Instructor: Amy Robertson – Please call me Amy

Room: 118 Phone: (425) 456-7821

Email: robertsonam@bsd405.org
Tutorial: 3:20pm - 4:00pm Mon. Tues. & Fri.

Welcome to Ceramics
I am looking forward to a fun semester of learning with you. This course is designed to provide engaging art lessons with
clay to prepare you for your artistic journey in life and to provide you the opportunity to make ceramics works that are
personal and created with intention and skill. This syllabus provides the information you need to plan for a successful
course. Please read the syllabus thoroughly and ask questions if you are unsure about any contents.

Instructor Bio
I am an artist and art instructor. I teach art full-time at Bellevue Big Picture School to grades 7-12. It is an amazing and
supportive school for students who have a strong desire to learn through experiences and community involvement. I am
proud to be part of this school. I have been an art instructor in public schools in Bellevue,
Washington since 2001. I have taught high school Art & CTE here and Newport High School. I spent
three years teaching art to grades K-5 full time at Eastgate Elementary and picked up a few art
classes each year at Newport Heights and Puesta del Sol. At the high school level, I have taught
drawing & painting, art & design, ceramics, photography, video production, stained glass, graphic
design, digital media, Advanced Placement Art, and computer technology. As an artist, I specialize
in ceramics, photography, and drawing & painting. I strongly believe that every human needs to learn how to express
themselves through the arts in a manner different than spoken & written word.

Amy’s Schedule

Semester 1
Period 1 – Middle School Video Production
Period 2 – Middle School Ceramics
Period 3 – Planning
Period 4 – High School Art & Design
Period 5 – High School Photo 1
Period 6 – High School AP Photo
Period 7- Planning
Semester 2
Period 1 – Middle School Video Production
Period 2 – Middle School Ceramics
Period 3 – Planning
Period 4 – High School Ceramics
Period 5 – High School Digital Video Audio
Period 6 – High School AP Photo
Period 7- Planning

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Course Basics

Course Purpose
This course is for any student who wants to strengthen their basic art &
design skills with 3 dimensional forms in clay, gain confidence in their
artistic expression, & be a part of a supportive in-person & online
community of student artists.

Instructor Purpose
I want to encourage you to create works of art that represent personal
vision & involve imagination, problem-solving, risk-taking,
communication, & reflection. Furthermore, I want to support you as you
gain confidence in expressing yourself through the arts in a manner
different than spoken & written word. I enjoy teaching art to students, & I
enjoy watching students grow artistically & seeing their creative &
original ideas presented in unique & engaging ways.

Course Goal
The goal of this course is to provide basic art & design skills with clay so you can learn how to express ideas and apply art
skills to create ceramics artworks.

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Course Description
This course:
• Is standards-based and uses the National Core Art Standards and ISTE 21st century skills standards.
• Focuses on the Fundamentals of Art through a variety of ceramics construction methods and glazing techniques.
• Is a one-semester course for high school students in grades 9-12 that takes 18 weeks to complete.
• Provides accommodations for students who may need extended time to complete the requirements.
• Provides students with engaging art projects, readings, visuals, assessments, videos, tutorials, critiques, and
reflections.
• Uses OneNote and Teams as technology platforms for assignments and instructor moderated communication
channels within Teams with digital platforms like Flipgrid and Scholastic Art Online.
• Will challenge students to create a webaite that highlight their work from this course. Student created websites
are an essential part of this course and will serve as a portfolio and the final exam. Websites are public and can
be shared in SLCs. After the course you can unpublish your website.
• Includes course modules/units designed to take 3-6 weeks to complete and include practice assignments
(formative assessments) that are essential prior to the completion of the summative assessment projects.
• Requires a student to attend class each scheduled day of the week and spend a minimum of an hour a day on in-
class work to meet standards in the course.

Who is this Course for?

This course is designed for any learner grades 9-12. Learners in the course should be able to read the online content, but
any students can use technology supports like text-to-speech and/or speech-to-text if needed. Any student will an IEP
or 504 will receive accommodations and/or modifications according to their
educational plan and communication with Amy is essential if you need extra supports.
Students with physical challenges, social-emotional or cognitive difficulties can
complete this course with adapted art materials & tools, instructor video/audio
conferencing, and extra instructor and/or para-professional assistance. All students
can discover success in this course. Everyone comes to this course with a variety of
reasons and goals & I am here to support you on your path.

What will you learn?

You will learn the basics of creating, responding, and presenting art, while connecting your art to personal & historical
events, & art history. The course modules various ceramics methods: pinch, slab, coil, sculpture, wheel throwing,
combination and could include other methods. Glazing techniques will vary for each assignment and much student
choice in design and glazing will be encouraged. You will learn how to use a variety of techniques to create ceramic art
to express ideas, & learn how to provide & receive feedback to refine & revise art. You will learn a variety of approaches,
techniques, & skills for art making. You will learn how to create a website portfolio to present your art to others.
Furthermore, you will learn about creative expression in art & apply your understanding of art skills, ideas & art history
concepts to your projects & hopefully for life-long learning.

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Course Format
This is a face-to-face course. Students are required to attend the course in
person. Summaries of the basic course information will be provided digitally in OneNote
and Teams, but attendance is vital for students to comprehend activities and assignments.
This course has in class and online assignments and discussions as part of graded
assessments. Many projects you create with art materials are scored individually and your
discussion postings and participation in the discussions are assessed also. Collaborative PBL
work includes peer feedback, peer discussions, critique writing to support your peers in
their artistic endeavors, and some collaborative artwork in groups. You have the choice to work in groups on
assignments or work individually, but collaborative conversations must happen along the way to support your work.
Videos and visuals are used heavily in this course for instructional content delivery, but many demonstrations happen
face-to-face and are not recorded. Students are expected to watch the online videos and view the demonstrations to
complete projects and meet or exceed standards. If you miss an in-class demonstration, please make an appointment to
make it up during a tutorial.

Questions? Find Answers!

For course questions: Read the Syllabus.
For tech issues and other course questions: email Amy
For assignment questions and/or directions: Go to
Teams and OneNote. Always check your course
OneNote calendar. It is in the OneNote Content library
and has its own tab.

Technology/Technical Skills
Students need to bring their school laptop to class daily. Students need basic computer use knowledge and know how
to access OneNote and Teams. Students need to know how to take a simple photo of art and upload it to a computer or
digital device. Students who need assistance with this can contact the instructor for a one-on-one lesson to support this
learning. If a student is new to online learning, a tutorial session can be arranged to support students in navigating the
online resources. Students should have basic typing skills and understand how to use a search engine online.

Course Materials
All materials for this course are provided & there is no lab fee. Students are provided with a 1:1 laptop for technology
access. Students are not required to have any other digital devices for the course. Students
are welcome to use their own cell phone for taking photos of artwork, but we have cameras
available in class. Students are welcome to bring their own art materials to the class & use
them at home. Students can check out some supplies from Amy to borrow for short periods
of time. Students are required to use the sketchbook provided in class for assignments.
Work can be done on other paper & added to the sketchbook if necessary. There is no
required text for this course, but online & supplemental readings will be available on
OneNote and in Teams.

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Supplies provided in this course
Sketchbook
Drawing and writing utensils
Clay- We use Vashon White cone 5-6
Glazes – we use underglazes and overglazes
*See safety note regarding clay and glazes.
Tag board and paper for templates
Kiln for firing work

*Clay and Glaze Safety

We use stoneware clay and glazes for our projects. The primary clay we use is made by Seattle pottery and is called
Vashon White. It is a cone 5-6 clay. They glazes we use are dinnerware safe and do not contain any lead. The wares
students produce can go through the dishwasher, be microwaved, and in some cases, they can be used as baking dishes.
Clay and glazes in wet form are safe for use in the classroom. Clay in the dry form can contain harmful dust and clean-up
must be done with wet sponges. Tables should never be dusted or blown off. Clean up is practiced in class for three
weeks in teams prior to students receiving summative grades for clean-up collaboration. Even when not glazed, the
ceramics wares are watertight and non-porous if they have undergone a glaze firing stage. All ware that leave the
classroom must be glaze fired to be graded and to ensure safety of the work for use.

Classroom Expectations and Positive Behavioral Supports

Big Picture values both the academic and behavioral growth of our students. The acronym PROWL describes three
main categories of desired student engagement and guides our classroom expectations.

PR - Positive Relationships: Treat each other well

• Use positive and supportive language (be kind)
• Actively listen
OW - Ownership of Learning: Self-management and making good choices
• Advocate for yourself
• Manage class time wisely
L - Leadership: Doing what’s right no matter who is watching
• Use tools, materials, and workspace in a safe and responsible way
• Use digital devices responsibly at the appropriate time

Positive Recognition in Class

During class, teachers can give out PROWL slips to be used in school wide drawings for prizes. These will be given to
students displaying PROWL behaviors.

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Big Picture School-wide Expectations
• Cell phone use during class is prohibited and discouraged, unless under direction from the teacher.
Repeated inappropriate phone use may result in a teacher requesting you take your phone to the main office for
retrieval after school. If this continues to be an issue, student may be referred to administrator and/or parent
conference. Watch for visual clues like these for expectations regarding technology use in class:

• 10/10 Rule – To preserve the community of the learning environment, students should not use the restroom during
the first and last ten minutes of the class unless it is an emergency. If you leave during class, you must find a
classmate to help you figure out what you missed.

Behavioral Management Plan

I use restorative practices within my classrooms. Talking circles are one example of a restorative practice that I will be
using for community building and academic discourse
often in a preventative manner. Should a specific issue
arise with an individual or group of students, I will use
affective statements and restorative questions to
address and respond to the incident in question. If there
is significant or repetitive harmful behavior, I will
facilitate a restorative conference with administration,
students, and parents, when possible. Lastly, should
there be an incident that involves the whole-class, we
will convene a problem-solving circle to address the
situation.
Tardy Policy
Students need to be in class & ready to learn at the beginning of class. Regular attendance is essential to learning. This
includes timely & consistent attendance by all students. Late arrivals can disrupt the continuity of the instructional time
& detract from the learning experiences of students & the late student. If you are tardy, I mark you unexcused tardy
unless you have a note from the office or a teacher. If you are habitually tardy, we will discuss your lateness and devise
a plan to help you get to class in a timely manner.

Standards Based Grading

Bellevue Big Picture School uses Standards Based Grading for assessments. Art courses use the National Core Art
Standards and ISTE 21st century skills standards. There are 4 Art Strands in the gradebook and 1 21st Century Strand. Art
Standards are: Creating, Presenting, Responding, and Connecting.

Grading Policy at Big Picture: Standards Based Grading

Standards based grading aligns my instruction & assessment with standards. Grades are calculated in Synergy with each
Strand (Four Art Strands + one 21st Century Strand) being equal in weight. Assessments are designed to reflect &
accurately communicate which standards students meet or exceed & which need improvement at any given time. As
students demonstrate their learning in class and on assessments, grades are entered to show current understanding.
Students who have not yet demonstrated proficiency of a particular standard are empowered to take responsibility for
their own mastery of learning & continue to work to improve their proficiency in the concept. Students may have
multiple opportunities to demonstrate their proficiency to show they can meet or exceed standard.

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Ceramics Grading Methods
In the ceramics course, each work is graded three times minimum. Each project is assessed for planning, construction,
and glazing separately. This provides students with a more detailed view of ceramics and artist skills. Furthermore, it
helps identify strengths and weaknesses and areas of growth. There are 11 Art Standards and we use almost all of the in
a semester. We look at meaning in art for one standard and connecting personal ideas to art in another standard.

Art Standards

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21st Century Skills Standards

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Assessment scale & general descriptors used in school-wide rubrics & grading

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 Overall Grade Calculation
At least 80% of each student’s grade will be based upon demonstrated proficiency within content-specific standards.
Up to 20% will be based upon demonstration of proficiency within 21st-Century Skills. Scores will be entered for
each content standard and those scores will be averaged together for a total score for each standard. These overall
standard scores will then be averaged together for the final course grade and converted to letter grades as outlined
in the table below.

Standard Score Average 3.5-4.0 2.6-3.49 2.0-2.59 1.5-1.99 <1.5

Letter Grade A B C D F

• There are no pluses or minuses in the district for final grades on report cards. Students will only receive a
converted grade of A, B, C, D, or F for each course on their report card.
• These conversions are different from GPA conversions for letter grades. GPA conversion is a way of translating
all a student’s letter grades to a letter/number. GPA conversions are: A 4.0, B 3.0, C 2.0, D 1.0 and F 0

Formative Assessment
Class work & some assessments leading up to summative assessments are called “formative assessments” & are used as
feedback for students & advisors. Advisors may enter some formative assessments in Synergy so parents, students, &
advisors can track student progress, but formative assessments will not count towards a student’s grade. Students are
expected to complete all formative assessments to ensure proficiency in content standards. Students may be assigned
required tutorial until the missing formative work is completed.

Summative Assessments
Summative assessments are used to measure the level of understanding of a given standard or benchmark. Summative
assessments will be given after students have had a chance to practice the content or skills being assessed. All
summative assessments will be used to calculate final grades. Each standard will be assessed several times during a
semester and the scores will be averaged. The final score for each standard will be averaged to calculate an overall
grade.

Grades and Assignments: Synergy and OneNote

Grades will be posted online in Synergy and accessible by students and parents. Most assignments are scored within 10
school days of the due date. To access grades or check turned in assignments go to the BSD Website or https://wa-
bsd405-psv.edupoint.com/. If a student needs to discuss grades, please make an appointment for an appropriate time
through email. It is always best for students to take ownership of their grading and curriculum questions! Adults are
here to help our students become lifelong self-advocates, so students taking ownership of their communications about
grades is a step in the right direction. Assignments and classwork will be posted in OneNote. All students are expected
to track their missing assignments in Synergy regularly.

Calendars/Planners
Students have access to the class OneNote calendar. It is interactive and links to assignments. If students have a paper
planner, they need to write in homework daily if there is homework assigned. Our due dates often fluctuate based on
student needs & extended time adjustments, but they are noted clearly in the OneNote calendar. We begin most class
periods with the OneNote calendar projected so all students know the plan for the day and the week. For major
assignment due dates, I usually email students and families with reminders and a link to the OneNote calendar.

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Turning in Assignments & Returning Assignments to Students
Students are expected to turn in assignments/sketchbooks/homework in their class “Turn-In” location. Most projects
are turned in with self-scored rubrics and any required sketchbook work or planning sheets. Students are required to
self-assess on most projects, as it is part of the reflection process. All summative assignments are reviewed and graded
by the instructor following student self-assessment. Completed work is passed back to students directly on a regular
basis during class.

Make-Up work for Excused Absences

• If a student has an excused absence, they have as many
days to complete the make-up work as they were absent.
• Check OneNote & Synergy for missed assignments while
absent & check-in with the instructor upon their return to
class.
• Fill out the make-up work paper and put it in Amy’s turn-in
bin in the classroom.
• Forms are in Amy’s classrooms and on OneNote.
• If you are unable to place the paper in the turn-in bin, you
can use a digital copy available in your OneNote and either
email Amy a copy that is filled out or email a link to it in
your OneNote.

Extension Policy/Late Work

• Late work will be accepted 7 calendar days from the due date
of an assignment/project unless coordinated with your
teacher.
• Fill out the paper extension request and place it in Amy’s
turn-in bin in the classroom.
• Forms are in Amy’s classrooms and on OneNote.
• If you are unable to place the paper in the turn-in bin, you can
use a digital copy available in your OneNote and either email
Amy a copy that is filled out or email a link to it in your
OneNote.

Re-dos/Re-Assessment/Retake Policy
• Fill out a Redo form and turn it in to Amy’s turn-in bin with
the scored assignment attached that you want to redo.
• Forms are in Amy’s classrooms and on OneNote.
• Amy will return the form and the assessed assignment back
to you in one to two days with any information that is
needed. A new due date will be determined that is
reasonable.
• If you are unable to place the paper in the turn-in bin, you
can use a digital copy available in your OneNote and either
email Amy a copy that is filled out or email a link to it in your
OneNote.

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Cheating and Plagiarism Policy
Students who plagiarize or cheat on assignments will receive an incomplete grade for that assignment and must re-do it
or a similar assignment. Students will have three days to conference with me and complete a plan outlining the
difficulties that led them to plagiarize, the steps they will take to redo the assignment, and their proposal for re-
establishing trust with their advisor. Parents will be notified immediately. If it happens more than once, the student,
parent and I will conference with the principal to discuss further disciplinary consequences. Please follow the discipline
policy in the student handbook for academic honesty.

Tutorial Procedures
Tutorial is a time for students to get one-on-one teacher assistance and to complete work. It is an educational, serious
classroom environment. My tutorials are 3:20-4pm Monday Tuesday and Friday.
They are 10 minutes longer to provide and extended tutorial time. There is no
tutorial for my classes on Thursday. The advisory team suggests staying in your
advisory class if you are unsure where to go. Any student disrupting the learning
environment of a tutorial classroom will be sent back to their advisor and may
receive a phone call home. Tutorial could be assigned as needed by any teacher when additional time is needed, or work
needs to be completed. I will communicate with students and families as needed.

Communication Procedures with Parents and Families

Communication with parents is very important for successful parent, teacher and
student relationships. I will also contact families about specific students when
issues or concerns arise. Email is the best method of communication for me.

Please read your student handbook, as all school rules apply in the Art Rooms
*Food - Do not eat around art supplies, clay, glazes, and computers. Your safety is my number one concern. Clay is
used in our classroom. Food and drink + clay and glazes are not healthy choices. Clay and glaze dust are dangerous to
eat and ingest. Having water to drink in the classroom is fine but is needs a lid to keep out dust. Eat snacks outside the
room or in the back of the room and wash your hands when you are done.

*Cleaning up – Students are in charge of taking care of the art rooms. Cleaning up is an
important part of our Project Based Learning and part of your overall grade for 21st
century skills and demonstrates participation and behavior norms.

*Volume level, quiet enjoyment of studio time, and appropriate conversations – All students and staff have
a right to spend our school days in an environment that supports ideas, creativity, communication, and educational
pursuits. All voice levels must be appropriate within the classroom and all conversations must include respectful dialog,
no profanity, and school appropriate content.

*Headphones & Music – Headphones are ok during studio time when posted. No headphones
during demonstrations, instructions, critiques, circles, or discussions! During studio time, please have
one ear without a headphone/earbud or partially out so you can hear instructions and be aware of
what is going on around you.

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