosophy of teaching the visual and performing arts in a CA public
elementary classroom. Keep your readings, appropriate theory, Biblical links and the Education Code in mind as you
develop your ideas and include links where appropriate.

We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.
Romans 12:6

I think often about this verse in Romans. I believe we all have something very special to contribute to our world and
often this purpose is seen through our own self expression. I believe children are the greatest example of true artists
because they have no inhibitions about creating something out of nothing. They color, paint, sing, and dance for no
other reason than because it feels good. Being able to take something that is fun and self expressive and connect it
with content from all content areas is the sign of a good educator. The visual and performing arts are a crucial link
between what the students are learning and their own self expression. The VAPA framework gives us the guidance
we need to connect and focus our efforts in providing art education. I most appreciate the VAPA guiding principle
number three which states, Definition of a balanced, comprehensive, arts program as one in which the arts are
studied as discrete disciplines related to each other and, when appropriate, to other subject areas in the curriculum
(VAPA Framework, 3). Early education is a place to explore and learn. I believe a balanced education includes
exploring those who have made our world and cultures more beautiful through art and allowing our students to
experience the different genres for themselves.
I spent a good deal of time working with fourth and fifth graders over the course of my observations during my
credential program. In both of these grades the students worked on class plays or musicals that reflect the areas of
study they were working on. For the fourth graders, they were working on the Gold Rush and the fifth graders the
American Revolution. It was encouraging for me to see how much information they retained because they were
connecting what they were reading to what was happening in their play. The students were eager to learn the
material, make the costumes, create the visuals that would be used, and act out the characters they were assigned.
These students could certainly have learned this material without the use of the plays, but the way they learned the
material is just as important in my mind as the material itself. These students will always remember their play and the
information presented in it. This is a good example of why I believe visual and performing arts has such a crucial role
in early education.