Week 3:
 I gave the Pre VTS assessment to my Foundations of Art class. All of my students were present
 during this class. It is a mix grade level group; consisting mostly of freshman and sophomores 
with one Senior and a few juniors. They are all in this basic class with very little prior knowledge of
 art at all. After reviewing the results of the assessment, a lot of the students came up with a common 
story line. Some students revealed more evidence then some of the others. A lot of the students 
created a story with predictions on what they were viewing. This class has about half of the student 
population that requires accommodations due to a Learning Profile, aka IEP.  I was surprised on 
how well they did with telling me what they saw in writing. But I was also very disappointed in 
some students writing skills.
 
I believe that the students fall within Housen’s description of Stage one:
Accountive viewers are storytellers. Using their senses, memories, and personal associations, they 
make concrete observations about a work of art that are woven into a narrative. Here, judgments 
are based on what is known and what is liked. Emotions color viewers' comments, as they seem to 
enter the work of art and become part of its unfolding narrative.
 
They all had a narrative and told me a story about the painting. They all had some predictions. I am 
looking forward to when the students can write and vividly describe what they see. One of my 
schools common goals is writing skills. I think lessons like this will help improve writing. I also think 
that the students will like these writing lessons because there is no right or wrong answer. They are 
simply telling a story about what they are viewing and providing evidence to back up their story.
 
I am very excited about using this more in my class!