Our Curriculum › Art › 5th Grade
Art 5
A year of fifth-grade art: brainstorming and goal-setting, craftsmanship, watercolor resist, wire sculpture and collage, artist statements, how curators and museums work, art from five cultures, interpreting and judging art with a rubric, and a capstone.
180 lessons
One a day for a school year
9 units
Each opens to its lessons
4-criteria rubric
Used on 8 artworks plus the capstone
Standards
National Core Arts Standards (visual arts)
What's taught, unit by unit
Brainstorming, purpose and craftsmanshipDays 1–30
Mind maps, thumbnail sketches, the ten-ideas challenge and combining ideas. Then asking what a piece is for, setting and revising a goal, caring for tools and materials, working carefully, and a final project that combines all three.
- 1 · What Does It Mean to Brainstorm?
- 2 · Mind-Mapping Your Ideas
- 3 · Thumbnail Sketches: Small Ideas, Fast
- 4 · The Ten Ideas Challenge
- 5 · Choosing Your Best Idea From Many
- 6 · Brainstorming From a Prompt: Animals
- 7 · Brainstorming From a Prompt: Weather
- 8 · Combining Two Ideas Into One
- 9 · When You Get Stuck: Brainstorming Tricks
- 10 · Practice Round: Multiple Approaches to Home
- 11 · Practice Round: Multiple Approaches to Celebration
- 12 · Comparing Approaches: What Makes Them Different?
- 13 · Brainstorming With a Partner
- 14 · Unit Check-in: Brainstorming Review
- 15 · What Makes Art Meaningful?
- 16 · What Is Art For?
- 17 · Setting a Goal for Your Artwork
- 18 · Setting Goals as a Group
- 19 · Purposeful Art: Gift, Message, or Memory
- 20 · Revising Your Goal
- 21 · What Is Craftsmanship?
- 22 · Caring for Your Tools: A Refresher
- 23 · Caring for Materials: Paper, Paint, and Clay
- 24 · Craftsmanship in a Real Painting
- 25 · Slow Down: Quality Over Speed
- 26 · Organizing Your Workspace Like a Professional
- 27 · Bringing It Together: Brainstorm and Goal
- 28 · Bringing It Together: Goal and Craftsmanship
- 29 · Final Project: Purposeful Artist
- 30 · Unit Reflection: The Purposeful Artist
Elements and principles, and four ways to make artDays 31–60
How elements build principles (movement, balance, contrast, emphasis, unity), then practice and a finished piece in watercolor resist, wire sculpture with an armature, and mixed-media collage. Ends with art about a place or object that matters personally.
- 31 · Elements and Principles: Working Together
- 32 · Movement and Balance in a Real Painting
- 33 · Contrast and Emphasis from Value and Color
- 34 · Unity and Pattern from Repeated Shape and Color
- 35 · Planning a Composition: Choosing a Principle on Purpose
- 36 · New Technique: Watercolor Resist
- 37 · Practicing Resist: Simple Shapes
- 38 · Resist and Movement: Using Line for Direction
- 39 · Resist Landscapes: Applying Warm and Cool Colors
- 40 · Layering Resist: Building Texture and Depth
- 41 · Planning Your Resist Composition
- 42 · Reflecting on Resist Practice
- 43 · New Technique: Wire Sculpture Basics
- 44 · Practicing Wire Bending: Basic Shapes
- 45 · Building an Armature: Support Structures
- 46 · Adding Volume: Wrapping and Twisting Wire
- 47 · Balance in 3D: Physical and Visual
- 48 · Planning and Building Your Wire Sculpture
- 49 · Reflecting and Refining Your Wire Sculpture
- 50 · New Technique: Mixed-Media Collage
- 51 · Practicing Collage: Layering Materials
- 52 · Texture and Pattern in Collage
- 53 · Unity in Collage: Repeating Color and Shape
- 54 · Planning Your Collage Composition
- 55 · Reflecting and Refining Your Collage
- 56 · A Place or Object of Personal Significance
- 57 · Observational Sketching From Life
- 58 · Choosing Your Technique and Planning the Final Piece
- 59 · Creating Your Personal-Significance Artwork
- 60 · Describing and Reflecting on Your Finished Work
Artist statementsDays 61–70
Writing about your own art in three parts (what you made, how, and why), using specific art vocabulary and technique names instead of vague words, modeled on Monet's The Bridge at Argenteuil, then drafting, revising and sharing.
- 61 · What Is an Artist Statement?
- 62 · The Structure of an Artist Statement
- 63 · Art Vocabulary Review: Elements of Art
- 64 · Art Vocabulary Review: Principles of Design
- 65 · Describing Your Materials and Techniques
- 66 · Specific vs. Vague: Strengthening Your Word Choice
- 67 · Modeling an Artist Statement: Monet's The Bridge at Argenteuil
- 68 · Drafting Your Own Artist Statement
- 69 · Revising Your Artist Statement
- 70 · Finalizing and Sharing Your Artist Statement
Curators and choosing safe materialsDays 71–90
What a curator does: selecting, arranging and caring for works and writing wall labels, with a class exhibit project. Then toxic versus non-toxic and archival materials, and writing a reasoned argument with a claim, reasons, evidence and a counterargument.
- 71 · What Is a Curator?
- 72 · How Curators Select Works for an Exhibit
- 73 · Organizing an Exhibit
- 74 · Caring for a Collection
- 75 · Writing Interpretive Materials: Wall Labels
- 76 · The Language of Curating
- 77 · A Curator's Tough Calls: Why Some Works Don't Make the Cut
- 78 · Mini-Project: Curate a Class Exhibit
- 79 · Writing a Wall Label for Monet's The Bridge at Argenteuil
- 81 · Why Material Choices Matter
- 82 · Safety First: Toxic vs. Non-Toxic Materials
- 83 · Archival Quality: Protecting Artwork for the Long Term
- 84 · What Makes a Logical Argument?
- 85 · Case Study: Choosing the Right Adhesive for a Collage
- 86 · Case Study: Choosing Materials for Framing and Display
- 87 · Drafting Your Own Safety/Effectiveness Argument
- 88 · Considering the Other Side: Counterarguments
- 89 · Revising Your Argument for Clarity and Vocabulary
- 90 · Unit Review: Artist Statements, Curators, and Safe Practice Arguments
Plus 1 review day, not listed.
Museums, galleries and other venues, and comparing viewsDays 91–106
Museums, galleries, public art, online collections and school displays, with a virtual visit to a museum's online collection. Then interpreting a work with evidence and comparing your reading with a family member's or partner's.
- 91 · What Is a Museum, Really?
- 92 · Art Galleries — A Different Kind of Space
- 93 · Art Beyond Walls — Public Art and Community Spaces
- 94 · Art Online — Digital Collections and Virtual Museums
- 95 · Show and Tell — School and Classroom Displays
- 96 · A Virtual Field Trip — Monet's Bridge at Argenteuil
- 97 · Comparing Venues — Which Experience Fits Which Art?
- 98 · Unit Review — Museums, Galleries, and Venues
- 99 · What Does It Mean to Interpret Art?
- 100 · Practicing Interpretation — Reading The Bridge at Argenteuil
- 101 · Comparing Interpretations — You and a Family Member
- 102 · Why Do Interpretations Differ?
- 103 · Comparing Interpretations — You and a Partner
- 104 · Building an Interpretation with Evidence
- 105 · When Interpretations Disagree — Is There One Right Answer?
- 106 · Unit Review — Comparing Interpretations
Art around the worldDays 107–120
Five traditions: Chinese landscape painting and calligraphy, Aboriginal Australian dot painting (with a lesson on cultural respect), Mexican muralism and Diego Rivera, Islamic geometric patterns, and Indian miniature painting.
- 107 · Art Around the World — Introducing Chinese Landscape Painting
- 108 · The Art of the Brush — Chinese Calligraphy
- 109 · Reading the Mountains — Symbolism in Chinese Landscape Art
- 110 · Art Around the World — Aboriginal Australian Dot Painting
- 111 · Stories in the Dots — Reading Aboriginal Symbols and Songlines
- 112 · Dot Painting Practice and Cultural Respect
- 113 · Art Around the World — Mexican Muralism and Diego Rivera
- 114 · Painting the People's Story — Rivera's Murals Up Close
- 115 · Murals as Public Voice — Cultural Associations Review
- 116 · Art Around the World — Islamic Geometric and Arabesque Pattern Art
- 117 · Infinite Patterns — Reading Meaning in Islamic Design
- 118 · Art Around the World — Indian Miniature Painting
- 119 · Tiny Worlds, Big Stories — Details in Indian Miniatures
- 120 · Art Around the World — Comparing Cultural Associations Across Traditions
Interpreting and evaluating artDays 121–150
A five-clue method for interpreting art (form, subject, elements, context, media) tried on Van Gogh, Vermeer, Monet, an abstract painting and Cezanne. Then a fixed four-criteria rubric used to score eight works, with a family member as a second scorer.
- 121 · Learning to Interpret Art: The Big Question
- 122 · Form and Structure: Reading How a Painting Is Built
- 123 · Subject Matter and Visual Elements Working Together
- 124 · Context and Media: Why, When, and How It Was Made
- 125 · Full Interpretation Practice: Van Gogh's The Starry Night
- 126 · Full Interpretation Practice: A Quiet Portrait
- 127 · Interpreting Monet's The Bridge at Argenteuil
- 128 · Full Interpretation Practice: An Abstract Painting
- 129 · Full Interpretation Practice: A Still Life
- 130 · Interpretation Review and Checkpoint
- 131 · What Does It Mean to Evaluate Art?
- 132 · Building a Fair Rubric: What Makes Good Art?
- 133 · Our Class Rubric: Four Criteria Explained
- 134 · Scoring Artwork 1: Your Own Recent Project
- 135 · Scoring Artwork 2: Hokusai's The Great Wave
- 136 · Scoring Artwork 3: Rousseau's The Sleeping Gypsy
- 137 · Scoring Artwork 4: Monet's The Bridge at Argenteuil
- 138 · Comparing Scores: Why One Set of Criteria Matters
- 139 · Evaluation Review and Checkpoint
- 140 · Rubric Evaluation Project: Choosing Four Works
- 141 · Rubric Project: Scoring Work 1 and Writing Notes
- 142 · Rubric Project: Scoring Work 2 and Writing Notes
- 143 · Rubric Project: Scoring Work 3 and Writing Notes
- 144 · Rubric Project: Scoring Work 4 and Writing Notes
- 145 · Rubric Project: Comparing All Four Scores
- 146 · Rubric Project: Writing Your Evaluation Summary
- 147 · Family Rubric Check: A Second Scorer
- 148 · Connecting Interpretation and Evaluation
- 149 · Rubric Project: Final Presentation Prep
- 150 · Unit 5 Capstone: Interpreting and Evaluating Art
Idea bank and art that changes mindsDays 151–164
Collecting, sorting and expanding ideas, including turning a concern into an idea. Then art that informs or persuades: Smokey Bear and public-awareness posters, WPA murals, protest art, propaganda versus honest persuasion, and symbols.
- 151 · Starting Your Idea Bank
- 152 · Noticing the World Around You
- 153 · Idea Generation Techniques: Lists and Mind Maps
- 154 · Turning a Concern Into an Idea
- 155 · Sorting Your Idea Bank
- 156 · Expanding One Idea Into Many
- 157 · Choosing Your Strongest Ideas
- 158 · Art as a Tool to Inform and Change
- 159 · Case Study: Public Awareness Posters
- 160 · Case Study: Murals With a Message
- 161 · Case Study: Protest Art
- 162 · Propaganda vs. Honest Persuasion
- 163 · Symbols Artists Use to Send a Message
- 164 · Wrap-Up: How Art Changes Minds
Capstone projectDays 165–180
One final piece: brainstorming approaches, choosing one, two days of technique practice, composition, blocking in, depth and detail, rubric-based peer feedback, revision, an artist statement, self-evaluation and a sharing celebration.
- 165 · Capstone Kickoff: Pulling the Whole Year Together
- 166 · Brainstorming Multiple Approaches (Revisiting a Core Skill)
- 167 · Choosing Your Approach and Planning Technique Practice
- 168 · Technique Practice, Day One
- 169 · Technique Practice, Day Two: Refining Your Skill
- 170 · Planning Your Composition
- 171 · Gathering Materials and Reviewing Safety
- 172 · Blocking In Your Final Piece
- 173 · Applying Your Practiced Technique
- 174 · Adding Depth, Detail, and Your Message
- 175 · Peer Feedback Using Your Rubric
- 176 · Revising Your Capstone
- 177 · Finishing Touches
- 178 · Writing Your Artist Statement
- 179 · Evaluating Your Finished Piece
- 180 · Sharing Your Capstone: A Fifth-Grade Art Celebration
By the end of the year, your child can
- Brainstorm several approaches to an art problem and choose the best one
- Make art with watercolor resist, wire sculpture and mixed-media collage
- Write an artist statement using specific art vocabulary
- Explain what a curator does and plan a small exhibit with wall labels
- Interpret an artwork with evidence and score it with a four-part rubric
- Describe art from several cultures and why some art is made to change minds