Course Overview

Following the timeline of the K¹² History program, first grade Art lessons introduce students to the art and architecture of different cultures, such as Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt, Greece, and China. Students will:

• Identify landscapes, still-lifes, and portraits

• Study elements of art, such as line, shape, and texture

• Create artwork similar to works they learn about, using many materials and techniques-inspired by Vincent van Gogh's The Starry Night, students paint their own starry landscape using bold brushstroke, and they make clay sculptures inspired by a bust of Queen Nefertiti and the Great Sphinx.

Course Outline

Let's Get Started

• Identify lines in artworks, such as Parade by Jacob Lawrence

• Identify different types of artworks, including paintings and sculpture

• Differentiate between art that looks real and art that looks make-believe

• Learn about the life of Jacob Lawrence and the characteristics of his works

Shapes and Colors

• Identify shapes and colors in artworks, such as American Gothic by Grant Wood

• Describe how colors are mixed to make new colors

• Identify symmetry in artworks, such as the Bust of Queen Nefertiti from Egypt

• Learn about the lives of Piet Mondrian and Wassily Kandinsky, and the characteristics of their works

Ancient Art, Part 1: Cave Paintings, Mesopotamian Art, and Ancient Egyptian Art

• Identify and describe characteristics of cave paintings, Mesopotamian art and architecture, and ancient Egyptian art and architecture, such as red bull and horse from Lascaux, lion from the Processional Way from Babylon,and the bust of Queen Nefertiti from Egypt

Let Me Repeat Myself: Patterns

• Identify and describe patterns and alternating patterns in artworks, such as Broadway Boogie Woogie by Piet Mondrian

• Learn about the life of Edward Hicks and the characteristics of his works

Getting in Touch with Art

• Texture: Identify and describe qualities of texture in artworks, such as A Young Hare by Albrecht Dürer

As Different as Night and Day: Tints and Shades

• Identify tints and shades in artworks, such as Water Lilies Nymphas by Claude Monet

• Describe how tints and shades are made

• Learn about the lives of James McNeill Whistler and Claude Monet, and the characteristics of their works

How Artists See People

• Identify self-portraits and portraits, such as Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci

• Describe characteristics of self-portraits and portraits

• Describe how paintings show artists' memories and visual stories

• Learn about the life of Leonardo da Vinci and the characteristics of his works

Scenic Overlook: Landscapes

• Identify landscapes, such as The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh, and describe their features

• Learn about the life of Vincent van Gogh and the characteristics of his works

Don't Move: Still Life Paintings

• Identify still life paintings, such as Mandolin and Guitar by Pablo Picasso, and describe their characteristics

Ancient Art, Part Two

• Identify and describe characteristics of ancient Greek and Chinese art, such as Greek vases and The Flying Horse from China.