Elementary Visual Arts Grades K-6

Kindergarten: Visual Arts

STANDARDS METCONTENT/SKILLS/ACTIVITITES
STANDARD APerforming and Creating
1, 2, 4a. Identify basic colors and shapes.
1-4b. Observe a visual artist at work or in a demonstration (career).
1-4c. Use a variety of tools and materials (e.g., snow, sand, crayons, brushes, paints, pencils, felt pens, paste, glue, scissors, clay, paper, and computer.)
1-4d. Use a variety of techniques and processes (e.g., finger painting, print making, drawing, painting, clay construction, collage, snow sculpture, and sand sculpture.)
1-3e. Use color, line, shape, and texture in a variety of ways.
1, 2, 4f. Express own ideas using pictures and symbols.
 g. Create illustrations in journals and student-produced books.
5, 6h. Create class murals and class books.
7i. Discuss children’s book illustrators.
6j. Illustrate a poem.
7k. Discuss diversity of art careers: architects, Newbery winners, graphic artists.
5, 6l. Create a self-portrait.
STANDARD BHistory and Culture
5-8a. Look at and talk about examples of a wide variety of art from other cultures and historical periods.
1-3, 6-8b. Identify traditional Alaska art forms.
1-8c. Observe an Alaska Native artist.
5-8d. Observe examples of how visual art is created and used in World cultures.
9e. Visit an art gallery and discuss the role of curator.

Kindergarten: Visual Arts

STANDARDS METCONTENT/SKILLS/ACTIVITIES
STANDARD CEvaluation and Analysis
1, 2a. Observe and discuss many examples of visual arts in a variety of media and art presentations; answer the question, “What do you see?” Discuss craftsmanship, technique, and function.
2b. Develop appropriate vocabulary to describe design (line, shape, color, and texture).
2c. Discuss meaning in a work of art in terms of ideas, moods, or feelings.
3-6d. Explain own artwork.
2e. Identify between visual elements (line, form, texture, color, and shape).
2f. Begin to name and point to visual elements such as colors, textures, and shapes.
3-6g. Display own artwork and share in the classroom.
STANDARD DAesthetic Perception
7a. Distinguish between art reproductions, posters, and original art.
1, 7, 8b. Recognize the relationship of art to everyday life.
1-4, 7, 8c. Share examples of art from home.
1-6d. Discuss what makes an object a work of art.
5e. Compare art beliefs of other cultures

ASSESSMENTS (See Online curriculum resources for examples.)
• Display of student work with standards
• Observational/anecdotal teacher notes
• Student portfolio
• Student samples
• Student skill checklists and rubrics
• Video/audio of class performance

First Grade: Visual Arts

STANDARDS METCONTENT/SKILLS/ACTIVITITES
STANDARD APerforming and Creating
1-6a. Identify basic colors and shapes.
1-6b. Experiment with color mixing.
1-6c. Explore actual texture in art.
1-6d. Explore line movement in art.
1-6e. Explore positive and negative space.
1-4, 6f. Use a variety of tools and materials (e.g., snow, sand, crayons, brushes, paints, pencils, felt pens, paste, glue, scissors, clay, paper, fabric, and computer).
1-4, 6g. Use a variety of techniques and processes, (e.g., finger painting, print making, drawing, painting, clay construction, collage) pictorially, symbolically, and three-dimensionally.
1-6h. Use color, line, shape, space, and texture in a variety of ways.
1-5i. Express own ideas using pictures and symbols.
7j. Critique different children’s book illustrators.
1-5, 7k. Use illustrations in journals and student-produced books.
1-4l. Create and record a series of self-portraits throughout the school year using colored markers.
STANDARD BHistory and Culture
2-9a. Look at and talk about examples of a wide variety of art from other cultures and historical periods.
1, 3, 4, 8b. Identify traditional Alaskan art forms.
1, 4, 6c. Research the role of art in native tools and household objects.
2, 4-8d. Find similarities and differences in a wide variety of art from other cultures and historical periods.
6e. Explore the works of various artists through their use of line, color, texture, shape, and space.
2, 4-6, 9f. Explore the development of local community through its visual art forms, including architecture, sculpture, city planning, gardens, and parks.

First Grade: Visual Arts

STANDARDS METCONTENT/SKILLS/ACTIVITIES
STANDARD CEvaluation and Analysis
1-5a. Observe and discuss many examples of visual arts in a variety of media and art presentations; answer the question, “What do you see?”
1-3b. Learn to identify visual elements and use appropriate vocabulary to describe design elements and principles in art (line, shape, color, texture, etc.).
1-3c. Discuss meaning in a work of art in terms of ideas, moods, or feelings.
1, 2, 5d. Explain own work and look at others’ works of art; describe what is seen in terms of elements and principles of design.
1, 2, 5e. Determine how the elements of color, shape, etc., are used in historic and contemporary works of art.
3f. Collaborate with other students to create a display of own artwork.
3g. Write a critique of a cereal box design.
1, 2h. Distinguish between visual elements (form, line, texture, color, shape).
3i. Display own artwork in the classroom.
STANDARD DAesthetic Perception
1, 2a. Distinguish between art reproductions, posters, and original art.
1-6b. Develop perceptual skills and a vocabulary for art by role-playing, physical movement, visual searches, and game-like activities.
7c. Share examples from home, showing how art affects everyday life.
2d. Discuss what makes an object a work of art.
6, 7e. Discuss the role art plays in families and daily life.
8f. Discuss the role of architects, illustrators, graphic designers.
2-6g. Discuss the role of art in cultural beliefs and customs (e.g., clothing, celebrations, and works of art).

First Grade: Visual Arts

ASSESSMENTS (See Online curriculum resources for examples.)
• Display of student work with standards
• Observational/anecdotal records of teacher
• Self portrait
• Student skill checklists and rubrics
• Venn diagram comparing two works of art
• Written evaluation of a work

Second Grade: Visual Arts

STANDARDS METCONTENT/SKILLS/ACTIVITITES
STANDARD APerforming and Creating
1, 2a. Identify primary and secondary colors and neutrals.
1, 2b. Explore the use of warm/cool and light/dark colors.
1-3c. Use the color wheel to see relationships between colors.
1-3d. Explore the expressive qualities of line using a variety of techniques and materials.
1-3e. Use printmaking to design shapes and patterns.
1-3f. Explore the use of form and texture through sculpture.
3-5g. Using a variety of materials, collaborate to create a mural with a community theme.
7h. Interact with an artist in the classroom.
7i. Explore the work of an artist/illustrator familiar to the students.
1, 3, 4, 7j. Create illustrations in journals and student- produced books. Discuss and critique professional illustrators.
1-4k. Create self-portraits in 3D paper sculpture.
STANDARD BHistory and Culture
1-4, 7a. Looks at elements such as line and form in Alaska Native artwork.
1-6b. Bring samples of art from many cultures into the classroom.
4-9c. Visit a local art exhibit. Visit Kenai Cultural Center.
7-9d. Investigate the role of art and artists within the community.

Second Grade: Visual Arts

STANDARDS METCONTENT/SKILLS/ACTIVITIES
STANDARD CEvaluation and Analysis
1, 2a. Develop a vocabulary for critiquing/discussing art.
2b. Identify different elements (line, shapes, etc.) in representational, abstract, and non-objective paintings.
2c. Look at spatial organization (composition) in works of art.
3-5d. Accept and offer constructive criticism utilizing critiquing vocabulary skills.
1, 2e. Develop perceptual skills and meaningful art vocabulary (rhythm, balance, contrast, movement, variety, center of interest, and repetition).
3f. Express own ideas pictorially, symbolically, and three dimensionally.
3, 5g. Display own artwork in classroom.
7h. Write a critique of an exhibit.
6i. Read and discuss art exhibit reviews from newspaper.
STANDARD DAesthetic Perception
1-4a. Examine how art enriches the life of communities through everyday objects and works of art.
5-7b. Explore how people worldwide use imagination, dreams, and life experiences in their own artistic creations and the creations of others.

ASSESSMENTS (See Online curriculum resources for examples.)
• Class journal/sketch book
• Display of student work with standards
• Observational/anecdotal records of teacher
• Self portrait
• Student portfolio
• Student skill checklists
• Venn diagram comparing two works of art
• Written evaluation of a work

Third Grade: Visual Arts

STANDARDS METCONTENT/SKILLS/ACTIVITITES
STANDARD APerforming and Creating
1-4a. Explore natural and man-made pigments.
2-4b. Differentiate between natural and man-made forms.
1-4c. Use organic shapes for printmaking, drawing, sculpture, etc.
1-4d. Use warm and cool colors to create mood in a work of art.
1-4e. Create a message and express an idea through color, shape, and/or line.
1-4f. Use found objects to create a message supporting an environmental concern.
1-4g. Explore the concepts of close and far way using size differences, overlapping of shapes, etc.
1-4h. Illustrate personal journals.
1-4i. Create self-portraits with tempera paint.
STANDARD BHistory and Culture
1-8a. Study a variety of local arts including pottery, textiles, and painting by creative artists in different styles, including Alaska Native art.
1-8b. Study and compare the art of a variety of world cultures with local arts and examine how these arts express their distinct cultures.
5c. Discuss how the arts express individual and universal themes.
2, 4-6, 9d. Talk about how an artist designs the everyday objects that might be found in a classroom.
2, 4-6, 9e. Explore the development of local community through its use of visual art forms, including architecture, sculpture, city planning, gardens, and parts.
9f. Find and describe objects in the classroom and in the home that have been designed by an artist.

Third Grade: Visual Arts

STANDARDS METCONTENT/SKILLS/ACTIVITIES
STANDARD CEvaluation and Analysis
1, 2a. Expand vocabulary for critiquing/discussing art.
1, 2b. Compare and contrast elements of art in painting, sculpture, and architecture.
1, 2c. Look at spatial organization (composition) in works of art.
2d. Analyze the use of various tools in works of art.
3e. Accept and offer constructive criticism.
1, 2f. Learn to see and describe subtle distinctions in line, shape, color, texture, and form in natural and constructed environment.
4, 5g. Collaborate with other students to create an art display.
1, 2h. Develop an ability to use different vantage points (e.g., side view, top view) for observing objects and scenes.
1-6i. Explore the work of various artists through their use of line, color, texture, shape, and space.
3-5j. Display own artwork in the classroom.
STANDARD DAesthetic Perception
1-3, 5-7a. Share examples from home, showing how art affects everyday life.
8b. Discuss diversity in visual art careers related to the search for beauty and meaning, architects, and art critics.
4c. Discuss the role of the arts in various cultures and why people make art (e.g., decorations, celebrations).

ASSESSMENTS (See Online curriculum resources for examples.)
Display of student work with standardsJournals/sketch booksObservational/anecdotal records by teacherSimple quizzesStudent designed rubric of art projectStudent portfolioStudent skill checklistVenn diagram of two works of artWritten evaluation of a work of art

Fourth Grade: Visual Arts

STANDARDS METCONTENT/SKILLS/ACTIVITITES
STANDARD APerforming and Creating
1-4a. Explore action and movement in art through the use of diagonal lines and repetition.
7b. Discuss the role of artists who create different types of portraits using mediums such as photography, painting, sculpture, etc.
1-4, 6c. Use computer graphics to create patterns and rhythms.
1-4d. Use color to show the survival characteristics of plants and animals, including man.
1-4e. Begin drawing from nature in a variety of outdoor settings.
1, 2, 4f. Begin sketchbook journals for observation purposes.
1, 3, 6, 7g. Taking into consideration local resources and geology, design an environmentally friendly community for the Kenai Peninsula.
1, 2, 4h. Illustrate in journals and student-produced books.
1-4i. Create paper collage self-portraits throughout the school year.
STANDARD BHistory and Culture
1, 3, 4, 6, 8a. Study Alaska Native arts and their regional differences by visiting a museum and looking at videos, books, and other media.
1-4, 6-8b. Examine how the geography, natural materials, and subsistence lifestyles have affected Alaskan art and the art of world cultures.
1-4, 8c. Observe ethnic dancers in their native costumes performing in the classroom or a school assembly.
7, 9d. Compare and contrast the design of everyday objects that an artist might create for your local area, other areas of Alaska, and other geographic areas of the United States.
9e. Learn about the careers of artists who design virtually all man-made objects that we see or use (e.g., furniture, clothing, building, transportation).
1, 2f. Look at occurrences of line and pattern in nature.
1, 2g. Look for visual rhythms in nature.

Fourth Grade: Visual Arts

STANDARDS METCONTENT/SKILLS/ACTIVITIES
STANDARD CEvaluation and Analysis
1-5a. Analyze works of art (e.g., crafts, architecture, paintings, textiles, jewelry, sculpture, printmaking).
1-5b. Using a work of art, discuss and analyze the artist's techniques, intent, and message.
1, 3, 5c. Accept and offer constructive criticism utilizing critiquing vocabulary skills.
1-5, 6d. Discuss different types of portraits including the student’s own portraits.
5e. Display own artwork in classroom.
STANDARD DAesthetic Perception
3, 4a. Look at works of art and describe subtle distinctions in rhythm, balance, contrast, movement, variety, center of interest, and repetition.
3, 4b. Identify subtle visual qualities in artworks and architecture of various geographic regions.
2, 3, 6c. Share art from home or home design.
2, 4, 5-7d. Compare and contrast visual qualities in home designs and local community architecture.
6-8e. Discuss the relationship of art materials and design to the environment.

Fifth Grade: Visual Arts

STANDARDS METCONTENT/SKILLS/ACTIVITITES
STANDARD APerforming and Creating
1-4a. Use sketchbooks to explore and develop ideas.
1-5b. Explore perspective and forms, including two-dimensional and low relief.
1-4, 6c. Use perspective in various media, two-dimensional and low relief.
1, 3, 4d. Depict the stages in the life cycle of a real or imaginary life form.
1-4e. Explore new ways to use familiar media in areas such as relief carving, etching, weaving (clay, crayons, paper, pastels, etc.).
1-4f. Use a variety of media to create three-dimensional art.
1-4g. Develop familiarization of color mixing, primary and secondary colors, and gradations.
1-4h. Observe and depict color in nature via painting/drawing (paint, pastels, and crayons).
1-5i. Create an illustrated timeline depicting the age of exploration through westward expansion including the impact on environment/culture(s).
1-5j. Create illustrations in journals and student- produced books.
1-4k. Create a series of self-portraits throughout the school year.
STANDARD BHistory and Culture
1, 2, 4, 6-8a. Study the use of natural elements (flora, fauna, pigments) by Alaska Natives in the production of their art, and compare this to the art of other world cultures.
2-4, 7, 8b. Examine how the existence of specific natural materials in any area of the world has resulted in the production of a specific art form (e.g., cedar trees in Southeast Alaska resulted in war canoes and totem poles; lack of large usable timber in coastal Scandinavian area resulted in Viking ships and stave churches).
2, 4, 6, 8, 9c. Find and study examples of visual arts (paintings, sculptures, artifacts, prints, and photographs) depicting the vast expanse of land in the West and the men and women who took part in the Westward Expansion Movement in the United States.
9d. Investigate the role of an art and artifact historian.
2, 4, 5e. Examine and explore the arts as part of a historical timeline.
1, 2, 5, 7, 9f. Compare and contrast the above with American Native art of the same period.

Fifth Grade: Visual Arts

STANDARDS METCONTENT/SKILLS/ACTIVITIES
STANDARD CEvaluation and Analysis
1, 2a. Recognize individual styles of artists (e.g., students, professionals, and masters).
1-3, 5b. Analyze and critique an acknowledged art masterpiece.
1, 2c. Identify and analyze how light affects our perceptions of color, texture, and form.
1, 2, 4d. Look for and discuss the changes in art styles over time.
1, 2e. Identify and analyze how we perceive space and distance.
5f. Display own artwork in classroom.
1-3g. Critique an image showing the early American West and compare it to an image created by a contemporary western artist.
1, 2h. Describe implied paths of movement, interactions of colors and shapes, and the moods of places at different times of day and in different seasons or weather.
STANDARD DAesthetic Perception
1-4, 6a. Share art from home and discuss what makes it a work of art.
4-7b. Compare and contrast arts that represent our traditions, customs, heritage, attitudes, and values.

Sixth Grade: Visual Arts

STANDARDS METCONTENT/SKILLS/ACTIVITITES
STANDARD APerforming and Creating
1-4, 7a. Use a theme or topic of personal interest and depict an aspect of this theme through a poster, stamp design, container message, book etc. Discuss careers for these kinds of artists.
1-4, 7b. Create works in two and three dimensions using both additive and subtractive techniques. Discuss careers of sculptors.
1-4c. Use sketchbook to explore and develop ideas.
1-4d. Explore color mixing. For example, mix primary and secondary colors for application of tint and shades.
1-4, 7e. Create a poster/display illustrating scientific concepts, such as the food chain, the plant kingdom, etc. Incorporate principles of design in the artwork's format. Look at professionally produced movie posters, CD covers, video covers.
1-4f. Create a series of self-portraits throughout the school year (masks, sculptures, family portraits).
1-5g. Explore new ways to use familiar media in areas such as relief carving, etching, weaving, or to create a class project such as a wall hanging (clay, crayons, paper, pastels, etc.).
STANDARD BHistory and Culture
6-9a. Study the artist images (paintings, drawings, prints, photography, sculptures, and films) inspired by the space program.
1, 3, 4, 6, 8b. Study Alaska Native arts and regional differences by visiting a museum or video store.
1-4c. Compare Alaska Native artists' design and decoration on everyday objects, with native designs from other parts of the world (e.g., Alaskan ulus compared with African knives, Southwestern pottery compared with Asian pottery).
1-4, 6-8d. Examine how the geography, natural materials, and subsistence lifestyles affect Alaska by region.
5-7e. Find and study visual arts depicting various geographic areas from around the world and compare to Alaskan art.
9f. Research the training needed to become an art historian.

Sixth Grade: Visual Arts

STANDARDS METCONTENT/SKILLS/ACTIVITIES
STANDARD CEvaluation and Analysis
2a. Identify art concepts and elements (e.g., rhythm, balance, contrast, movement, variety, center of interest, repetition, interaction of color, shapes, texture, and form).
1, 2b. Analyze a set of historical Alaskan photographs.
1c. Analyze and make informed judgments about works of art.
4d. Analyze the intent of the artist in different works.
4e. Compare multiple purposes for creating art.
4f. Learn the difference between a fine art print and a reproduction.
1, 2g. Compare and contrast paintings/sculptures with a central theme (e.g., war, peace).
3-5h. Participate in an exhibition of student artwork (e.g., classroom or school wide).
7, 8i. Explore specific careers in professional and commercial art (e.g., industrial, design, architecture).
1, 6j. Discuss the variety of artistic disciplines and technology involved in the production of manufactured goods.
1, 2k. Identify the underlying structures such as proportions, visual rhythms, and types of balance in the environment.
STANDARD DAesthetic Perception
1-6a. Discuss what makes an object a work of art.
1-4, 7, 8b. Share examples of art from home.
1-6c. Discuss relationship of art to everyday life.
3-5d. Discuss historical traditions, customs, and cultural changes influencing the arts of the Pacific Rim and Alaska.

Fourth - Sixth Grade: Visual Arts

ASSESSMENTS (See Online curriculum resources for examples.)
• Checklists/rubrics designed by students
• Concept mapping
• Display of student work with arts standards
• Journals/sketchbookObservational/anecdotal records by teacher
• Quizzes/tests on vocabulary and design
• Self-portrait
• Student portfolios
• Venn diagram of two works of art
• Written evaluation of a work