Welcome to Art

In Art class children are given an opportunity to express themselves in a two-dimensional (example: paper) or three-dimensional (example: sculpture) visual way.

This is accomplished by:

• Development of manual skills
• Use of various techniques and tools that are developmentally appropriate for the age level and abilities of the child
• Looking and learning about art, artists and artistic styles
• Projects emphasizing the elements of good design, color, shape, line, value and texture
• Emphasis on process, not product of making art
• Allowing the child to make choices and experiment with various mediums
• Verbal discussion of creative problems and solutions
• Appreciation of classmates’ work and differing perspectives
• Demonstration of technique where applicable
• Positive encouragement and guidance

Visual Arts Benchmarks  

Kindergarten

By the time your child completes Kindergarten, s/he will be able to:

• Recognize and describe patterns found in environment and works of art
• Name art material
• Describe how artists use tints and shades in painting
• Describe theme, genre, and differences in artworks
• Identify the elements of art (line, color, shape, texture, pattern)
• Observe elements of art in nature
• Use lines to create shapes
• Use lines, shapes, and colors to make patterns
• Make a collage
• Mix secondary colors from primary colors
• Demonstrate beginning skill with sculpture
• Use basic art making tools: print making equipment, brushes, scissors, glue
• Use art media including oil pastels, water colors, tempera, clay, markers, pastels
• Explore art ideas in personal sketch book
• Express ideas about family and neighborhood
• Express feelings in drawings
• Use geometric shapes
• Create a work of art using warm or cool colors
• Use symmetry to create visual balance
• Create an original artwork using a printing process
• Self-assess artwork using art language

Grade 1

Skills and concepts introduced in Kindergarten will be extended, practiced, and refined. In addition, your child will be able to:

• Recognize and describe characteristics of abstract and representational art
• Create a representational sculpture based on people, animals, or buildings
• Paint and draw a landscape
• Create a pinch pot ceramic vessel/Native American studies

Grade 2

Skills and concepts introduced in Grade 1 will be extended, practiced, and refined. In addition, your child will be able to:

• Describe concept of proportion
• Use conventions of facial and figure proportions in a figure study
• Use various observational drawing skills to depict a variety of subject matter
• Use conventions to create an expressive portrait, figured drawing, or painting
• Paint a seascape

Grade 3

Skills and concepts introduced in Grade 2 will be extended, practiced, and refined. In addition, your child will be able to:

• Create a Japanese tea bowl/Asian studies
• Describe how artists use tints and shades in painting
• Create a color wheel using tempera paints
• Identify and describe foreground, middle-ground, and background
• Write an artist’s biographical essay
• Identify complementary colors
• Mix and apply tempera paints to create tints, shades, and neutral colors
• Depict the illusion of depth in artwork, using overlapping shapes, relative size, and placement in the picture plane
• Create a ceramic relief sculpture

Grade 4

Skills and concepts introduced in Grade 3 will be extended, practiced, and refined. In addition, your child will be able to:

• Describe how negative and positive shapes are used in artwork – use concept to create linoleum print
• Use tools safely
• Create a slab construction sushi tray with nature/
• Use shading (value) to transform a two-dimensional shape into what appears to be a three dimensional figure
• Assemble a found object sculpture or a mixed media two-dimensional composition

Grade 5

Skills and concepts introduced in Grade 4 will be extended, practiced, and refined. In addition, your child will be able to:

• Create a ceramic slab container with personal image
• Use one point perspective to create the illusion of space
• Create gesture and contour observational drawings
• Apply the rules of three point perspective in creating a work of art
• Use perspective in an original work of art to create a scene

Grade 6

Skills and concepts introduced in Grade 5 will be extended, practiced, and refined. In addition, your child will be able to:

• Demonstrate beginning skill in manipulation of digital imagery
• Use various media to connect with World Civilization studies

Create an original ceramic tile using personal imag