Visual Arts Index

You can choose major areas by clicking on resource-category buttons on the left side of your screen or by choosing specific topics below.

Arts Standards

Oregon Arts Standards

National Visual Arts Standards

Local Development

Eugene 4J
Salem-Keizer

Approved Performance Tasks

Geometric Design  #334 (2-D Floor Plan)

Benchmark: Pre-level (K-2)

Myth Mask  #308 (Paper Mache)

Benchmark: 1 (By 3rd Grade)

Parody of American Gothic  #229 (2-D Media)

Benchmark: 2 (By 5th Grade)

Designed Insects  #205 (Drawing)

Benchmark: 3 (By 8th Grade)

Performance Task Development Projects

Japanese Tea Ceremony  Clay Production, Analysis, and Cultural Importance

Benchmark: 3 (By 8th Grade)

Mayan Vase  Working with Clay: Historical Significance

Benchmark: 2 (By 5th Grade)

Salmon Story  Animation and Video

Benchmark: 1 (By 3rd Grade)

YEA! Watershed Project  Interdisciplinary

Benchmark: 1 (By 3rd Grade)

Featured Projects

Art of the Book: Visual Arts, Book Arts, and Writing

Standard: Create, Present & Perform
Benchmark: 2 (by 5th Grade)

Super Heroes: Arts, Writing, and Culture

Standard: Create, Present & Perform
Benchmark: 2 (by 5th Grade)

Arts and Media Basics

Drawing
Introductory drawing lessons selected from Hooked on Drawing by Sandy Brooke. Includes warm-up activities, drawing cylinders (forms), working with value, overlapping shapes, perspective, and drawing a still life.

Working with Clay
Clay artist-educator Mary Lou Zeek provides four detailed activities for grades K-8. Procedures, hints, and definitions for working with clay, glazing, firing, and kiln use are also presented.

Media Literacy
Three multi-activity projects are presented: Project Chrysalis looks at decoding advertising; Animation Magic offers background and introductory activities for creating moving images; and Be Your Own Film Critic offers a step-by-step method for critiquing film.

Introductory Activities
A variety of 5-30 minute introductory activities. Linked to the three arts strands, they include production activities, introducing cultural and historical significance, and ways to talk about art and the visual environment.

Folklife
The Oregon Folk Arts Program has coordinated development of resource kits and instructional materials on Maritime Folklife and Mexican-American Traditional Arts and Culture. The written portion of these materials, the Teacher Curriculum Guides, is presented here.

Art Criticism--Talking about Art
Includes a format for talking about art, background information, other approaches, and Elements and Principles of Design vocabulary.

Art History
Links to art history Web sites, approaches, and suggested activities for teaching art history.

Glossary

Production Preparation
Notes to teachers: general strategies and reminders for planning and implementing art-production activities.

Evaluation
Notes to teachers: general comments and reminders on student assessment in the arts as well as specific words of encouragement to use when talking with students about their art work.

Resources