The elementary visual arts curriculum helps students understand how media, technique and process are used to create works of art. Students also learn how artworks are structured and how art has a variety of functions. Students learn how to identify, analyze and select subject matter, symbols and ideas for personal expression. They are taught how historical and cultural contexts provide meaning for works of art as well as how to assess the merits of their own artworks and the artworks of others.
Some topics covered in each grade level include:
Kindergarten:
Different types of media such as crayon, pencil, paint, clay and paper
Basic skills such as making marks, cutting and pasting
Art created based on personal experiences and imagination
Visual elements of line, shape and texture
Color names and color mixing techniques
Artworks and how images convey ideas
People around the world make different kinds of art for many reasons
How their own artwork reflects their experiences
First Grade:
Different types of media
Using media for drawing, painting, collage, printmaking, sculpture and other three-dimensional art
Media and techniques to communicate ideas
Differences in material and techniques used in art and how they affect appearance
Artworks created with different media and techniques
Visual elements of line, shape and texture
Warm, cool and neutral color families
Ideas and themes in artwork
Art from different times and places
How their artwork reflects their experiences
Second Grade:
Different types of media
Using familiar media in new ways
Viewing different media and techniques in artworks from around the world
Visual elements of line, shape, texture, form and space
Design principles of balance, emphasis, movement, pattern, proportion, rhythm, unity and variety
Common functions of art
Artworks, and how the elements and principles of design can elicit responses
Creating artworks using a variety of subject matter and themes
Ideas and symbols in the artworks of various cultures
Viewing varied styles and types of art with greater emphasis on the cultural origin, function and style
Explaining and comparing their own reasons for making art with the reasons of others
Third Grade:
Flexibility and problem-solving in two-and three-dimensional artworks
Different media and techniques in artworks from around the world
Creating art which communicates ideas based on imagination, recall and observation
How materials, techniques and processes used in artworks create different visual effects and affect viewer responses
Color schemes
Design principles
Examining artworks and describing how images convey ideas
Using the elements and principles of design to communicate ideas
Different artistic interpretations and themes
Creating artworks using a variety of subject matter, symbols and themes
Ideas and symbols in artwork from various cultures
Recognizing selected works of art as belonging to particular cultures and time
Fourth Grade:
Skills and flexibility in creating two and three-dimensional artworks
Media and techniques in artworks from around the world
How materials, techniques and processes in artworks create different visual effects and viewer responses
Visual elements (line, space, forms and shapes) and color schemes
Using the elements and principles of design to communicate personal ideas
Analyzing different interpretations of ideas and themes from various cultures
Cultural origins, functions, styles and relative ages of artwork from different times and places
How a variety of artists' experiences influenced their artwork
How their art reflects their experiences
Fifth Grade:
Using media through multistage techniques, problem-solving and planned experiments
Effectiveness of choice of media and techniques to communicate intended ideas
How characteristics of media and techniques communicate meaning in art around the world
Visual structures of contrast, repetition, emphasis, movement, rhythm, illusions of depth, harmony and balance
The functions of art (decorative, expressive, practical and persuasive)
Using the elements and principles of design to communicate intended ideas
Critiquing own artwork in terms of effective communication of intended ideas
Drawing from sources such as experiences, trends in the news media or concepts in other subject areas for themes to incorporate into artwork
Identifying and using subjects, themes and symbols in artworks
How cultural contexts, values and aesthetics influence the meaning of artworks
Subjects, themes and symbols of artwork from different cultures and eras
The meaning of an artwork within its historical and cultural context
Responding to other students' artworks in a clear and organized manner
Sixth & Seventh Grade:
Students participate in Art classes for one quarter of the school year. Art classes expand on the elementary foundation in understanding and skills in the visual arts. Through the Arts Curriculum, students:Â
Develop increasingly sophisticated creative strategies, skills, and habits of mind through artistic practices.
Apply design literacy to a variety of media.
Acquire increasingly complex procedural knowledge, skill and craftsmanship in art making while exploring a range of media.
Develop more sophisticated aesthetic judgment that supports the making and understanding of meaning in art.
Explore a range of notions about the meaning and purpose of visual art.
Form a broader knowledge and understanding of our rich and diverse historical and cultural heritage through art.
Click here to view the Visual Arts Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools