Twin Falls School District
Course/Subject Intro-Art
Grade 9th
Course Description: (As you add information, use 12 pt. Times New Roman (no bold).
Introduction to Art (9th grade) This course is designed as an introduction to the visual
arts. The primary emphases will be on drawing and painting
Instructional Philosophy: Art is a creative process of inquiry. Artists create shapes,
manipulate materials, and define space in order to express ideas and emotions. The
Twin Falls High School Art Department believes that all students need an art education,
exposure to art criticism, aesthetics and art history, as well as studio experience. To
respond to this process of creative inquiry the Art Department has established the
following goals for the courses offered:
to provide a sound aesthetic and technological foundation allowing the student to
prepare for higher education or career goals,
to provide a well rounded curriculum that will contribute to the continuing education of
the student,
to provide a learning atmosphere that will encourage and enable the student to create,
to teach students to use their powers of observation along with their ability to analyze
and think critically
Power Standards: Content Standard #1: Understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes
Achievement Standard, Proficient:
Students apply media, techniques, and processes with sufficient skill, confidence, and sensitivity that their intentions are
carried out in their artworks
Students conceive and create works of visual art that demonstrate an understanding of how the communication of their ideas
relates to the media, techniques, and processes they use
Achievement Standard, Advanced:
Students communicate ideas regularly at a high level of effectiveness in at least one visual arts medium
Students initiate, define, and solve challenging visual arts problems independently using intellectual skills such as analysis,
synthesis, and evaluation
Content Standard #2: Using knowledge of structures and functions
Achievement Standard, Proficient:
Students demonstrate the ability to form and defend judgments about the characteristics and structures to accomplish
commercial, personal, communal, or other purposes of art
Students evaluate the effectiveness of artworks in terms of organizational structures and functions
Students create artworks that use organizational principles and functions to solve specific visual arts problems
Achievement Standard, Advanced:
Students demonstrate the ability to compare two or more perspectives about the use of organizational principles and functions
in artwork and to defend personal evaluations of these perspectives
Students create multiple solutions to specific visual arts problems that demonstrate competence in producing effective
relationships between structural choices and artistic functions
Content Standard #3: Choosing and evaluating a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas
Achievement Standard, Proficient:
Students reflect on how artworks differ visually, spatially, temporally, and functionally, and describe how these are related to
history and culture
Students apply subjects, symbols, and ideas in their artworks and use the skills gained to solve problems in daily life
Achievement Standard, Advanced:
Students describe the origins of specific images and ideas and explain why they are of value in their artwork and in the work of
others
Students evaluate and defend the validity of sources for content and the manner in which subject matter, symbols, and images
are used in the students' works and in significant works by others
Content Standard #4: Understanding the visual arts in relation to history and cultures
Achievement Standard, Proficient:
Students differentiate among a variety of historical and cultural contexts in terms of characteristics and purposes of works of
art
Students describe the function and explore the meaning of specific art objects within varied cultures, times, and places
Students analyze relationships of works of art to one another in terms of history, aesthetics, and culture, justifying conclusions
made in the analysis and using such conclusions to inform their own art making
Achievement Standard, Advanced:
Students analyze and interpret artworks for relationships among form, context, purposes, and critical models, showing
understanding of the work of critics, historians, aestheticians, and artists
Students analyze common characteristics of visual arts evident across time and among cultural/ethnic groups to formulate
analyses, evaluations, and interpretations of meaning
Content Standard #5: Reflecting upon and assessing the characteristics and merits of their work and the work of others
Achievement Standard, Proficient:
Students identify intentions of those creating artworks, explore the implications of various purposes, and justify their analyses
of purposes in particular works
Students describe meanings of artworks by analyzing how specific works are created and how they relate to historical and
cultural contexts
Students reflect analytically on various interpretations as a means for understanding and evaluating works of visual art
Achievement Standard, Advanced:
Students correlate responses to works of visual art with various techniques for communicating meanings, ideas, attitudes,
views, and intentions
Content Standard #6: Making connections between visual arts and other disciplines
Achievement Standard, Proficient:
Students compare the materials, technologies, media, and processes of the visual arts with those of other arts disciplines as
they are used in creation and types of analysis
Students compare characteristics of visual arts within a particular historical period or style with ideas, issues, or themes in the
humanities or sciences
Achievement Standard, Advanced:
Students synthesize the creative and analytical principles and techniques of the visual arts and selected other arts disciplines,
the humanities, or the sciences
Major Course Projects and Assignments: The major emphases will be drawing in perspective and
being able to view proportional items that will be assigned to each student. Each student will be able
understanding how to paint in different styles and techniques and be incorporated with art history and cultural
diversity.
Assessment and Grading Plan:
Projects- 100 to 300 points
Tests- 100 points
Quizzes- 25 points
Writing projects- 100 points
Grading Scale: Each project will have a number value. 90-100 A, 89-80 B, 79-70 C,
69-60 D, below 60 is a failure grade.
Components of the Grade:
Each project will be evaluated by how well the student understands, creates, and visualizes the concepts of the
principles of art and elements of design.
Policy for Re-Doing Work:
Any completed assignment that does not meet a proficient level, student will be given the option to fix or redo
the assignment. Revised work must be turned in one week after the return date
Opportunities for Extra Help:
Extra help is available before school and after school.
Grading Rubrics:
INTRO TO ART
PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT
IDEAS AND DESIGN
THE INTEGRITY OF ANY WORK OF ART IS DEPENDENT ON THE INITIAL IDEA. THE IDEA IS
BEST THOUGHT OUT THROUGH PRELIMINARY SKETCHES AND EXPERIMENTATION. EACH
WORK OF ART ADDRESSES A RANGE OF TECHNIQUES OR ISSUES AND SHOULD STRIVE FOR
EXCELLENT TECHNICAL QUALITY.
CRAFTSMANSHIP AND TECHNIQUE
THE ABILTIY TO HANDLE A MEDIA IS APPARENT TO THE EYE. CAREFUL ATTENTION AND
STUDY OF THE MEDIA WILL DEVELOP SKILL AND FINE CRAFTSMANSHIP. TECHNIQUE IN
FORMING THE WORK WILL DETERMINE ITS INTEGRITY.
ATTENDANCE AND ATTITUDE
THE TIME AND ENERGY PUT INTO A WORK OF ART IS DIRECTLY REFLECTED IN THE FINAL
RESULT. ADEQUATE CLASS TIME IS GIVEN TO COMPLETE EACH PROJECT. TIME SHOULD BE
PACED TO INSURE THAT CAREFUL HANDLING OF THE PROJECT WILL RESULT IN AN
AESTHETICALLY PLEASING PRODUCT.
THE FOLLOWING ASPECTS WILL BE CONSIDERED WHEN YOUR PORTFOLIO IS REVIEWED.
NUMBER OF PROJECTS IN THE PORTFOLIO AS ASSIGNED.
CLEAN AND NEATLY ARRANGED FORMAT
DEMONSTRATION OF CONCEPTS AND TECHNIQUES
OVERALL EFFORT AND QUALITY OF THE WORK
CREATIVE THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING ABILITY
QUALITY RATINGS
EXCELLENT QUALITY -- ADVANCED









WORK AT THIS LEVEL IS CONSISTENTLY OF HIGH QUALITY, ALTHOUGH NOT ALL
PIECES WILL NECESSARILY BE AT PRECISELY THE SAME LEVEL OF EXPERTISE.
WORK SHOWS OBVIOUS EVIDENCE OF THINKING.
IT MAY ADDRESS FAIRLY COMPLEX VISUAL AND/OR CONCEPTUAL IDEAS.
IT HAS SOME SENSE OF INVENTIVENESS/IMAGINATION.
MATERIALS ARE USED WELL -- TECHNIQUE IS GENERALLY EXCELLENT.
IT MAY SHOW A GENERALLY SUCCESSFUL ENGAGEMENT WITH EXPERIMENTATION
AND/OR RISK-TAKING.
THE WORK MAY BE NOTABLE OF SENSITIVITY AND/OR SUBTLETY.
COMPOSITION IS PURPOSEFUL.
THERE IS STRONG EVIDENCE OF AWARENESS OF STYLE AND FORMAT – A SENSE OF
INFORMED DECISION-MAKING.
STRONG QUALITY – PROFICIENT
 WORK AT THIS LEVEL IS GENERALLY STRONG, ALTHOUGH THERE MAY BE
INCONSISTENCIES IN THE OVERALL QUALITY.
 WORK SHOWS EVIDENCE OF THINKING; i.e., IT CONVEYS A SENSE THAT IT IS ABOUT
SOMETHING.
 IT IS FAIRLY CONFIDENT.
 IT MAY HAVE SOME EVOCATIVE QUALITIES.


THERE IS SUCCESSFUL ENGAGEMENT WITH MOST ASPECTS OF TECHNIQUE AND
MATERIALS.
COMPOSITION IS GENERALLY STRONG.
GOOD QUALITY – NOVICE
 WORK SHOWS A SENSE OF REAL EFFORT AND SOME SENSE OF DIRECTION/PURPOSE
BUT PROBLEMS ARE NOT ALWAYS SUCCESSFULLY RESOLVED. IT MAY BE MORE
ACCOMPLISHED TECHNICALLY THAN IT IS CONCEPTUALLY
 SOME MANIPULATION OF IDEAS IS EVIDENT
 TECHNIQUE MAY BE ERRATIC, WITH LITTLE OR NO SENSE OF CHALLENGE
 THE WORK MAY BE MORE AMBITIOUS THAN WORK THAT RECIEVES A SCORE OF 2
WITHOUT NECESSARILY BEING MORE SUCCESSFUL.
WEAK QUALITY – ATTEMPT
 TECHNICAL ASPECTS ARE WEAK
 SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS SEEM TO BE SIMPLISTIC
 THE SENSE OF EXPLORATION OF THE MEDIUM IS MISSING.
 ATTEMPTS TO DEAL WITH IDEAS OR TECHNICAL PROBLEMS ARE NOT REALIZED.
 WORK MAY BE UNEVEN.
 DRAWING SEEMS TO BE AWKWARD.
 COMPOSITION IS WEAK
 IN CONTRAST TO WORK THAT RECEIVES A SCORE OF 1, THERE IS AT LEAST SOME
SENSE OF ARTISTIC DECISION-MAKING.
POOR QUALITY – LACKING
 THERE IS LITTLE, IF ANY EVIDENCE OF THINKING.
 TECHNIQUE IS POOR.
 WORK SHOWS A LACK OF AWARENESS OF TOOLS/MEDIA.
 SOLUTIONS TEND TO BE TRITE.
 COMPOSITION IS POOR, OR DOESN’T APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED.
NO ATTEMPT MADE