Saint Paul Public Schools Secondary Course Syllabus
Grade Level:
9-12
High School
Subject Area:
Visual Arts
Course Number:
Course Title:
Intro to Visual Arts
Course Length: 1 semester
Prerequisite:
Course Description:
A one-semester survey course designed for students in grades 9-12 who are enrolling in a high
school art course for the first time. This course provides a variety of experiences that build on the
concepts, techniques, and use of media introduced in the middle school program. Generally
laboratory in nature, Intro to Art explores and gives experience in two-dimensional (drawing,
painting, printmaking) and three-dimensional (sculpture, ceramics, textiles) formats and
integrates art history, design principles, and aesthetic criticism and response.
Standards and Benchmarks:
Analysis and Interpretation Standard:
The student will understand and apply artistic process to analyze, interpret, and evaluate art
works in at least one of the three arts areas required to be offered by a school from the following:
dance, media arts, music, theater, and visual arts.
Visual Arts. The student will:
1. understand how a synthesis of the following components of visual arts is used to define a
work in visual art:
a. elements, including color, line, shape, form, texture, and space;
b. principles, such as repetition, contrast, or balance;
c. vocabulary;
d. styles, such as abstract or impressionist;
e. structures, such as two dimensional or three dimensional; and
f. technical skills, such as selecting and using tools and techniques of the medium;
2. understand the similarities and differences among the structures and styles within visual
arts;
3. understand how the selection of criteria affects criticism of a work in visual arts;
4. understand the connections between visual arts and other disciplines outside the arts, such
as mathematics, science, or history;
5. support personal reactions to visual art works using the components of visual arts; and
6. articulate informed evaluations of visual art works using selected criteria.
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Creation and Performance Standard:
The student will understand and use artistic processes to create original or perform existing
works of art in at least one of the three arts areas required to be offered by a school from the
following: dance, media arts, music, theater, and visual arts. As an elective, the student may
understand and use artistic processes to create original or perform existing works of art in another
art form or creative writing.
Visual Arts. The student will:
1. understand the integration of the following components of visual arts:
a. elements, including color, line, shape, form, texture, and space;
b. principles, such as repetition, contrast, or balance;
c. vocabulary;
d. styles, such as abstract or impressionist;
e. structures, such as two dimensional or three dimensional; and
f. technical skills, such as selecting and using tools and techniques of the medium;
2. understand the cultural, historical, or social contexts that influence creation of visual art;
3. use artistic processes to create and single, complex work or multiple works in visual arts;
4. generate and clarify artistic intent for work in visual art;
5. make decisions based on artistic intent;
6. revise visual art work using multiple sources of critique and feedback.
Read/Write/Speak/Listen:
Students will be asked to label works, write a descriptive paragraph, participate in group
discussions and critiques, use art vocabulary in speech, testing and self evaluations.
Scope and Sequence:
The scope and sequence of this course is determined by the Minnesota State Standards and the
Arts district adopted textbooks and suggested resources.
Things we will work on in Introduction to Art
September-Drawing instruction; Strand II, Standard 1: Create a single, complex artwork or
multiple artworks to express ideas. Focus on illustrating form using perspective techniques and
shading to create value shifts. Draw a still life, figure and portrait.
October- Painting Unit 1; Strand I, Standard 2: Integrate characteristics of the tools, materials,
and techniques of a selected media in original artworks to support artistic purposes. Color
mixing, creating tints and shades. Paint a still-life, portrait and landscape.
November-Printing Unit 1; Strand 1, Standard 1 Analyze how the characteristics of Western and
non-Western styles, movements and genres in art contribute to the creation of, presentation of, or
response to artworks. Create a printing plate. Print a series of prints, exhibit a mono print.
December-Multi Media Unit 2; Strand II, Standard 1, benchmark 2 Revise artworks based on
artistic intent using multiple sources of critique and feedback. Create a portrait or landscape
using 2 or more media. Looking at famous artworks, and critique for inspiration.
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January-Clay Unit 1; Strand 1, Standard 3, Benchmark 1: Analyze how visual artworks
influence and are influenced by personal, social, cultural or historical contexts including
contributions of the Minnesota American Indian tribes and communities. Create clay vessels and
hand built sculpture based on traditional art forms.
Content-based Instructional Practices:
Project based integrated, interdisciplinary and cross-curricular instruction; thematic, inquiry
based; interactive and hands-on; teaching to varied learning styles (concrete, abstract, random,
sequential) and multiple intelligences; use of Visual Thinking Strategies instructional methods.
Assessments (on-going, formative and summative):
Students will be assessed in multiple ways, using an art rubric based on the art standards to
determine the quality of student work.
Formative - portfolio review, preliminary sketches, teacher observation, student self-assessment,
descriptive feedback to and from students.
Summative - portfolio critiques (responding and creating), sketchbook review, presentation, self
or peer review of completed work, written responses, descriptive review protocols, use of rubrics,
unit exams, final exams.
Instructional Materials:
A Global Pursuit, Second Edition, Davis Publishing , 2009 (Primary Text)
AP Art History: Gardner’s Art Through the Ages (with ArtStudy Student CD-ROM) 12th Edition,
Thomson Wadsworth, Publishing, 2005
Design/Studio Classes: Exploring Visual Design, Davis Publishing, 2005
Design/Studio Classes: The Visual Experience, 3rd Edition, Davis Publishing, 2005
Painting: Exploring Painting, 3rd Edition, Davis Publishing, 2005
Drawing: Keys to Drawing, North Light Books, 2004
Beginning Ceramics: Experience Clay, Davis Publishing, 2003
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Advanced Ceramics: Ceramics: A Potter’s Handbook, Thomson Publishing, 2002
Beginning Sculpture: Beginning Sculpture, Davis Publishing, 2005
Photography: Photography in Focus, NTC Publishing, 1997
Digital Photography: Photo & Digital Imaging, McGraw-Hill, 2005
Additional Resources
All Programs: Recycled Re-Seen: Folk Art from the Global Scrap Heap, Crystal
Productions, 2005
All Programs: Art First Nations, Art Image Publications, 1992
Fleming’s Arts and Ideas, Thomas Wadsworth, 10th Edition, 2005
A Guide to Drawing, 6th Edition, 2003 (with InfoTrac) by Daniel M. Mendelowitz, Duane A.
Wakeham, David L. Faber. ISBN:0534624960
Drawing: A Contemporary Approach, Thomas Wadsworth, 5th Edition, 2004
Exploring Art: A Global, Thematic Approach (with CD-ROM), Thomas Learning/Wadsworth 2nd Edition, 2005
Understanding Art (with CD-ROM), Thomas Wadsworth, 7th Edition, 2004
Creating and Understanding Drawings, McGraw-Hill/Glencoe, 2006
ArtTalk, McGraw-Hill/Glencoe, 2005
A Potter’s Book, Faber and Faber 3rd Edition, 1998 (out of print)
Technology and Internet- MIA, Walker, History Center, Art Education Sites and instructional
videos, Digital Photography, Comic Life, Art related programs specific to MAC.
Suggested Adaptations for English Language Learner, Gifted and Talented and Special
Education Students:
Instructional Structure – cooperative, collaborative, peer partners, teams, common interest, and
independent work.
Instructional Strategies – organization tools; brainstorm/web; predict; demonstrate; illustrate;
use models; mini-lessons; inquiry; imagery; pre-teach vocabulary; hands-on lessons; teaching
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artists; use of authentic objects/art (connect with vocabulary); expanded rigor; translate abstract
to concrete; use KWL chart; games, puzzles, drawing/illustrating, role playing, drama.
Differentiated Curriculum – advanced, accelerated or compacted content; interdisciplinary and
inquiry-based assignments; abstract or higher-level thinking; variety and types of resources;
community involvement and partnerships; teaching artist instruction; apprenticeships;
internships, mentorships; advance placement; independent study.
Adaptations – simplify/expand vocabulary and sentence structure; concrete examples with
hands-on activities; elaborate understanding using accountable talk and demonstrations;
emphasize key words and phrases, use intonation and repetition; use oral, visual, graphic
presenting materials and picture dictionaries.
An updated version of this curriculum is available online at www.thecenter.spps.org. Anchor
lessons and common assessments for all courses are or will be available online.
District course numbers and titles have specific assigned standards that are required regardless of
where the course is taught.
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