Art Curriculum Grades 1-5

1st-5th grade students attend Art one day per week in the Artroom for a 40-minute class. We follow the NC standards for Visual Art Education, which include the following…

 Using the language of the visual arts to communicate artistic concepts and ideas.

We focus on learning, then identifying the art elements and principles, and using them in our own artwork.

Applying God’s gifts of creativity and critical thinking through artistic expressions.  

Students are directed to include certain elements in their artwork, but are given leeway in making it their own unique piece. We rarely do directed drawing-type projects in Art class, but instead may start our project the same way and then add our own creativity to it.

Create art using a variety of tools, media, and processes, safely and appropriately.

Much time is spent in the artroom learning how to properly use and care for art tools. We use a variety of different materials throughout the year, including pastels, different types of paint, pastels, markers, clay, and printmaking and collage materials

Understand the global,  historical, societal, and cultural contexts of the visual arts, including those in our Catholic faith.

Several projects throughout the year will include our Catholic Faith. For example, 2nd grade will create an image of a Saint while learning about drawing faces. Art history is woven into most lessons, with students looking at famous artworks and identifying key elements before creating their own art in that style.

Understand the interdisciplinary connections and life applications of the visual arts

We learn that sometimes art has a use, for example, creating clay bowls…they are beautiful, and when made properly, can hold items inside. We may also incorporate math by learning the “rule of thirds” and spacing design elements in our composition.

Use critical analysis to generate responses to a variety of prompts.

Many projects in 1st-5th grade are designed to encourage creativity and artistic expression. Often, students in the older elementary grades are given the choice of materials for a project and need to decide what works best for their idea. For example, a project for Veterans’ Day may encourage the students to show their appreciation for Veterans by creating flag designs with words of thanks on them. The intent is for everyone to express their ideas in their own style while still following the parameters of the project.