Art Essential Learning Outcomes
By the end of kindergarten students will be able to:
- engage in exploration and imaginative play with materials.
- through experimentation, build skills in various media and approaches to art making.
- identify safe and non-toxic art materials, tools, and equipment.
- prepare and present artwork for display.
- identify uses of art within one’s personal environment.
- interpret art by identifying subject matter and describing relevant details.
- create art that tells a story about a life experience.
By the end of first grade students will be able to:
- engage collaboratively in exploration and imaginative play with materials.
- use observation and investigation in preparation for making a work of art.
- explore uses of materials and tools to create works of art or design.
- demonstrate safe and proper procedures for using materials, tools,and equipment while making art.
- use art vocabulary to describe choices while creating art.
- compare images that represent the same subject.
- identify times, places and reasons by which students make art outside of school.
- understand that people from different places and times have made art for a variety of reasons.
- brainstorm collaboratively multiple approaches to an art or design problem.
- make art or design with various materials and tools to explore personal interests, questions, and curiosity.
- experiment with various materials and tools to explore personal interests in a work of art or design.
- demonstrate safe and procedures for using and cleaning art tools, equipment and studio space.
- repurpose objects to make something new.
- perceive and describe aesthetic characteristics of one’s natural world and constructed environments.
- interpret art by identifying the mood suggested by a work of art and describing relevant subject matter and characteristics of form.
- use learned art vocabulary to express preferences about artwork.
- create works of art about events in home, school, or community life.
- elaborate on an imaginative idea.
- apply knowledge of available resources, tools, and technologies to investigate personal ideas through the art-making process.
- create personally satisfying artwork using a variety of artistic processes and materials.
- demonstrate an understanding of the safe and proficient use of materials, tools, and equipment for a variety of artistic processes.
- individually or collaboratively construct representations, diagrams, or maps of places that are part of everyday life.
- elaborate visual information by adding details in an artwork to enhance emerging meaning.
- speculate about processes an artist uses to create a work of art.
- determine messages communicated by an image.
- interpret art by analyzing use of media to create subject matter, characteristics of form, and mood.
- evaluate an artwork based on given criteria.
- develop a work of art based on observations of surroundings.
- recognize that responses to art change depending on knowledge of the time and place in which it was made.
- brainstorm multiple approaches to a creative art or design problem.
- collaboratively set goals and create artwork that is meaningful and has purpose to the makers.
- explore and invent art making techniques and approaches.
- when making works of art, utilize and care for materials, tools, and equipment in a manner that prevents danger to oneself and others.
- revise artwork in progress on the basis of insights gained through peer discussion.
- analyze components in visual imagery that convey messages.
- interpret art by referring to contextual information and analyzing relevant subject matter, characteristics of form, and use of media.
- create works of art that reflect community cultural traditions.
- through observation, infer information about time, place, and culture in which a work of art was created.
By the end of fifth grade students will be able to:
- combine ideas to generate an innovative idea for art - making.
- experiment and develop skills in multiple art making techniques and approaches through practice.
- demonstrate quality craftsmanship through care for and use of, materials, tools, and equipment.
- create artist statements using art vocabulary to describe personal choices in art - making.
- select, prepare and present artwork for display.
- compare one’s own interpretation of a work of art with with the interpretation of others.
- apply formal and conceptual vocabularies of art and design to view surroundings in new ways through art making.
By the end of sixth grade students will be able to:
- formulate an artistic investigation of personally relevant content for creating art.
- demonstrate openness in trying new ideas, materials, methods, and approaches in making works of art and design.
- reflect on whether personal artwork conveys the intended meaning and revise accordingly.
- analyze ways that visual components and cultural associations suggested by images influence ideas, emotions, and actions.
- interpret art by distinguishing between relevant and non-relevant contextual information and analyzing subject matter, characteristics of form and structure and use of media to identify ideas and mood conveyed.
- generate a collection of ideas reflecting current interests and concerns that could be investigated in art making.
By the end of seventh grade students will be able to:
- develop criteria to guide making a work of art or design to meet an identified goal.
- demonstrate persistence in developing skills with various materials, methods, and approaches in creating works of art or design.
- reflect on and explain important information about personal artwork in an artist statement or another format.
- interpret art by analyzing art making approaches, the characteristics of form, and structure, relevant contextual information, subject matter and use of media to identify ideas and mood conveyed.
- individually or collaboratively create visual documentation of places and times in which people gather to make and experience art or design in the community.
- analyze how response to art is influenced by understanding the time and place in which it was created, the available resources and cultural uses.
By the end of eighth grade, students will be able to:
- demonstrate willingness to experiment, innovate, and take risks to pursue ideas, forms, and meanings that emerge in the process of art making and designing.
- select organize, and design images and words to make visually clear and compelling presentations.
- apply relevant criteria to examine reflect on and plan revisions for a work of art or design in progress.
- collaboratively prepare and present selected theme - based artwork for display and formulate exhibition narratives for the viewer.
- interpret art by analyzing how the interaction of the subject matter, characteristics of form and structure, use of media, art making approaches, and relevant contextual information contributes to understanding messages or ideas and mood conveyed.
- make art collaboratively to reflect on and reinforce positive aspects of group identity.
At HNR we believe that a well rounded education that includes the arts is essential for children. The developmental benefits of visual arts education contribute to a student that can achieve more in many areas. Skills that are fostered include:
- Fine motor skills development
- Language skill development.
- Good decision making
- Visual spatial skills
- Reading and interpreting visual information. “Knowledge about the visual arts, such as graphic symbolism, is especially important in helping kids become smart consumers and navigate a world filled with marketing logos” says Dr. Kerry Freedman, Head of Art and Design Education at Northern Illinois University.*
- Inventiveness.
Not only does visual arts education help students to develop multiple skills, studying the art and art history of different cultures offers students a peek into other times, places, and people . Studying a culture’s art leads to better understanding. In today’s diverse global society we need to understand the many cultures that make up our world
At the elementary, starting in 4 year old kindergarten, art skills are developed and each year builds on the last as projects become more complex and students are given more independence. We encourage exploration and creativity while creating structured classes that focus on a particular skill or type of art. A class or unit starts with an introduction period and then students are expected to use what they have learned and experiment with the media provided. We use individual and group reflection to provide multiple types of feedback throughout the creative process. Final art products are displayed throughout the school and at various events during the year.
Art classes within the intermediate grades expand on the elementary foundation in understanding, skills and creativity development in the visual arts in an exploratory manner consistent with the intermediate philosophy. Through the Intermediate School Visual Arts Curriculum, students:
- Develop increasingly sophisticated creative strategies, skills, and habits of mind through artistic experimentation and practices.
- Apply design literacy to a wide variety of traditional and new media.
- Acquire increasing complex procedural knowledge, skill and craftsmanship in art making while exploring an expanded range of media.
- Develop more sophisticated aesthetic judgment that supports the making and understanding of rich meaning in art, through reflection, self criticism, and the willingness to experiment and learn from their mistakes.
- Explore a wide range of notions about the meaning and purpose of visual art.