Reviews six books: "Parentmaking Educators Training Program" (Rothenberg and others); "Teaching Painting in the Primary School" (Gentle); "School-Age Child Care" (Seligson and Allenson); "International Handbook of Child Care Policies and Programs" (Cochran); "The Politics of Pregnancy: Adolescent Sexuality and Public Policy" (Lawson and Rhode);…

Discusses methods for teaching elementary art students the principle of a focal point in the design of art works. Suggests beginning with well-known paintings as examples of utilizing a focal point, and then encouraging students to create their own designs. Displays examples of student art employing a center of interest. (DB)

Profiles the Wilmette, Illinois, school district's experience when revising their art curriculum. Maintains that the art staff's commitment to revision is the motivating force, and suggests an outline for a revision plan. Outlines curriculum writing procedures, the contents of an art curriculum, and the advantages of curriculum writing. (KM)

Argues that creativity is the essence of true learning and explores its role in art education. Studies the creative process at work in several artists. Considers David Perkins' work on the creative process, identifying characteristics of a creative environment. Concludes creativity is more akin to problem solving than to spontaneous and mysterious…

Seeks to introduce elementary and middle school students to cultural differences in artistic styles, and to develop students' critical skills by examining four different cultures' interpretations of a common subject, the fish. Provides several instructional strategies to strengthen students perception of works of art. (KM)

Reviews educational reforms of the past 10 years as they relate to visual arts education. Finds that progress has been made in the development of theoretical rationales for art education and in assessing teacher performance. Also finds that little progress has been made in evaluating student learning and performance. (CFR)

Outlines the steps involved in constructing an art gallery in an arts magnet school for middle school students. The work in the classrooms echoes the themes selected for exhibitions. Describes how teachers, parents, and students are actively involved in the creation and maintenance of the gallery. (KM)

The power of murals as a community communication medium and as a community building process is explored from a theoretical base in the concept of "free spaces" and "community strengths" with particular reference to murals in Latino communities. Skills that may be acquired by carrying out mural projects are detailed. (EMK)

Studies the employment of collage by young children as a symbolic activity in organized educational settings. Establishes a taxonomy of collage types and observes their development in two kindergarten classes. Concludes that collage promotes the acquisition of a flexible sequence of skills and reflects a range of abilities and approaches. (DSK)

Discusses the life and artwork of Bill Traylor, who started his art career late in life, focusing on his work "Scary Creature." Provides accompanying project ideas in the areas of history/technology, theater, language arts, debate, social studies, visual arts, and mathematics. (CMK)

Provides citations with abstracts from the ERIC database focusing on the Great Depression. Includes both background information and teaching materials on such topics as an overview of the New Deal, the arts and the Great Depression, and information on the Civilian Conservation Corps. Offers directions for accessing the materials. (CMK)

Discusses a six week art class project for elementary school children that lasted for six weeks. Explains that the students painted sunflowers in the style of Vincent van Gogh over the rust spots of a pickup truck. Reports that the painting served as great publicity for the art classes. (CMK)

Provides an activity where sixth-grade students replicated the Egyptian art form of tomb painting. Explains that the students researched information about Egyptian culture and history in order to familiarize themselves with Egyptian wall-painting style. Discusses the process of creating tomb paintings in detail. (CMK)

Describes the visual arts as a means of helping remedial reading and writing students to "see" the process of writing. Discusses the use of clay sculpting to demonstrate free-writing techniques, Venn-mobiles to demonstrate compare/contrast techniques, and wraps (felt "tortillas" and fillings) to demonstrate summary writing. (Contains 10…

Focuses on the artwork of William Christenberry, specifically on his work "Alabama Wall (Variant)," which was constructed with remnants of material culture found along Alabama rural roads. Includes a reproduction of this artwork and activities for natural science, language arts, visual arts, social studies, and history/economics. (CMK)