Reaction Paper

 I particularly liked the article, “Anyone can teach art appreciation” by Rhonda Graff Silver. It gave me many useful new ideas and really lived up to its title. I liked the idea of introducing primary students to the grand masters, such as Picasso and van Gogh. Many people might think that those artists are too difficult for young children, but Silver shows that they can appreciate it just fine. “Using the art as a springboard” is another idea that I really like. Looking at sunflowers under a microscope after looking at van Gogh’s painting of them. The cross-curricular activities, with math, history, language arts and even science as possible connections to art are also eye opening to me. I see that art can really be connected to everything else. The Venn diagram comparing the two versions of “First Steps” I liked as well. Possibly I would have the students then make their own works titled “First Steps”. I think this article really shows that primary students are capable of just about anything that is put to them if they are given the instruction and vocabulary to talk about. This article really made me excited about the possibilities that art can be used for.