California K–6 visual art standards

Create art that tells a story about a life experience.

Identify a purpose of an artwork.

Through experimentation, build skills in various media and approaches to artmaking.

Identify safe and nontoxic art materials, tools, and equipment.

Create art that represents natural and constructed environments.

Explain the process of making art while creating.

Select art objects for personal portfolio and display, explaining why they were chosen.

Explain the purpose of a portfolio or collection.

Explain what an art museum is and distinguish how an art museum is different from other buildings.

Identify uses of art within one’s personal environment.

Describe what an image represents.

Interpret art by identifying subject matter and describing relevant details.

Explain reasons for selecting a preferred artwork.

Engage in exploration and imaginative play with various arts materials.

Use observation and investigation in preparation for making a work of art.

Identify times, places, and reasons for which students make art outside of school.

Understand that people from different places and times have made art for a variety of reasons.

Engage collaboratively in exploration and imaginative play with various arts materials.

Use observation and investigation in preparation for making a work of art.

Explore uses of materials and tools to create works of art or design.

Demonstrate safe and proper procedures for using materials, tools, and equipment while making art.

Identify and classify uses of everyday objects through drawings, diagrams, sculptures, or other visual means.

Use art vocabulary to describe choices while creating art.

Explain why some objects, artifacts, and artworks are valued over others.

Ask and answer questions such as where, when, why, and how artwork should be prepared for presentation or preservation.

Identify the roles and responsibilities of people who work in and visit museums and other art venues.

Select and describe works of art that illustrate daily life experiences of one’s self and others.

Compare images that represent the same subject.

Interpret art by categorizing subject matter and identifying the mood and characteristics of form.

Classify artwork based on different reasons for preferences using learned art vocabulary.

Create works of art about events in home, school, or community life.

Compare and contrast cultural uses of artwork from different times and places.

Brainstorm to generate multiple approaches to an art or design problem.

Make art or design with various art materials and tools to explore personal interests, questions, and curiosity.

Experiment with various materials and tools to explore personal interests in a work of art or design.

Demonstrate safe procedures for using and cleaning art tools, equipment, and studio spaces.

Repurpose found objects to make a new artwork or design.

Discuss and reflect with peers about choices made in creating artwork.

Categorize artwork based on a theme or concept for an exhibit.

Distinguish between different materials or artistic techniques for preparing artwork for presentation.

Analyze how art exhibited inside and outside of schools (such as in museums, galleries, virtual spaces, and other venues) contributes to communities.

Perceive and describe aesthetic characteristics of one’s natural world and constructed environments.

Categorize images based on expressive properties.

Interpret art by identifying the mood suggested by a work of art and describing relevant subject matter and characteristics of form.

Use learned art vocabulary to express preferences about artwork.

Develop a work of art based on observations of surroundings.

Recognize that responses to art change depending on knowledge of the time and place in which it was made.

Elaborate on an imaginative idea.

Apply knowledge of available resources, tools, and technologies to investigate personal ideas through the art-making process.

Create personally satisfying artwork using a variety of artistic processes and materials.

Demonstrate an understanding of the safe and proficient use of materials, tools, and equipment for a variety of artistic processes.

Individually or collaboratively construct representations, diagrams, or maps of places that are part of everyday life.

Discuss, reflect, and add details to enhance an artwork’s emerging meaning.

Investigate and discuss possibilities and limitations of spaces, including electronic, for exhibiting artwork.

Identify exhibit space and prepare works of art, including artists’ statements, for presentation.

Investigate and explain how and where different cultures record and illustrate stories and history of life through art.

Speculate about processes an artist uses to create a work of art.

Determine messages communicated by an image.

Interpret art by analyzing use of media to create subject matter, characteristics of form, and mood.

Evaluate an artwork based on given criteria.

Create works of art that reflect community cultural traditions.

Through observation, infer information about time, place, and culture in which a work of art was created.

Brainstorm individual and collaborative approaches to a creative art or design problem.

Collaboratively set goals and create artwork that is meaningful and has purpose to the makers.

Explore and invent art-making techniques and approaches.

When making works of art, utilize and care for materials, tools, and equipment in a manner that prevents danger to oneself and others.

Document, describe, and represent regional constructed environments.

Revise artwork in progress on the basis of insights gained through peer discussion.

Explore how past, present, and emerging technologies have impacted the preservation and presentation of artwork.

Analyze the various considerations for presenting and protecting art in various locations, indoor or outdoor settings, in temporary or permanent forms, and in physical or digital formats.

Compare and contrast purposes of art museums, art galleries, and other venues, as well as the types of personal experiences they provide.

Compare responses to a work of art before and after working in similar media.

Analyze components in visual imagery that convey messages.

Interpret art by referring to contextual information and analyzing relevant subject matter, characteristics of form, and use of media.

Apply one set of criteria to evaluate more than one work of art.

Apply formal and conceptual vocabularies of art and design to view surroundings in new ways through artmaking.

Identify how art is used to inform or change beliefs, values, or behaviors of an individual or society.

Combine ideas to generate an innovative idea for art-making.

Identify and demonstrate diverse methods of artistic investigation to choose an approach for beginning a work of art.

Experiment and develop skills in multiple art-making techniques and approaches through practice.

Demonstrate quality craftsmanship through care for and use of materials, tools, and equipment

Identify, describe, and visually document places and/or objects of personal significance.

Use art vocabulary to describe personal choices in artmaking and in creating artist statements.

Define the roles and responsibilities of a curator, explaining the skills and knowledge needed in preserving, maintaining, and presenting objects, artifacts, and artwork.

Develop a logical argument for safe and effective use of materials and techniques for preparing and presenting artwork.

Cite evidence about how an exhibition in a museum or other venue presents ideas and provides information about a specific concept or topic.

Compare one’s own interpretation of a work of art with the interpretation of others.

Identify and analyze cultural associations suggested by visual imagery.

Interpret art by analyzing characteristics of form and structure, contextual information, subject matter, visual elements, and use of media to identify ideas and mood conveyed.

Recognize differences in criteria used to evaluate works of art depending on styles, genres, and media as well as historical and cultural contexts.

Synthesize and Relate Knowledge and Personal Experiences to Make Art. Generate a collection of ideas reflecting current interests and concerns that could be investigated in artmaking.

Relate Artistic Ideas and Works with Societal, Cultural, and Historical Context to Deepen Understanding

Combine concepts collaboratively to generate innovative ideas for creating art.

Formulate an artistic investigation of personally relevant content for creating art.

Demonstrate openness in trying new ideas, materials, methods, and approaches in making works of art and design.

Explain environmental implications of conservation, care, and clean-up of arts materials, tools, and equipment.

Design or redesign objects, places, or systems that meet the identified needs of diverse users.

Refine and Complete Artistic Work. Reflect on whether personal artwork conveys the intended meaning and revise accordingly

Analyze similarities and differences associated with preserving and presenting two-dimensional, three-dimensional, and digital artwork.

Individually or collaboratively, develop a visual plan for displaying works of art, analyzing exhibit space, the needs of the viewer, and the layout of the exhibit.

Assess, explain, and provide evidence of how museums or other venues reflect history and values of a community and/or culture.

Interpret Intent and Meaning in Artistic Work. Interpret art by distinguishing between relevant and irrelevant contextual information and analyzing subject matter, characteristics of form and structure, and use of media to identify ideas and mood conveyed.

Apply Criteria to Evaluate Artistic Work. Develop and apply relevant criteria to evaluate a work of art.