One objective that third grade teachers can test when developing an assessment for the visual arts is to find out if students can describe how artists use tints and shades in painting. They can also have students describe how the foreground, middle ground and background are used to create an illusion of space in a painting. Another objective of the third grade art curriculum is to have students develop the skill to compare and contrast two different works of art created with different artistic tools, like watercolor and tempera. Students can also describe elements like line, color, shape and texture in paintings.
Another objective of the third grade art curriculum is to have students apply artistic processes using various media to communicate in an original work of art. Teachers may ask students to draw a landscape or cityscape demonstrating the illusion of space or to create a work of art based on observations from everyday life. The art test can include a request to create an imaginative clay sculpture or a painting that shows rhythm and movement.
Third graders should be able to analyze the role of human diversity in visual arts. Students should be aware of past and present cultures worldwide, and their influence on artistic works. Teachers can test students by asking them to compare works of art with a similar theme that were created at different times or by artists of different cultures. They can also interview artists living in their own community, or write about a work of art that reflects the student’s own cultural background.
Students should be able to identify elements of art and principles of design in specific works of art and explain how they are used. Teachers can ask third graders to compare and contrast works of art and describe them in appropriate artistic terminology such as color, shape, line, form, texture and space for basic elements of art and proportion, balance, unity, rhythm and emphasis for principles of design. They can be asked to describe the compositional qualities of a selected artist’s work, or they may be asked to critique their own works of art and make suggestions about how they may be improved upon in the future.
Students should know the basic elements of art and the principles of design that are used in the creation of a work of art. They should know the compositional elements of visual art including color, shape, line, form, texture and space. They should also know principles of design including proportion, balance, unity, rhythm and emphasis. Students can be tested by asking them to apply what they learned about the elements of visual arts and the principles of design to other subject areas. They can be asked to describe how costumes contribute to meaning of a dance, or to write a story inspired by a work of art. Teachers can ask students to analyze figurative works of art and predict what happens next based on clues in the picture.