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Learning Standards Standards

What does a student learn in ?

This is the year art moves from playing with materials to making pictures on purpose. Students come up with an idea, choose colors and shapes that fit it, and stick with the piece until it feels done. They also start talking about art, sharing what their own work means and noticing what other artists were trying to show. By spring, they can plan a drawing or painting, finish it, and explain why they made it.

  • Drawing and painting
  • Sharing ideas
  • Finishing artwork
  • Talking about art
  • Colors and shapes
Source: Vermont Common Core State Standards
Year at a glance
How the year usually goes. Every school and district set their own curriculum, so treat this as a guide, not official pacing.
  1. 1

    Getting ideas for art

    Students start the year by thinking up what to make. They draw from things they know, like family, pets, and places they have been, and learn that an idea can come from almost anywhere.

  2. 2

    Looking closely at art

    Students slow down and notice details in pictures and objects. They point out colors, shapes, and what is happening, and start using simple art words to talk about what they see.

  3. 3

    Making and finishing artwork

    Students plan a piece, try out materials like paint, crayon, clay, or paper, and stick with it until it feels done. They learn that adding to a drawing or fixing a spot is part of making art.

  4. 4

    Sharing art with others

    Students pick a favorite piece to display and explain what it shows. They learn that art is made to be seen, and that where a picture hangs and how it is framed shapes how people experience it.

  5. 5

    Art from other times and places

    Students look at art made by other people, including artists from different cultures and long ago. They notice what the artist might have been thinking about and connect it to their own lives.

Mastery Learning Standards
The required skills a student should display by the end of Grade 1.
Connecting

  • Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art

    VA:Cn10.1

    Students use what they already know and what they've lived through as the starting point for making art.

  • Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural

    VA:Cn11.1

    Students look at artwork and talk about where, when, or why it was made. A painting or sculpture can tell a story about the people and place behind it.

Creating

  • Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work

    VA:Cr1.1

    Students come up with ideas for their own artwork, choosing what to make and why before they start drawing or building.

  • Organize and develop artistic ideas and work

    VA:Cr2.1

    Students take a rough idea for an artwork and make choices about color, shape, and materials to turn it into a finished piece.

  • Refine and complete artistic work

    VA:Cr3.1

    Students look at their own artwork, decide what to change or improve, and finish the piece. It's the step between "good enough" and "done well."

Performing/Presenting/Producing

  • Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation

    VA:Pr4.1

    Students choose which of their drawings or artworks to share with others, and explain why that piece feels ready to show.

  • Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation

    VA:Pr5.1

    Students practice and improve a piece of artwork until it's ready to share with others. That might mean adding detail, fixing a color, or redoing part of the work before it goes on display.

  • Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work

    VA:Pr6.1

    Students choose where and how to share their artwork so the meaning comes through clearly. The way a piece is displayed is part of what it says.

Responding

  • Perceive and analyze artistic work

    VA:Re7.1

    Students look closely at a piece of art and talk about what they notice: the colors, shapes, and how the whole thing feels to them.

  • Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work

    VA:Re8.1

    Students look at a piece of art and explain what they think the artist was trying to say or show. There are no wrong answers, as long as students point to something in the artwork to back up their thinking.

  • Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work

    VA:Re9.1

    Students look at their own drawings or a classmate's work and use a short checklist or set of questions to decide what's working and what could be better.