YourStateStandards

Colorado K–6 visual art standards

Colorado writes its own visual art standards. They are published as Colorado Arts (2022-), adopted 2022 and are not a version of a national framework. 108 of 110 are matched to a national standard.

Framework
Colorado Arts (2022-)
Adopted
2022
Source last checked
July 23, 2026
Read the official document

110 standards, kindergarten through 6th grade

  • K.1.1.aK

    Recognize that visual art and design can tell stories.

  • K.1.1.bK

    Recognize that individuals will have multiple viewpoints.

  • K.2.1.aK

    Recognize that explorative play with materials can inspire ideas for visual art and design.

  • K.2.1.bK

    Give an opinion on works of visual art and design.

  • K.3.1.aK

    Investigate various properties of tools and materials.

  • K.3.1.bK

    Describe intention for creating artwork.

  • K.3.1.cK

    Use and share materials with intention and care.

  • K.4.1.aK

    Identify how and where artists and designers work.

  • K.4.1.bK

    Recognize how art is integrated into their everyday life.

  • 1.1.1.a1

    Recognize that artists intentionally choose materials to help tell their stories.

  • 1.1.1.b1

    Identify how works of art express specific feelings using the language of visual art and design.

  • 1.1.1.c1

    Demonstrate an understanding that different communities and cultures share their own stories.

  • 1.2.1.a1

    Discuss the stories portrayed in a personal work of art.

  • 1.2.1.b1

    Envision the potential of a material to be transformed to tell a story.

  • 1.3.1.a1

    Choose art media to express ideas and feelings.

  • 1.3.1.b1

    Describe the steps used in creating works of art.

  • 1.3.1.c1

    Share materials with intention and care.

  • 1.4.1.a1

    Tell about the people and places in everyday life through works of art and design.

  • 1.4.1.b1

    Identify how stories in visual art and design teach us about each other.

  • 1.4.1.c1

    Discuss how visual art and design are used to remember and document personal stories and feelings.

  • 2.1.1.a2

    Describe how artists choose materials to communicate ideas.

  • 2.1.1.b2

    Discover how similar ideas can be expressed in multiple ways.

  • 2.1.1.c2

    Determine what art vocabulary is useful when discussing works of art and design.

  • 2.2.1.a2

    Describe how artists reflect on their creative practice to improve works of visual art and design.

  • 2.2.1.b2

    Recognize that artists use different forms of research to inform their practice.

  • 2.2.1.c2

    Use the language of visual art and design to describe observations and form opinions.

  • 2.3.1.a2

    Choose appropriate materials to make art.

  • 2.3.1.b2

    Create finished works of art.

  • 2.3.1.c2

    Explain choices made in the artmaking process.

  • 2.3.1.d2

    Respect and care for classroom materials.

  • 2.4.1.a2

    Recognize how visual art and design is interdisciplinary.

  • 2.4.1.b2

    Investigate public art and its role within the community.

  • 2.4.1.c2

    Investigate the role of art and design in our communities and world.

  • 3.1.1.a3

    Identify historical and cultural ideas evident in works of visual art and design.

  • 3.1.1.b3

    Use the language of visual art and design as a tool to help determine artistic intent.

  • 3.1.1.c3

    Discuss how the use of a material supports or detracts from intended meaning.

  • 3.2.1.a3

    Use peer feedback and self-reflection to inform next steps and improve works of art and design.

  • 3.2.1.b3

    Describe how research informed a personal work of art.

  • 3.2.2.a3

    Demonstrate understanding of how research inspires development of ideas.

  • 3.2.2.b3

    Envision solutions to artmaking problems.

  • 3.3.1.a3

    Demonstrate how working collaboratively can enhance the artistic process.

  • 3.3.1.b3

    Demonstrate understanding of how experimentation helps develop making with purpose and intent.

  • 3.3.1.c3

    Determine whether a work of art is finished.

  • 3.3.1.d3

    Demonstrate how the art room is a community of makers.

  • 3.4.1.a3

    Investigate how visual art and design can make connections between subjects, disciplines or events.

  • 3.4.1.b3

    Connect the meaning of personal works of art to historical, cultural or community events.

  • 4.1.1.a4

    Hypothesize the steps an artist may have used to complete a work of visual art or design.

  • 4.1.1.b4

    Suggest alternative ways an artist could have communicated an idea.

  • 4.1.1.c4

    Intentionally revise artwork to better communicate intended meaning.

  • 4.1.2.a4

    Recognize how the human experience is expressed in diverse ways.

  • 4.1.2.b4

    Respond to works of art using inference and empathy.

  • 4.2.1.a4

    Discuss and define how to determine appropriate criteria for a given work of art.

  • 4.2.1.b4

    Discuss and form an opinion about the social and personal value of art.

  • 4.2.2.a4

    Research from multiple sources to inspire works of visual art and design.

  • 4.2.2.b4

    Investigate the ways alternative ideas are generated.

  • 4.3.1.a4

    Generate multiple ideas in order to select the idea that best communicates intended meaning.

  • 4.3.1.b4

    Communicate a plan for completing works of visual art and design.

  • 4.3.1.c4

    Analyze through collaborative discussion how personal works of art can be refined to effectively communicate.

  • 4.3.2.a4

    Justify how choice of media communicates personal intent.

  • 4.3.2.b4

    Problem-solve and persist to determine the outcome of a final product.

  • 4.3.2.c4

    Prepare works of visual art and design for presentation.

  • 4.4.1.a4

    Identify and describe how visual art and design communicate meaning between any subject, discipline, event or issue.

  • 4.4.1.b4

    Compare works of art between diverse cultures to understand how the role of art is perceived within a given community.

  • 4.4.1.c4

    Compare how artists work in different cultures and at different times in history.

  • 5.1.1.a5

    Explore connections between works of art from different cultures through time.

  • 5.1.1.b5

    Infer intended meaning using the language of visual art and design.

  • 5.1.1.c5

    Investigate how artists communicate points of view through personal works of art based on lived experiences.

  • 5.1.2.a5

    Observe and discuss how visual art and design exist in a shared contemporary world.

  • 5.1.2.b5

    Investigate and discuss how popular culture influences visual art and design.

  • 5.2.1.a5

    Support collaborative dialogue to analyze and evaluate one’s own work and that of others.

  • 5.2.1.b5

    Reflect on how intended meaning influences the artmaking process.

  • 5.2.2.a5

    Reflect on how problem-solving drives the creative process.

  • 5.2.2.b5

    Identify various methods of planning for visual art and design

  • 5.3.1.a5

    Make decisions during the creative process that best supports the intended point of view.

  • 5.3.1.b5

    Discuss with others to determine if intended meaning was effectively communicated.

  • 5.3.1.c5

    Contribute to the community of makers in a shared art space.

  • 5.3.2.a5

    Utilize traditional and contemporary media to effectively communicate intended meaning.

  • 5.3.2.b5

    Revise works of visual art and design to improve ideas.

  • 5.3.2.c5

    Justify choices made during the artistic process that resulted in the finished work of art and design.

  • 5.3.2.d5

    Prepare works of art and design for presentation.

  • 5.4.1.a5

    Investigate how the reciprocal relationship between a work of visual art and design and the context of its culture deepens understanding.

  • 5.4.1.b5

    Discuss how art reflects diverse social values and beliefs.

  • 6.1.1.a6

    Respond verbally or in written format justifying and interpreting a work of art using the language of art and design.

  • 6.1.1.b6

    Develop from oneself and various cultures a mental storehouse of images and the uses, symbolism and meaning of those images.

  • 6.1.2.a6

    Describe and discuss the general characteristics of a work of art from various historical time periods.

  • 6.1.2.b6

    Interpret a variety of works of art while being respectful and mindful of culturally sensitive themes.

  • 6.1.2.c6

    Analyze works of art from various time periods and world cultures by their components of style and design.

  • 6.1.2.d6

    Evaluate how interpretations of works of art change based on the viewer’s time, place and culture.

  • 6.1.3.a6

    Identify skills, ideas and themes in the visual arts that are influenced by other content areas.

  • 6.1.3.b6

    Create works of art using skills from other disciplines.

  • 6.2.1.a6

    Interpret meaning in works of art from a variety of perspectives.

  • 6.2.1.b6

    Research and compare works of art from different times and places.

  • 6.2.2.a6

    Describe and analyze works of art using the language of visual art and design.

  • 6.2.2.b6

    Explain the visual qualities of a specified work of art from multiple points of view.

  • 6.3.1.a6

    Use feedback from peers to plan and create works of art.

  • 6.3.1.b6

    Propose revisions to works of art using the language of visual art and design.

  • 6.3.1.c6

    Evaluate redirection and revision during the creative process.

  • 6.3.2.a6

    Recognize and utilize the individual characteristics of each medium.

  • 6.3.2.b6

    Identify and differentiate the relationships between media choice, art processes and final solutions.

  • 6.3.2.c6

    Create and display works of art using a wide variety of contemporary and available media.

  • 6.3.3.a6

    Evaluate various technological processes used to make art.

  • 6.3.3.b6

    Recognize and discuss how technology operates in the creation of works of art.

  • 6.4.1.a6

    Explain and create works of art that incorporate everyday life, traditions, customs and special events.

  • 6.4.1.b6

    Draw conclusions from representations of ancestry in works of art.

  • 6.4.1.c6

    Identify and explain cross-disciplinary connections in works of art.

  • 6.4.2.a6

    Investigate how art is incorporated into contemporary careers.

  • 6.4.2.b6

    Research an art-related career of personal interest.

  • 6.4.2.c6

    Explain the contributions that art historians, cultural anthropologists, philosophers of art, engineers, computer designers, software engineers or others make to their community and society as a whole.

  • 6.4.3.a6

    Display research about artists that engage in social commentary.

  • 6.4.3.b6

    Research the motivation for works of art that address social issues.

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