Scope and sequence · Arts
Grade 3 Art
A full year of drawing, painting, color and clay for eight- and nine-year-olds, learned by looking closely at great art and then making with your own hands.
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What to cover
32 of 32 lessons are MUST COVER. They are tested on the unit tests and exams, or are skills the SAT/ACT relies on. OPTIONAL lessons are enrichment. Do them if time allows. The course is complete when the MUST COVER lessons are done.
Unit 1: Line and Observational Drawing
- MUST COVER 1.1 Blind Contour Drawing · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.2 Gesture Drawing: Lines That Move · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.3 Hatching and Cross-Hatching · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.4 Drawing Leaves and Nature from Life · unit test
Unit 2: Shape, Form and Proportion
- MUST COVER 2.1 Drawing Cubes and Cylinders · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.2 Radial Symmetry and the Rose Window · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.3 Proportions of the Face · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.4 Proportions of Animals · unit test
Unit 3: Color Theory
- MUST COVER 3.1 The Twelve-Color Wheel · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.2 Hue and Value: Tints and Shades · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.3 Analogous Colors · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.4 Complementary Contrast · unit test
Unit 4: Value, Light and Shadow
- MUST COVER 4.1 The Five-Step Value Scale · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.2 Highlight, Form Shadow and Cast Shadow · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.3 Shading a Sphere · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.4 Light and Dark in Rembrandt · unit test
Unit 5: Material Science: What Art Is Made Of
- MUST COVER 5.1 Pigment and Binder · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.2 Graphite Pencils: H and B · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.3 Paper and Its Tooth · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.4 Brushes and Their Shapes · unit test
Unit 6: Texture and Sculpture
- MUST COVER 6.1 Implied Texture: Drawing Fur, Feathers and Bark · unit test
- MUST COVER 6.2 Clay Slabs: Score and Slip · unit test
- MUST COVER 6.3 Relief Sculpture · unit test
- MUST COVER 6.4 Texture Tools and a Texture Tile · unit test
Unit 7: Space and Perspective
- MUST COVER 7.1 Overlap, Size, Placement and Detail · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.2 Atmospheric Perspective · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.3 The Horizon Line · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.4 One-Point Perspective: A Road to the Distance · unit test
Unit 8: Composition and the Masters
- MUST COVER 8.1 The Focal Point · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.2 Balance: Symmetrical and Asymmetrical · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.3 A Walk Through the Renaissance · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.4 Final Piece: Putting It All Together · unit test
36-week pacing calendar
From the course’s own 32-week pacing guide, with catch-up and review weeks added to fill a 36-week (180-day) year.
| Week | Plan | Done | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | Session 1: Lesson 1.1 Blind Contour Drawing: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.1 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 2 | Session 1: Lesson 1.2 Gesture Drawing: Lines That Move: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.2 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 3 | Session 1: Lesson 1.3 Hatching and Cross-Hatching: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.3 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 4 | Session 1: Lesson 1.4 Drawing Leaves and Nature from Life: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.4 studio project and sketchbook practice Session 3: Unit 1 review and portfolio piece | ||
| Wk 5 | Session 1: Lesson 2.1 Drawing Cubes and Cylinders: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.1 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 6 | Session 1: Lesson 2.2 Radial Symmetry and the Rose Window: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.2 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 7 | Session 1: Lesson 2.3 Proportions of the Face: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.3 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 8 | Session 1: Lesson 2.4 Proportions of Animals: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.4 studio project and sketchbook practice Session 3: Unit 2 review and portfolio piece | ||
| Wk 9 | Session 1: Lesson 3.1 The Twelve-Color Wheel: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.1 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 10 | Session 1: Lesson 3.2 Hue and Value: Tints and Shades: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.2 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 11 | Session 1: Lesson 3.3 Analogous Colors: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.3 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 12 | Session 1: Lesson 3.4 Complementary Contrast: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.4 studio project and sketchbook practice Session 3: Unit 3 review and portfolio piece | ||
| Wk 13 | Session 1: Lesson 4.1 The Five-Step Value Scale: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.1 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 14 | Session 1: Lesson 4.2 Highlight, Form Shadow and Cast Shadow: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.2 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 15 | Session 1: Lesson 4.3 Shading a Sphere: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.3 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 16 | Session 1: Lesson 4.4 Light and Dark in Rembrandt: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.4 studio project and sketchbook practice Session 3: Unit 4 review and portfolio piece | ||
| Wk 17 | Catch-up and review week (no new lessons) | ||
| Wk 18 | Session 1: Lesson 5.1 Pigment and Binder: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.1 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 19 | Session 1: Lesson 5.2 Graphite Pencils: H and B: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.2 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 20 | Session 1: Lesson 5.3 Paper and Its Tooth: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.3 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 21 | Session 1: Lesson 5.4 Brushes and Their Shapes: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.4 studio project and sketchbook practice Session 3: Unit 5 review and portfolio piece | ||
| Wk 22 | Session 1: Lesson 6.1 Implied Texture: Drawing Fur, Feathers and Bark: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.1 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 23 | Session 1: Lesson 6.2 Clay Slabs: Score and Slip: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.2 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 24 | Session 1: Lesson 6.3 Relief Sculpture: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.3 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 25 | Session 1: Lesson 6.4 Texture Tools and a Texture Tile: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.4 studio project and sketchbook practice Session 3: Unit 6 review and portfolio piece | ||
| Wk 26 | Session 1: Lesson 7.1 Overlap, Size, Placement and Detail: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.1 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 27 | Session 1: Lesson 7.2 Atmospheric Perspective: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.2 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 28 | Session 1: Lesson 7.3 The Horizon Line: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.3 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 29 | Session 1: Lesson 7.4 One-Point Perspective: A Road to the Distance: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.4 studio project and sketchbook practice Session 3: Unit 7 review and portfolio piece | ||
| Wk 30 | Session 1: Lesson 8.1 The Focal Point: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.1 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 31 | Session 1: Lesson 8.2 Balance: Symmetrical and Asymmetrical: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.2 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 32 | Session 1: Lesson 8.3 A Walk Through the Renaissance: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.3 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 33 | Session 1: Lesson 8.4 Final Piece: Putting It All Together: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.4 studio project and sketchbook practice Session 3: Unit 8 review and portfolio piece | ||
| Wk 34 | Catch-up week: finish any MUST COVER lesson not yet done | ||
| Wk 35 | Catch-up week: finish any MUST COVER lesson not yet done | ||
| Wk 36 | Year-end review, portfolio and records |
Grading: Studio projects 40%, Sketchbook practice 20%, Unit reviews 15%, Portfolio pieces 25%. Scale: A 90–100, B 80–89, C 70–79, D 60–69, below 60 needs more practice and another try.