6th Grade Art Syllabus
Teacher: Suzanne Granger
Course Description:
You will work in a variety of medium throughout the year. After learning skills and
tips for these medium, longer projects are given so that you can creatively apply what
you have learned.
Course Objectives:

Have a fun time doing art while also stretching your skills to new levels.

Develop an understanding your own creative process

Use a variety of media to express yourself in a well thought out work of art

Developing appreciation for the process of crafting skillful art.

Building confidence that with practice, you can build new skills.

Learning how to loosen up for spontaneous creativity as well as planning
projects.

Developing responsibility for art studio norms
UNITS and PROJECTS
Unit 1: Hand Building with Clay
Goal: Students will become more comfortable with working in clay, forming and
pinching clay to sculpt, slipping and scoring to attach clay and using the different clay
tools to create texture.
Technique lessons:
Pinch pot
Pinch animals
Combi - creatures
Final Project: Students will each make a clay balloon animal that represents theme in
some way, which will be fired and glazed. This project combines skills leaned in pinch
pot, pinch animals, and combi creatures.
Requirements/Skills:
Proper clay project storage and cleaning
Pinch and form clay
Slip and score for attachment
Smoothing
Ability to create different textures in clay
Create clay balloons and stuff with paper
Use of different clay tools
Glazing
Vocabulary:
Slab
Slip
Score
Leather hard clay
Unit 2: Drawing
Goal: Students will learn traditional drawing techniques and they will become more
comfortable with drawing in realism. They will learn to draw what they see and not
what they think they see. Students will also gain knowledge on how to visually
represent more abstract things such as feelings and emotions.
Technique lessons:
Day 1: Blind contour drawings of stools and objects in the room working with large
paper on the floor and pencils on a stick (overlap 3 objects and find a new abject)
Day 2: Look in mirror and draw what you see (4 thumbnail sketches and 1 full
sketchbook page drawing)
Day 3: Expressive portraits (large, small, and group) – use color, line, shape and
space to express what we can not see about you (feelings, emotions, etc); write about
why you made those choices
Day4: Shading techniques – regular, side of pencil, cross hatching, stump, tissue,
eraser; start value scale – take photos
Day 5: Finish value scale, learn to draw features and face proportions – take photos
Day 6: Learn about portraits from different cultures and time periods, reflect and
write about similarities and differences, watch video clip on Chuck Close
Day 7: Introduce final project, get back photos and photo copies, set up grid on
paper and photo in sketch book (light lines)
Day 8: Start making marking points and light sketchy lines on paper
Final Project: Students work from a photo and create a realistic self portrait, using
the grid technique (similar to artist Chuck close).
Requirements/Skills:
Working from a photograph (black and white)
Use of a grid
Work upside down (Betty Edwards book “Drawing from the Right Side of the
Brain”)
Use at least two shading techniques
Have at least 5 different values
Use of texture and repetition
Visually represent “something about you” in the background
Frame final drawing
Write an artist statement
Vocabulary:
Shading
texture
grid
value
stump,
ebony
crosshatch
texture
blend
contour
Unit 2: Painting
Goal: Students will gain knowledge of different painting techniques, color theory
(particularly color matching and mixing) and brush control. Students will also gain skills
of working together through the final project.
Technique lessons: Use of painting tools, basic color wheel (create own shape)
Printers Wheel
Shading/tinting (always put the darker color into the lighter color)
Neutralizing colors
Creating textures with paint (blending and scumbling)
Exploration and catch up
Final Project:
Group mural – each student will complete one section of the large painted mural
Requirements/Skills:
Learn by recreating small section of the painting
Understanding the basics of color theory
Use of painting tools
Use of grid while painting and marking points
Teamwork
Vocabulary:
Tint
shade
scumble
analogous
primary
secondary
feather
palette
blend
complementary
tertiary
Unit 3: Soft Cut carving and printing
Goal: Students explore the art of carving and printing and gain skills in carving,
printing, use of tools and color mixing.
Technique lessons:
Day 1: Design and carve chops (learn about the purpose of a chop in Asian art)
Day 2: Continue all 6 sides of chop and print
Day 3: Group abstract line/shape project on ez cut
Day 4: Continue carving group ez cut blocks
Day 5: Print abstract group prints on big paper
Day 6: Critique and continue to print
Day 7: Intro to linoleum block project (look through books)
Day 8: Work on thumbnail sketches, full size drawing
Day 9: Continue with drawing, transfer to block with graphite
Day 10-11: carve (demo how to carve inc. use of iron)
Day 12-14: Print
Day 14-16: Frame, collage, cards
Day 17: Critique and write
Final Project: Students will carve a soft cut block and create a portfolio of prints.
The final project will be a series of framed prints (from the block).
Requirements/Skills:
4 thumbnail sketches
Full drawing: animal (foreground), something in the background, texture, border (touch
3 edges of block)
Print a portfolio of 15-20 prints
Create a framed series out of the prints
Make other works of art out of the other prints
Vocabulary: brayer
ink
baron
ghost print
palette
printing plate
tacky
ASSESSMENT
This class is credit/no credit. If you complete all projects with good effort you will
receive credit. You will also be assessed on specific criteria using a checklist and
comment.
Below is our checklist defined for art students:
Markers of Student Growth
What It Looks Like in Art
Comes prepared to class
Comes on time; reads “today’s instructions”
and has followed them
Shows respect for others and for class
Listens when others are talking to the whole
materials
class; Respects all art work, including one’s
own; Use materials appropriately’ Keeps
volume down in art studio
Shows understanding of course material
Demonstrates a basic understanding of
techniques being practiced; applies multiple
techniques to create final projects
Engages in class discussions and activities
Stays focused throughout the class period on
developing techniques; Participates in
reflection sessions and critiques
Collaborates well
Cleans up after self and helps others;
Contributes positive commentary/suggestions
Demonstrates organization and time
Keeps equipment and sketch book in good
management skills
order (includes catching up in free time or lunch
when a class is missed); Keeps on top of
deadlines and cleans up when asked
Shows willingness to try new things
Takes risks and agrees to try new ideas
Exercises self-advocacy and communication
Asks for help/tips ; Writes self-reflections
skills
with authenticity and sufficient detail