The Cornerstone School · grades K–5
Art, Music & Movement
Drawing, rhythm, song, and play — the arts practiced early, while hands and ears are still fearless.
Contour, shading, and negative space — drawing taught as a way of paying attention.
Syllabus · 3 units · ~10 hours
Unit I — Learning to Look
Drawing what is there, not the symbol for it · Contour: following an edge with eye and hand · Negative space: drawing the gaps
Unit II — Light and Form
Shading: making flat paper look round · Where the light comes from · Texture: rough, smooth, and soft on paper
Unit III — Putting It Together
A still life from your kitchen · Drawing outdoors · A finished drawing, signed and dated
Mixing paint on purpose, finding shapes inside things, and making pictures that say what you meant.
Syllabus · 3 units · ~8 hours
Unit I — Color
The primary colors and what they make · Warm colors and cool colors · Mixing paint on purpose
Unit II — Shape and Line
Shapes hiding inside things · Thick lines, thin lines, wavy lines · Cutting and arranging: collage
Unit III — Making Pictures
A picture that tells a story · Patterns: repeat and vary · An artist's choices: talking about your work
The steady beat, the patterns above it, and songs to carry both — music made with hands, feet, and voice.
Syllabus · 3 units · ~8 hours
Unit I — The Beat
Finding the steady beat in a song · Clapping, tapping, stepping the beat · Fast and slow
Unit II — Rhythm
Long sounds and short sounds · Echo clapping: copy the pattern · Rests: silence, counted
Unit III — Songs
Singing high and low · Call and response · A song you know, performed with body percussion
Five lines, seven letter names, and note values — enough notation to play a simple melody from the page.
Syllabus · 3 units · ~12 hours
Unit I — Writing Sound Down
The staff: five lines for pitch · Notes go up, sounds go up · Naming the notes: the musical alphabet
Unit II — Rhythm on Paper
Quarter, half, and whole notes · Measures and the time signature · Clapping a rhythm from notation
Unit III — First Playing
Reading a simple melody on recorder or keyboard · Following a score while listening · Writing four measures of your own
Locomotor skills, ball skills, and games with rules — a body that does what you ask, and fair play besides.
Syllabus · 3 units · ~8 hours
Unit I — How Bodies Move
Locomotor moves: hop, skip, gallop, slide · Balancing on lines and low beams · Personal space and moving safely
Unit II — Ball Skills
Rolling and catching · Throwing at a target · Kicking and dribbling
Unit III — Games with Rules
Tag games and being a good sport · Relay races: taking turns at speed · Making up a fair game together