Grade Four

1.0 ARTISTIC PERCEPTION

Processing, Analyzing, and Responding to Sensory Information Through the Language and Skills Unique to the Visual Arts

Students perceive and respond to works of art, objects in nature, events, and the environment. They also use the vocabulary of the visual arts to express their observations.

Develop Perceptual Skills and Visual Arts Vocabulary

• 1.1 Perceive and describe contrast and emphasis in works of art and in the environment.
• 1.2 Describe how negative shapes/forms and positive shapes/forms are used in a chosen work of art.
• 1.3 Identify pairs of complementary colors (e.g., yellow/violet; red/green; orange/blue) and discuss how artists use them to communicate an idea or mood.
• 1.4 Describe the concept of proportion (in face, figure) as used in works of art.

Analyze Art Elements and Principles of Design

• 1.5 Describe and analyze the elements of art (e.g., color, shape/form, line, texture, space, value), emphasizing form, as they are used in works of art and found in the environment.

2.0 CREATIVE EXPRESSION

Creating, Performing, and Participating in the Visual Arts

Students apply artistic processes and skills, using a variety of media to communicate meaning and intent in original works of art.

Skills, Processes, Materials, and Tools

• 2.1 Use shading (value) to transform a two-dimensional shape into what appears to be a three-dimensional form (e.g., circle to sphere).
• 2.2 Use the conventions of facial and figure proportions in a figure study.
• 2.3 Use additive and subtractive processes in making simple sculptural forms.
• 2.4 Use fibers or other materials to create a simple weaving.

Communication and Expression Through Original Works of Art

• 2.5 Use accurate proportions to create an expressive portrait or a figure drawing or painting.
• 2.6 Use the interaction between positive and negative space expressively in a work of art.
• 2.7 Use contrast (light and dark) expressively in an original work of art.
• 2.8 Use complementary colors in an original composition to show contrast and emphasis.

3.0 HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT

Understanding the Historical Contributions and Cultural Dimensions of the Visual Arts

Students analyze the role and development of the visual arts in past and present cultures throughout the world, noting human diversity as it relates to the visual arts and artists.

Role and Development of the Visual Arts

• 3.1 Describe how art plays a role in reflecting life (e.g., in photography, quilts, architecture).

Diversity of the Visual Arts

• 3.2 Identify and discuss the content of works of art in the past and present, focusing on the different cultures that have contributed to California's history and art heritage.
• 3.3 Research and describe the influence of religious groups on art and architecture, focusing primarily on buildings in California both past and present.

4.0 AESTHETIC VALUING

Responding to, Analyzing, and Making Judgments About Works in the Visual Arts

Students analyze, assess, and derive meaning from works of art, including their own, according to the elements of art, the principles of design, and aesthetic qualities.

Derive Meaning

• 4.1 Describe how using the language of the visual arts helps to clarify personal responses to works of art.
• 4.2 Identify and describe how a person's own cultural context influences individual responses to works of art.
• 4.3 Discuss how the subject and selection of media relate to the meaning or purpose of a work of art.

Make Informed Judgments

• 4.4 Identify and describe how various cultures define and value art differently.
• 4.5 Describe how the individual experiences of an artist may influence the development of specific works of art.

5.0 CONNECTIONS, RELATIONSHIPS, APPLICATIONS

Connecting and Applying What Is Learned in the Visual Arts to Other Art Forms and Subject Areas and to Careers

Students apply what they learn in the visual arts across subject areas. They develop competencies and creative skills in problem solving, communication, and management of time and resources that contribute to lifelong learning and career skills. They also learn about careers in and related to the visual arts.

Connections and Applications

• 5.1 Select a nonobjective painting, work in small groups to interpret it through dance/movement, and then write a paragraph reporting on the arts experience.
• 5.2 Identify through research twentieth-century artists who have incorporated symmetry as a part of their work and then create a work of art, using bilateral or radial symmetry.

Visual Literacy

• 5.3 Construct diagrams, maps, graphs, timelines, and illustrations to communicate ideas or tell a story about a historical event.

Careers and Career-Related Skills

• 5.4 Read biographies and stories about artists and summarize the readings in short reports, telling how the artists mirrored or affected their time period or culture.