California Visual Art Standards
(Pre-Kindergarten- Eighth Grade)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
For full standards, please visit: http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/vamain.asp
Visual Art National Standards
Content Standard #1: Understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes
- (K-4)Students know the differences between materials, techniques, and processes
- (K-4)Students describe how different materials, techniques, and processes cause different responses
- (K-4)Students use different media, techniques, and processes to communicate ideas, experiences, and stories
- (K-4)Students use art materials and tools in a safe and responsible manner
Content Standard #2: Using knowledge of structures and functions
- (K-4)Students know the differences among visual characteristics and purposes of art in order to convey ideas
- (K-4)Students describe how different expressive features and organizational principles cause different responses
- (K-4)Students use visual structures and functions of art to communicate ideas
- (5-8)Students generalize about the effects of visual structures and functions and reflect upon these effects in their own work
- (5-8)Students employ organizational structures and analyze what makes them effective or not effective in the communication of ideas
- (5-8)Students select and use the qualities of structures and functions of art to improve communication of their ideas
Content Standard #3: Choosing and evaluating a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas
- (K-4)Students explore and understand prospective content for works of art
- (K-4)Students select and use subject matter, symbols, and ideas to communicate meaning
- (5-8)Students integrate visual, spatial, and temporal concepts with content to communicate intended meaning in their artworks
- (5-8)Students use subjects, themes, and symbols that demonstrate knowledge of contexts, values, and aesthetics that communicate intended meaning in artworks
Content Standard #4: Understanding the visual arts in relation to history and cultures
- (K-4)Students know that the visual arts have both a history and specific relationships to various cultures
- (K-4)Students identify specific works of art as belonging to particular cultures, times, and places
- (K-4)Students demonstrate how history, culture, and the visual arts can influence each other in making and studying works of art
- (5-8)Students know and compare the characteristics of artworks in various eras and cultures
- (5-8)Students describe and place a variety of art objects in historical and cultural contexts
- (5-8)Students analyze, describe, and demonstrate how factors of time and place (such as climate, resources, ideas, and technology) influence visual characteristics that give meaning and value to a work of art
Content Standard #5: Reflecting upon and assessing the characteristics and merits of their work and the work of others
- (K-4)Students understand there are various purposes for creating works of visual art
- (K-4)Students describe how people’s experiences influence the development of specific artworks
- (K-4)Students understand there are different responses to specific artworks
- (5-8)Students compare multiple purposes for creating works of art
- (5-8)Students analyze contemporary and historic meanings in specific artworks through cultural and aesthetic inquiry
- (5-8)Students describe and compare a variety of individual responses to their own artworks and to artworks from various eras and cultures
Content Standard #6: Making connections between visual arts and other disciplines
- (K-4)Students understand and use similarities and differences between characteristics of the visual arts and other arts disciplines
- (K-4)Students identify connections between the visual arts and other disciplines in the curriculum
- (5-8)Students compare the characteristics of works in two or more art forms that share similar subject matter, historical periods, or cultural context
- (5-8)Students describe ways in which the principles and subject matter of other disciplines taught in the school are interrelated with the visual arts
- (5-8)Students select media, techniques, and processes; analyze what makes them effective or not effective in communicating ideas; and reflect upon the effectiveness of their choices
- (5-8)Students intentionally take advantage of the qualities and characteristics of art media, techniques, and processes to enhance communication of their experiences and ideas
