Described is a college-level art activity that teaches aesthetic literacy to entry-level art education majors. Students are asked to bring to class and to discuss two objects--one, an art object, and the other a nonart object. The article also presents thematic categories for the generation of aesthetic concepts. (RM)

Describes a film study program to help students open up to the beauty that exists around them. Notes that key ingredients of the program are a linkage between the films shown and the asking of probing questions. (RL)

Suggests a simple, adaptable pattern for teaching the grammar of films and television, i.e., its agreed conventions of vocabulary and syntax. A variety of feature-length films and extracts are listed to illustrate the concepts being taught as well as film distributors and addresses. (MBR)

Describes a games-based instructional kit for elementary students on visual literacy, art vocabulary, and environmental design called "The Art Connection." The kit utilizes a teaching strategy called "See-Imagine-Do" which is further described in an article on pp13-17 of this issue. (SJL)

Proposes ways for teachers to integrate visual literacy into the curriculum in order for young people to understand the visual culture they live in. Examples use children's books to explore stereotypes, reading images, artistic style, visual accuracy, and comparisons between books and the audiovisual products upon which they are based. (EM)

The puzzling quality of modern art, in both its complexity and its simplicity, symbolizes a barrier between the student and the elite's privilege of power. Too frequently, students have been taught that art is a secret, a code to which only teachers have the key, and that there is only one correct interpretation of a work, which must be imparted…

Five approaches--self discovery, reading, writing, oral presentation, and visual literacy--were used to teach high school students about the physiographic landmarks of Latin America. The course is described. (RM)

This collection includes 16 conference papers and presentations and brief descriptions of 35 workshops and demonstrations. The document contains the following papers: (1) "Visual Literacy in the Elementary Grades" (David J. Bieman); (2) "Inservice Training for Sheridan's Audio Visual Staff" (Dave MacDougall); (3)…

An inexpensive way to introduce students to Black art during Black History Month--February--is described. Whenever possible, students should be exposed to original works of art in exhibitions. But if there are limited funds, art reproductions can work just as well. Teachers can make xerographic copies of Black art from library books. With a few…

Utilizes a 17th-century Italian sculpture and an African fetish figure to illustrate essential qualities and characteristics of figurative sculpture. Points out the extreme differences and the many similarities between the two and offers explanations. Includes a process for leading students through "reading" the sculptures. (MJP)

Observes a number of illustrations from a wide variety of whaling narratives and discusses the purposes and assumptions behind them. Considers the individual artists and their contributions. Francis Allyn Olmstead romanticized the profession while J. Ross Brown emphasized the sordid aspects of whaling life. (MJP)

Discusses using educational and popular films and television for history instruction. Argues that students need training to see the bias built into film making through the editing process. Urges that critical thinking must be developed in students to make use of mass media coverage of historical and current events as teaching tools. (DK)

Contends that history teachers should help students develop critical viewing and thinking skills about visual images. Discusses the emerging practice of blurring the lines between entertainment and information in television, films, and other visual presentations. Provides two sets of questions to help students analyze documentaries, television…

Reviews and recommends a series of books using picture postcards to trace a geographical journey. The geographical regions include France, Mexico, Canada, Russia, and the United States. The books introduce young readers to different geographic locations and ways of life. (MJP)

Characterizes the medieval cathedral as an architectural encyclopedia, expressing the humanistic concerns, beliefs, and aspirations of the period in which it was built. Explains the theological, political, and social significance of the cathedral's architectural characteristics from the floor plan to the spires. Discusses the process and problems…