Arts and Humanities (K-5)

Course Description: This online course provides an introduction to the study of arts and humanities at the kindergarten to fifth-grade level. It covers key concepts, such as literature, music, art, and culture. You will learn about different techniques used in expressing creative ideas through visual media as well as how to apply a deeper understanding of symbolism and metaphor to areas such as storytelling and music. You will also gain an understanding of how cultures influence art forms around the world. Through interactive lectures, readings, discussions, videos,  and assignments you will develop your knowledge of arts and humanities while learning practical skills such as leading meaningful conversations around artwork, evaluating stories based on cultural perspectives, analyzing musical structure, comparing different visual styles between works of art, developing instructional strategies for making connections between subjects and fostering creativity in the classroom. This course is ideal for those who are new to teaching arts and humanities or are interested in pursuing a path involving more advanced topics in the subject. Course Objectives:

• Define key terms related to arts and humanities
• Analyze differences between artistic styles
• Evaluate stories based on cultural perspective
• Explain the musical structure
• Compare visual styles across works of art
• Develop strategies for reading aloud
• Lead meaningful conversations around the artwork
• Utilize storytelling to support instruction
• Examine the influence of culture on artistic expression
• Apply elements from multiple disciplines

Teaching At-Risk Students

Course Description: This course is designed to help teachers develop the skills and strategies needed to effectively work with at-risk students. Through various hands-on activities, this course will help you develop an action plan to identify students who might be at-risk before they are too far gone and provide them with the support they need. You will learn best practices in online learning for at-risk students, how to build academic success for these students, and how to create a culturally responsive policy. By the end of this course, you will have the tools necessary to reach out to at-risk students and provide them with the assistance they need. Course Objectives:

• Develop an action plan to identify students who might be at-risk before they are too far gone
• Learn best practices in online learning for at-risk students
• Understand how to build academic success for these students
• Create a culturally responsive policy
• Learn how to evaluate technical skills that are essential for successful distance learning
• Understand how to design active learning strategies for at-risk learners
• Develop student resilience among at-risk learners
• Learn how to devise surveys that can identify at-risk learners in web-based courses
• Understand different ways in which students develop and learn
• Utilize strategies for reaching out and providing assistance to at-risk students