Art 6

Four ways to begin: research, observation, experimenting with materials, and starting from a poem, music or a science fact. Then collaboration: yes-and, mash-ups, listening, working through disagreements, and a unit project that uses both.

• 1 · Welcome to Idea Generation and Investigation
• 2 · What Is Artistic Investigation?
• 3 · Starting With Research: Looking Up Reference Images
• 4 · Practicing the Research-Based Approach
• 5 · Starting With Observation: Drawing From Life
• 6 · Monet and the Observation-Based Approach
• 7 · Practicing the Observation-Based Approach
• 8 · Starting With Experimentation: Playing With Materials First
• 9 · Practicing the Experimentation-Based Approach
• 10 · Starting From a Poem: Cross-Disciplinary Investigation
• 11 · Starting From Music: Cross-Disciplinary Investigation
• 12 · Starting From a Science Fact: Cross-Disciplinary Investigation
• 13 · Four Methods, One Choice: Comparing Investigation Approaches
• 14 · Combining Two Investigation Methods
• 15 · Choosing Your Method on Purpose
• 16 · Investigation Methods Review and Quiz
• 17 · What Does It Mean to Collaborate on Art?
• 18 · Two Brains, One Idea: Why Collaborate?
• 19 · The Yes-And Method for Combining Ideas
• 20 · The Mash-Up Method: Merging Two Separate Ideas
• 21 · Practicing a Collaborative Idea Combination
• 22 · Listening First: A Collaboration Skill
• 23 · When Ideas Clash: Working Through Creative Differences
• 24 · Real Collaborative Art in the World
• 25 · Combining Ideas Across Different Strengths
• 26 · A Full Collaborative Brainstorm Session
• 27 · Reflecting on Your Collaborative Process
• 28 · Bringing Investigation and Collaboration Together
• 29 · Unit Project: Investigate, Collaborate, Create
• 30 · Unit 1 Review: Investigation and Collaboration

Being open to a new technique: layering color, covering with a dark layer, scratching a design (abstract practice, then a nature piece), compared with watercolor resist. Then art-space waste, paint disposal, reuse, lower-impact materials and an audit of your own space.

• 31 · Trying Something New: What Is Sgraffito?
• 32 · Layering Bright Colors First
• 33 · Covering With the Resist Layer
• 34 · Learn to Scratch: Tools and Marks
• 35 · Planning an Abstract Sgraffito Design
• 36 · Practice Piece: Abstract Pattern
• 37 · When It Doesn't Look Right: Working Through the Unfamiliar
• 38 · Planning a Nature-Themed Sgraffito Piece
• 39 · Final Project, Session 1: Layering and Covering
• 40 · Final Project, Session 2: Scratching and Revealing
• 41 · Sgraffito vs. Watercolor Resist: Two Different Resist Techniques
• 42 · Sgraffito Showcase and Reflection
• 43 · Where Does Art Waste Go?
• 44 · Paint and Water: Disposal Done Right
• 45 · Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose: Giving Scraps a Second Life
• 46 · Choosing Lower-Impact Art Materials
• 47 · Audit Your Own Art Space
• 48 · Environmental Care Wrap-Up

Organizing information visually: visual hierarchy, grid layout, ranking facts, thumbnail layouts, color and contrast for clear communication, readable lettering, a poster draft, a self-review and a finished informational poster.

• 49 · What Is Visual Organization?
• 50 · Visual Hierarchy: Guiding the Eye
• 51 · Grid Layout: Organizing Information Cleanly
• 52 · Choosing Your Infographic Topic
• 53 · Gathering and Ranking Your Information
• 54 · Thumbnail Sketch: Planning Your Layout
• 55 · Color and Contrast for Clear Communication
• 56 · Lettering and Type for Readability
• 57 · Poster Draft, Working Session 1
• 58 · Self-Review: Does It Communicate Clearly?
• 59 · Poster Draft, Working Session 2: Finishing Touches
• 60 · Showcase: Organizing a Visual Message Is Its Own Skill

A self-reflection cycle: state the meaning you intend, check honestly whether the piece matches, decide what to change, and choose between tweaking and starting over. Practiced on a still life and an abstract emotion piece, with a reflection journal.

• 61 · What Is My Art Really Saying?
• 62 · Naming Your Intended Meaning First
• 63 · The Honest Check: Does It Match?
• 64 · From Diagnosis to Decision: What Actually Needs to Change
• 65 · Case Study: A Quiet Still Life, First Pass
• 66 · Case Study: Revising the Still Life
• 67 · Case Study: An Abstract Emotion Piece, First Pass
• 68 · Case Study: Revising the Abstract Piece
• 69 · Tweak or Start Over? A Decision Framework
• 70 · Reflection Journals and the Self-Reflection Cycle, Reviewed

How 2D, 3D and digital art are kept safe and displayed. Then judging a display method by durability, cost, venue fit and accessibility. Finally, how labels, panels and layout work as evidence in an exhibit, ending in a micro-exhibit.

• 71 · Three Worlds of Artwork: 2D, 3D, and Digital
• 72 · Preserving 2D Artwork: Keeping Flat Work Safe
• 73 · Presenting 2D Artwork in a Museum Setting
• 74 · Preserving 3D Artwork: Sculpture and Objects
• 75 · Presenting 3D Artwork: Pedestals, Cases, and Sightlines
• 76 · Preserving Digital Artwork: Files, Formats, and Backups
• 77 · Presenting Digital Artwork: Screens, Projection, and Portfolios
• 78 · Comparing 2D and 3D: Similarities and Differences
• 79 · Comparing All Three: 2D, 3D, and Digital Side by Side
• 80 · Preservation & Presentation Unit Review
• 81 · Introducing Evaluation Criteria for Preparing & Presenting Art
• 82 · Evaluating by Durability
• 83 · Evaluating by Cost
• 84 · Evaluating by Appropriateness to Venue
• 85 · Evaluating by Accessibility
• 86 · Scenario Practice: Choosing a Method for a 2D Piece
• 87 · Scenario Practice: Choosing a Method for a 3D Piece
• 88 · Scenario Practice: Choosing a Method for a Digital Piece
• 89 · Weighing Competing Criteria
• 90 · Unit Capstone: Full Evaluation Project
• 91 · What Counts as Evidence in a Museum Exhibit
• 92 · Reading Labels and Wall Panels as Evidence
• 93 · Layout and Grouping as Silent Evidence
• 94 · Case Study: Citing Evidence from a Real Museum Page
• 95 · Exhibitions Built Around a Concept
• 96 · Comparing Two Curatorial Approaches
• 97 · Capstone: Design a Micro-Exhibit and Cite Your Own Evidence

Andean textiles, Norwegian rosemaling, Aztec and Maya stone art and murals, Ndebele house painting and Pacific Islander tapa and carving, each asking what art reveals about values. Then how logos, ads and historical posters influence viewers.

• 98 · Art Around the World: What Art Reveals About How People Live
• 99 · Andean Textile Art: Cloth Woven with Meaning
• 100 · Andean Textiles: Technique and Symbol Up Close
• 101 · Andean Textiles: What the Cloth Reveals About Values
• 102 · Scandinavian Rosemaling: Painted Roses on Wood
• 103 · Rosemaling: Regional Styles and Identity
• 104 · Rosemaling: What It Reveals About Values
• 105 · Aztec and Maya Stone Art: Carving History in Stone
• 106 · Maya Murals: Painting Court Life in Color
• 107 · Aztec and Maya Art: What It Reveals About Values
• 108 · Ndebele House Painting: Walls as Canvas
• 109 · Ndebele Patterns: Tradition That Keeps Changing
• 110 · Ndebele Painting: What It Reveals About Values
• 111 · Pacific Islander Art: Tapa Cloth from Bark
• 112 · Pacific Islander Carving: Genealogy in Wood
• 113 · Tapa and Carving: What They Reveal About Values
• 114 · Comparing Five Traditions: How Art Reveals Values Everywhere
• 115 · How Images Are Designed to Influence You
• 116 · Logos: Small Images, Big Influence
• 117 · Advertising Images: Techniques of Persuasion
• 118 · Historical Posters: Designing Images to Move People to Action
• 119 · Symbols and Cultural Associations in Images
• 120 · Capstone: Analyze an Image's Visual Influence

Sorting useful clues from trivia when interpreting art (subject, form, media, context), with an interpretation report. Then building separate rubrics for realistic portraits, abstract paintings, folk craft and digital art, and using the right one.

• 121 · The New Skill: Sorting Relevant Clues from Trivia
• 122 · Practice Sorting: A Pile of Facts About One Painting
• 123 · Subject Matter: What Is Shown, Filtered Through Relevance
• 124 · Form and Structure: The Same Clue, Sharper Focus
• 125 · Use of Media: What the Artist's Material Choice Tells You
• 126 · Combining All Four Lenses: A Full Grade-6 Interpretation
• 127 · Case Study: An Abstract Painting's Context Pile
• 128 · Case Study: A Historical Portrait's Context Pile
• 129 · Real Artwork Practice: Sorting Context for Monet's The Bridge at Argenteuil
• 130 · Monet's Bridge, Continued: Structure and Subject Working Together
• 131 · Common Irrelevant-Context Traps to Watch For
• 132 · Case Study: A Piece of Folk Craft's Context Pile
• 133 · Case Study: A Digital Artwork's Context Pile
• 134 · When Context Actually Changes the Mood You See
• 135 · Unit Capstone: Full Interpretation Report
• 136 · Last Year vs. This Year: Why One Rubric Doesn't Always Work
• 137 · Building a Rubric for Realistic Portraits
• 138 · Building a Rubric for Abstract Paintings
• 139 · Building a Rubric for Folk Craft
• 140 · Building a Rubric for Digital Art
• 141 · Matching the Right Rubric to the Right Work
• 142 · What Goes Wrong When You Use the Wrong Rubric
• 143 · How Historical and Cultural Context Changes the Rubric Too
• 144 · Applying the Realistic Rubric to Monet's The Bridge at Argenteuil
• 145 · Applying the Abstract Rubric to a New Work
• 146 · Applying the Folk-Craft Rubric to a New Work
• 147 · Applying the Digital-Art Rubric to a New Work
• 148 · Side-by-Side: All Four Rubrics Compared
• 149 · Capstone Project: Evaluate Two Different Genres Correctly
• 150 · Unit Wrap-Up: Interpreting AND Evaluating Like a Grade-6 Art Critic

Documenting a real place where a community gathers around art, through drawing, photo description, journaling and captions, then presenting it. Then comparing portraits, landscapes and everyday objects then and now.

• 151 · Where Communities Gather Around Art
• 152 · Planning Your Documentation Visit
• 153 · Documenting Through Drawing
• 154 · Documenting Through Photography Description and Journaling
• 155 · Field Day — Creating Your Documentation
• 156 · Adding Captions That Connect Art and Community
• 157 · Reflecting on What Your Documentation Reveals
• 158 · Presenting Your Community Art Documentation
• 159 · A New Way to Look at Art: Comparing Across Time
• 160 · Case Study: Portraits Then and Now
• 161 · Case Study: Landscapes Then and Now
• 162 · Case Study: Everyday Objects Then and Now
• 163 · Building Your Own Time Comparison
• 164 · Art-History-Over-Time — Unit Assessment

A final piece in five steps: generate ideas with someone, try a new material, plan and draft, check it says what you mean and revise, then pick a rubric and evaluate it. Ends with final touches, a reflection on growth, a presentation and celebration.

• 165 · Capstone Kickoff — A Year in Art
• 166 · Step 1 — Generating Ideas Together
• 167 · Step 1 — Choosing Your Final Idea
• 168 · Step 2 — Trying a New Material with an Open Mind
• 169 · Step 2 — Practicing Before the Real Thing
• 170 · Step 3 — Planning Your Composition
• 171 · Step 3 — Creating Your First Draft
• 172 · Step 4 — Does It Say What You Mean?
• 173 · Step 4 — Revising Your Work
• 174 · Step 5 — Choosing the Right Rubric
• 175 · Step 5 — Evaluating Your Finished Piece
• 176 · Adding Final Touches
• 177 · Reflecting on Your Growth This Year
• 178 · Preparing to Present Your Capstone
• 179 · Presenting Your Capstone Project
• 180 · Course Finale — Celebrating a Year of Art