New Hampshire Curriculum Framework
Excerpt from the Introduction to the New Hampshire K-12 Curriculum Framework for the Arts: A Guide to What Every Student Should Know and Be Able to Do As A Result of a New Hampshire Arts Education. Access the complete document at www.ed.state.nh.us/Arts/artsframetext.htm
"The New Hampshire K-12 Curriculum Framework for the Arts is the culmination of more than three years of work by a volunteer task force. This framework represents unprecedented consensus about expectations for student learning in the arts in this state. Educators from all levels, business people, artists, students, arts educators, government officials, community representatives, and parents contributed to the development of these standards. Research findings, The National Standards for Arts Education, models from other states, as well as an analysis of current instructional practices, informed the work.
This is the sixth curriculum framework developed by the New Hampshire Department of Education. This framework outlines a vision for student achievement and offers specific benchmarks at several grade levels. Like the earlier frameworks, this document will significantly influence teaching and learning for New Hampshire children.
The New Hampshire Department of Education and the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts generously supported the writing of this document.
What is the role of the arts in education?
It is important for New Hampshire children to study the arts. First, the arts have intrinsic value. Producing art, whether it is creating a piece of visual art or performing through dance, theatre, or music, allows children to develop their creativity in ways that cannot be matched by core school subjects. Moreover, each arts discipline has its own distinct symbol system to aid in understanding the world. Each has its own vocabulary and distinct repertoire of skills. By accessing these modes of perception, students may respond to the everyday world in a more perceptive fashion.
Second, studying the arts enhances the study of other subjects. For example, patterning is an important concept in both art and science. It occurs in the arts as a sequence of musical notes, color, or texture. A reoccurring movement pattern characterizes dance. Dramatic works use patterns to establish conflict and its resolution. In nature, patterns occur in the formation of trees and leaves, markings on animals, and geologic formations. A further example of how arts enhance learning is drawn from the study of history, where knowledge is broadened by examining art, music, dance, and theatre from the same period.
Additionally, studying the arts develops important ways of knowing and understanding the world. This is reflected in standardized test scores and recent educational findings that suggest that in schools where strong arts programs exist, overall academic achievement is improved. For example, Martin Gardiner, research director and faculty member at the Music School in Providence, Rhode Island, has carried out research involving an innovative program at two city elementary schools that provides strong evidence that art and music instruction can greatly improve performances in reading and math (Castelluci, 1996). Additional research also indicates that SAT scores in reading and math increased when students had quality arts experiences in school (Dobbs, 1996).
"All evidence points to a relationship between the arts and other academic disciplines that is clear and compelling, indicating to both fields that one cannot really flourish without the influence of the other" (Transforming Ideas for Teaching and Learning the Arts, 1997).
The research of Frances Rauscher, research psychologist and musician, is a case in point. For the first time, she has shown that a causal link exists between spatial-temporal reasoning and musical intelligence (Mahlman, 1996). Pre-school students who experienced an additional thirty minutes of music per week performed 80% better on visual/spatial puzzle tests than those students who did not have the additional music (Mahlman, 1996). Through study of the arts, students learn higher order thinking skills: critical thinking, analyzing, and decision making. A practical illustration of how students become better readers and problem solvers can be seen in Connecticut's Higher Order Thinking Skills Schools. Here the arts are infused in teaching methods that are part of the daily program, and an increase in student achievement is demonstrated (Connecticut Commission on the Arts, 1997)."
Broad Goals
This framework was guided by the broad goals in the National Standards for Arts Education. They were tailored to meet the needs of New Hampshire students.
Students will create, perform, and respond with understanding to all of the arts including Dance, Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts.
Students will be able to communicate proficiently in at least one art form: Dance, Music, Theatre or Visual Arts.
Students will be able to analyze and evaluate works of art from structural, historical, and cultural perspectives. This includes the ability to understand and evaluate works of art in various arts disciplines.
Students will recognize exemplary works of art from a variety of historical periods and cultures, as well as understand historical development within and among the arts disciplines.
Students will relate various types of arts knowledge and skills within and across the arts disciplines.
Students will use technology as ways to create, perform or respond in various arts disciplines.
Students will become familiar with career opportunities in the arts or with the impact of the arts on everyday life.
See Works Consulted at the end of the Frameworks for arts education reference materials. For access to the complete arts framework document on the NHDOE site, go to www.ed.state.nh.us and click on Most Requested Information, pull down the menu and click on Curriculum Frameworks, then click on version, or go directly to www.ed.state.nh.us/Arts/artsframetext.htm.
Contact: Marcia McCaffrey
NH Department of Education
Londergan Hall, 101 Pleasant Street
Concord, NH 03301
603/271-3193
email: mmccaffrey@ed.state.nh.us
Click here to find out what the Framework means for NH teachers
