Second Grade Art

Course Description

In each unit in second grade, students have the opportunity to create, present, respond to, and connect with a variety of artworks. They plan and create artworks, develop skills using art materials, and learn to use artistic vocabulary to describe and respond to art. Students will work with clay, drawing, painting, sculpture, and color theory.

Grade Level(s): Second Grade

Related Priority Standards (State &/or National):  Missouri Fine Arts Standards

Essential Questions

• How can we plan a design that will stand-up and be decorative?
• How do artists decide what to include in their compositions?
• How do artists represent depth, form, and distance in two dimensions?
• How can we combine the materials we have available to create an interesting form?
• How can we influence the tone of our work by using color?       
• Why are colors used for different purposes?   
• What effects can we create by layering materials?

Enduring Understandings/Big Ideas

• Artists practice and improve their skills working with specific materials.
• Artists learn what is possible by experimenting.
• Artists try a variety of things to choose an approach for beginning a work of art.
• Artists use symbols and patterns to represent community values and ideas.
• Artists design pieces that are useful and expressive.
• Artists choose the materials they will use based on the effect they want to create.
• Artists practice looking carefully and noticing details of light, shape, and color.
• Artists select the details they choose to include and emphasize in their works.
• Artists design their artworks based on the materials and tools they have available.
• People enrich their communities by exhibiting art in public spaces.       
• How sculpture is displayed will influence how people understand and interact with it.
• Each material we use will require different techniques to mix and blend colors.
• The artworks that are collected and displayed together will influence what people notice and respond to in an exhibit.
• The use of color in an artwork will have a strong influence on the mood of its effect.
• Artists collaborate to generate multiple perspectives about a design challenge.
• Artworks can express moods and convey ideas.

Course-Level Scope & Sequence (Units &/or Skills)

Unit 1 - Clay Coil

• Students will create a basic coil pot with a base using hand rolled coils and score and slip to connect coils together.
• Students will finish the project with glaze or paint. 
• Students will examine details from containers from various cultures, times and places and the purpose.

Unit 2 - Still Life: Draw an Object

• Students will compose a still life that reflects elements of their home, school, and community. 
• Students will observe a real object and practice drawing what they see. 
• Students will learn how to use basic forms to construct a representation. 
• Students will Include strategies for composing a still-life including: overlapping. shadow, and depth, anchor in space.

Unit 3 - Sculpture

• Students will repurpose objects to create a sculpture that can and should be viewed from all angles.
• Students will describe and react to details in their own and others' artworks.

Unit 4 - Value: Drawing Pressure and Paint Mixing

• Students will explore a variety of ways to use color value to influence the tone and mood of a work of art. 
• Students will compare how different tools and materials influence how we manipulate the color values.

Unit 5 - Collage

• Students will explore how to create collage by layering materials on a two dimensional surface. 
• Students will create a sense of depth using layers and overlapping.
• Students will investigate the expressive properties of glue, scissors, tearing, and texture.

Course Resources & Materials: Art of Education, Flex Curriculum & Pro Learning

Date Last Revised/Approved: 2022