THEMATIC ARCS
In the Framework for Arts Learning, students engage with themes across developmental stages, revisiting ideas as they progress and grow through arts learning.
IDENTITY
being who or what a person is - Throughout the arc of IDENTITY, students will use the arts to explore their understanding of themselves in increasingly complex ways, both technically and conceptually.
FAMILY COMMUNITY BECOMING SELF IDENTITY
INTERACTION
reciprocal action or influence - The arc of INTERACTION pushes students to explore the relationship between the creator, the work and the audience, building an understanding of how the arts impact people.
MATCHING CONTRAST PERCEIVING OTHER INTERACTION
LANGUAGE
a system of communication - As students begin to use the arts as a tool of communication, the LANGUAGE arc will support their development of the building blocks of creation in various arts disciplines, identifying how those blocks can be combined in infinite ways.
NAMING & DESCRIBING GROUPING & SORTING CONNECTING BUILDING LANGUAGE
DETERMINATION
the process of establishing by calculation or research - Following the development of language, the DETERMINATION arc pushes students to use that language to express their ideas. The arc focuses on the role of the artist as a decision-maker in the creative process.
OPTIONS & CHOICES PATTERNS & RHYTHMS TRUSTING STRUCTURE DETERMINATION
CREATION
the process of bringing into existence - The arc of CREATION places emphasis on the process that brings works of art into being. Students examine the role of their own movements and how individual actions play a critical role in outcomes.
PLAY MOVEMENT BUILDING PROCESS CREATION
TRANSFORMATION
a thorough or dramatic change in form or appearance - As students complete a development cycle, they will encounter the arc of TRANSFORMATION, which focuses on the ways in which the arts create and communicate change - in individuals, relationships, and environments.
FOUNDATION GROWTH & CHANGE BRIDGING PRODUCT TRANSFORMATION
DEVELOPMENT CYCLES
to investigate or inquire into - This cycle focuses on providing students with opportunities to explore concepts and objects around them. Themes in the EXPLORE cycle create space for students to develop an understanding of the foundations of the world around them.
PreK3-4
to handle or control - This cycle focuses on providing students with opportunities to interact directly with their environment. Themes in the MANIPULATE cycle create space for students to develop an understanding of how people and materials interact.
K-2nd
to take action; to do something - As students move into upper elementary and become more interested in finding agency over their surroundings, the ACT cycle grows with them, shifting into action themes that encourage exploration of how students can control aspects of their world.
3rd-5th
6th-8th
to build; to bring elements together - When students enter the middle grades, they are becoming concrete thinkers, eager to acquire new skills and define their place as individuals. The CONSTRUCT cycle focuses arts learning on investigations how we build ourselves and our environment and the role that individuals play in the process.
to consider theoretically - In high school, students begin the transition from concrete to abstract thought as they transition into early adulthood. This transition is reflected in the ABSTRACT cycle, as the ideas become broad, theoretical frameworks that exist outside the individual.
High School
DCPS Cornerstones
Cornerstones are powerful lessons taught in every grade level as part of the DCPS curriculum that students will remember years from now. Cornerstones are helping to ensure that system-wide, every student’s classroom is infused with rigor, depth, and joy. Cornerstone lessons are embedded in DCPS units of study, spanning all grades and content areas. Authentic tools, state-of-the-art technology support, and inspiring materials set the same high bar for quality learning experiences in every ward in the city.
Top DCPS teachers and local partners developed the Cornerstone lessons, sharing their expertise beyond the walls of their own schools. Through professional collaboration, teachers master powerful teaching models such as inquiry, project-based learning, and seminar discussion. Students are more active and engaged in questioning, problem solving, and developing deep knowledge. Teachers access the Cornerstones using Canvas. Students, inspired by worthwhile tasks and guided by the standards of the professional community, polish their own work until it shines. Teachers use shared rubrics, so excellence means the same high standard at every school. Teachers collaborate across schools to develop better ways to support excellence for diverse learners.
