Learning from Asian Art: Korea

My name is Patty Graff and I teach adults who work in early care and education classrooms. The adults I work with teach in part day preschools, Head Start classrooms, full day child care/preschools, group home child cares and family day care homes. The adults all come to my classroom with a wide variety of backgrounds. Some have a degree in early childhood education, others with various college degrees, and still others only a high school degree. Some have worked in child care for many years and others only a few months. Topics of classes I teach, as well as classes taught by instructors I hire, cover content areas as identified by the State of Pennsylvania and the Keystone STARS Program.
Learning from Asian Art: Korea by the Philadelphia Museum of Art is a very well-crafted curriculum. It gives just enough information and detail for any interested, engaged and creative teacher to introduce several different forms of Korean art. The curriculum is laid out in a simple but enlightening format which encourages teacher and student to explore and learn. Teachers who are used to being adaptive and flexible will find this curriculum user friendly in that it does not dictate a prescribed format but suggests options for individual and group study.
Two aspects of the curriculum that make it adaptable to various age groups, from preschool to high school, are the “Looking Questions” and suggested activities. The Looking Questions are suggestions of an inquiry based approach to helping adults and students think beyond the basics. The questions can also lead student and teacher to ask more. The activities are basic enough that teachers can either adapt them for simplicity or use them as a stepping stone to engage more deeply.
Although this curriculum was created by the Philadelphia Museum of Art one should not forget to look into local resources to help supplement the learning opportunities. Whether the teacher arranges a field trip to a local museum or artisan gallery or invites the parent of a student into the program to share special talents there are many ways to approach the use of this curriculum and make it a hands on learning experience.
One last note: This curriculum can easily be used by the seasoned educator knowledgeable of Asian cultures and the arts as well as the novice. This curriculum would also work well for the educator teaching curriculum, culture, or the arts to adults.

Diane Hendrick Curriculum review
Learning From Asian Art Korea
This curriculum is well written and could be used for preschool- grade 12 depending on the depth of the presentations of the individual lessons. The images of the art works are clear and full of detail. This curriculum gives information to cross disciplines easily. As a preschool lesson the teacher could introduce one of the collection pieces using either the cards or the CD with as much historical detail as that group of children would be able to understand and then supply the medium for them to create their own piece. As the lessons would be planned for higher grades the lessons could include more details, which are provided, to meet the instructional level of the class. This unit is a complete package for a teacher to effortlessly implement into a unit of study on Korean art.

Philadelphia Museum of Art
Curriculum Unit Includes:
Thirty-six page booklet
Sixteen color slides, labeled
Ten 8.5x11 reproduction prints
VHS Video on a contemporary potter
CD-ROM version of all the elements in the kit
This curriculum unit includes a variety of materials that cover a broad spectrum of Korean art, from examples of 3D architecture, furniture, ceramics, and sculpture to 2D calligraphy and paintings. Chosen from among the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s vast Korean collection, these samples come from a wide range of historical periods beginning with the Silla kingdom and Unified Silla Dynasty (57-935 CE), moving on to the Koryo dynasty (918-1392), continuing with the Choson dynasty (1392-1910) and into the modern period of today.
Using this curriculum unit provides Art teachers the ability to easily collaborate with other disciplines. Art teachers may wish to focus on any one of a variety of suggestions for each of the ten examples; the art investigation questions, group activity and discussion ideas, follow up production suggestions, the detailed descriptions of production techniques, or recommendations for research ideas and extensions are all ways that you can help bring this art to life.
History & Geography teachers may want to explore the themes of daily life and practices in Korea society throughout time, the role of religion in east Asian life, the use of natural resources, symbolism in the arts, or the function and value of art in culture. Language Arts teachers may wish to use the Looking Questions for some pre-writing activities or as a springboard for a creative writing assignment. The Group Activity and Research Ideas for each piece of artwork would provide any Computer or Resource teachers with multiple suggestions for projects, virtual or real. The list of possibilities goes on . . .
A map of the Korean peninsula along with a parallel timeline comparing major historical events in Korea with those around the world will help to strengthen any cross-curricular connections that you may wish to make. In addition, the glossary of art and historical terms, recommended resources, websites, and museums can help a teacher of any discipline incorporate Korea into his or her class, from elementary through high school. This curriculum unit is the complete package for any teacher or team looking to effortlessly enhance their students’ knowledge of Korea and east Asian art.

Malia Bennett
Trinity Area High School
Ceramics 9-12
‘Learning from Asian Art: Korea’ is a curriculum unit produced by the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The kit includes everything you need to teach a comprehensive unit on Korean Art. Included are a booklet of individual lessons each based on a particular work of art and exploring the medium and history involved, slides and printed references of the works referenced, and a video/DVD resource that includes everything in the kit as well as a short video of professional potter Yoon Kwang-Cho. It is a complete unit that covers many areas of Korean art including painting, sculpture and ceramics. The examples provided are prime examples and visually describe exactly what you want the students to learn from them. Personally, the lesson on celadon ceramics applies most directly to my classroom. As a whole, the unit would be a great benefit to any art history class or art class that is focused on Asian Arts. This unit could also be used by a social studies classroom to add another dimension to their studies.

Rebecca Nazario Wright
1st and 2nd Grade
Falk School
Curriculum Unit Review
Learning from Asian Art: Korea
This curriculum unit, produced by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, gives a basic yet highly informative introduction to Korean art. The unit focuses on 10 pieces of Korean art, dating from the 6th to the 21st centuries, and includes photographic slides, image card reproductions, a highly informative booklet, and also a video showing modern potter Yoon Kwang-Cho at work in his studio. The set also includes a CD-ROM with all materials on it. In short, this is a wonderful curriculum unit that can adapted to any virtually grade level.
The booklet contains not only detailed information on each of the pieces of art, but also includes a comparative timeline showing what else was occurring in world history while these pieces were being created in Korea, questions to guide the students’ observation of the piece, information linking the cultural and historical significance, group activities, and suggestions for further research. A helpful glossary and lists of additional resources, including websites, are also included in the booklet.
This broad overview is a terrific introduction to Korean art for students at virtually any elementary and middle school level. It could serve as a very preliminary jumping off point for more involved high school level art history classes, too. Everything that is needed is truly “right in the box,” and the inclusion of both paper-based and digital media is a nice touch. The video, albeit brief at an approximately 15 minute running time, shows Yoon Kwang-Cho at work creating rather modern pieces of pottery. Kwang-Cho had his first solo show in the U.S. at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, so this tie-in makes sense. The incredible amount of information that is provided in the booklet makes the artworks accessible to any teacher; you do not need an art history background to teach about these objects. I look forward to using this unit in my classroom very soon!