Deer Valley Unified School District #97
Fine Arts Curriculum Guides K-12:

Mission Statement

What Students Should Know And Be Able To Do In The Arts is similar to that of the National Standards.

Visual Arts

The arts serve as the primary signature of a culture, carrying our individual and collective images and ideas from one generation to another. The arts are a distinctive way of understanding and give purpose to learning; they provide tools for interpreting life's experiences and develop a child's identity and sense of self-worth. The integrity of a Visual Arts curriculum depends on its' diversity, integration, and exploration of creative problem solving. Art education encourages a student to effect his or her environment. The whole child as an artist is guided to share his or her feelings and impact others while encouraging self-discipline. Art is a vehicle for knowing and understanding the world and our heritage. It is active experiential learning in a meaningful context. Art is an essential part of the curriculum.

Developmental Characteristics
The first consideration of teaching must be the child. Content and methods must be adapted to meet the needs and level of readiness of the child. As children do not always grow and develop at the same rate, it becomes a special challenge of the teacher to find appropriate practices to meet the needs of all. There are some basic universal stages through which most children pass. These stages can be defined by developmental characteristics. Below is a brief list of general developmental characteristics of children and their growth as artists within the setting of the art room.

Beginning Artists - (approximate ages 6-8)
Understand that art is a way to communicate using visual symbols... consciously create symbols to represent a specific content... elaborate simple symbols by including complex details as they become more aware... use bold, direct, and flat representation... will at times distort and omit visual information... show little attention to realistic, spatial concepts in the organization of subjects... are eager to view the art work of others and can identify or list basic visual content... like to pretend and engage in make-believe... have a short attention span for viewing and making art... are usually able to remain focused without interruption for five to fifteen minutes... respond better to hands on activities rather than passive ones... need to have complex activities broken into separate stages.

Developing Artists - (approximate ages 7-9)
Search for specific symbols and methods for representing subjects... use a baseline... produce art with subjects that are isolated with little to no interaction... seek to improve technical skills and control media but will not usually show interest in editing any work that does not suit their own standards... will choose a different subject or media instead of editing... are beginning problem solvers... will sometimes draw things as they know them rather than how they see them... have difficulty perceiving oblique angles... will choose to use local color in pure tones... can view a work of art with greater attention to detail, content and express a personal response to the work... are more willing to share and interact with their peers... are more worldly and are curious about things outside of their own realm... have a more developed attention span for viewing and producing art... are usually able to remain focused without interruption for ten to twenty minutes.

Capable artists - (approximate ages 9-12)
Are comfortable with inventing new images... are flexible with changing visual symbols... seek to work in a more realistic manner... use space in inventive ways... use overlapping planes to give the illusion of depth in a two dimensional work... are comfortable working with a variety of media... explore color mixing and creative ways of using colors... are willing to rework problem areas... have greater awareness of detail... are critical of their own work and the work of others... can often become discouraged with their efforts and may loose interest in art class if not redirected... seek influence from their peers... have an extended attention span for viewing and producing art... are usually able to remain focused without interruption for twenty to forty minutes.

Curriculum Organization and Alignment

Outcomes
This curriculum guide is written to align with the Arizona Visual Arts Essential Skills, and is a continuation of the Elementary Visual Arts Curriculum. The outcomes are based on four components: I. Aesthetic Perception-Visual and Tactile, II. Creative Expression-Artistic Knowledge and Skills: III. Visual Arts Heritage-Historical and Cultural, IV. Aesthetic Valuing-Analysis, Interpretation and Judgment.

Activities
Activities are listed to help clarify outcomes and to provide Lesson Plans support for the teacher. They are merely suggested ways to achieve learning outcomes. Other activities may prove more suitable for the individual teacher, classroom and school population. The individual teacher is encouraged to develop and tailor his or her program activities. At the middle school level only eight activities have been suggested for each course to show how one activity can address several outcomes. A supplemental list of suggested activities follows the middle school document.

Assessments
Assessments are listed to clarify a way by which a teacher can determine if students are achieving a specific outcome. Methods for assessment vary with activities. As with activities, these assessment methods are merely suggested. All assessments should be directly tied to the outcome.

Integration
The suggested methods for the integration column has been developed to help classroom teachers apply a Humanities and Arts appreciation within each teacher's subject area.

Syllabus for Courses
A syllabus follows some course selections.

Courses

The Middle School Curriculum is based on two course levels each nine weeks in length.

Seventh Grade with emphasis on 2-Dimensions (named Art Fundamentals in this document)
Eighth Grade with emphasis on 3-Dimensions (named Design and Crafts in this document)

The High School Curriculum is based on ten, year-long courses:

Design Concepts
Component outcomes and suggested activities are based on six Design Elements: Line, Color, Shape and Form, Texture, Space, and Value; and seven Design Principles: Unity, Balance, Rhythm, Repetition, Variety, Emphasis, and Proportion.

The Fine Arts Curriculum Committee utilized the following sources in establishing outcomes:
Listed are thirty-one sources ranging from the National Standards and the earlier Arizona Essential Skills to curriculum from other school districts both in and out-of-state.

Table of contents

K-12 Outcomes for Concepts/Suggested Activities/Suggested Assessments/Suggested Integration:

Art Curriculum

Scope and Sequence (See the Dance Curriculum for an example of the format used.)
Middle School Art Fundamentals
Middle School Art Fundamentals Supplement
Middle School Design & Crafts
Middle School Design & Crafts Supplement
High School Design Fundamentals
High School Drawing 1-2
High School Advanced Drawing
High School Beginning Painting
High School 3-Dimensional Design
High School Portfolio 2-Dimensional Design
Ceramics I and II
Advanced Ceramics
Art Glossary
Middle School Art Appendix (Syllabi for Art Fundamentals and Design & Crafts)
High School Art Appendix (Syllabi for all but the 3-Dimensional Design and 2-Dimensional Design)

Examples:

Middle School Art Fundamentals Supplement 7

Beginning Painting 9-12

For information contact: Barbara Surloff, Deer Valley High School, blsurloff@aol.com