Scope and sequence · Arts
Grade 4 Art
A year of real drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpture for nine- and ten-year-olds, learned by looking closely at the old masters 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: Drawing Skills
- MUST COVER 1.1 Contour Lines: Drawing the Edges · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.2 Gesture Drawing: Lines That Move · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.3 Hatching, Cross-Hatching and Stippling · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.4 Drawing a Still Life · unit test
Unit 2: Form and Proportion
- MUST COVER 2.1 Forms and Ellipses · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.2 Proportions of the Face · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.3 Measuring the Figure in Heads · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.4 Drawing Animals from Shapes · unit test
Unit 3: Color
- MUST COVER 3.1 Hue, Value and Intensity · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.2 Mixing Tertiary Colors · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.3 Neutrals and Browns from Complements · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.4 Choosing a Color Scheme · unit test
Unit 4: Value and Light
- MUST COVER 4.1 The Seven-Step Value Scale · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.2 The Light Source and the Form Shadow · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.3 Which Way Do Cast Shadows Fall? · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.4 Reflected Light · unit test
Unit 5: Material Science
- MUST COVER 5.1 Watercolor: Transparent Layers and Glazing · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.2 Tempera and Acrylic: What Holds the Color · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.3 Paper: Fibers, Weight and Cotton · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.4 Ink, Quill and Nib · unit test
Unit 6: Texture, Printmaking and Sculpture
- MUST COVER 6.1 Drawing Texture · unit test
- MUST COVER 6.2 Relief Printing with Foam · unit test
- MUST COVER 6.3 Carving Away and Building Up · unit test
- MUST COVER 6.4 A Clay Animal · unit test
Unit 7: Space and Perspective
- MUST COVER 7.1 A Room in One-Point Perspective · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.2 Vanishing Point and Orthogonals · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.3 Atmospheric Perspective · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.4 Painting a Landscape with Depth · unit test
Unit 8: Composition and Art History
- MUST COVER 8.1 The Rule of Thirds · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.2 Emphasis: Where the Eye Goes First · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.3 Illuminated Manuscripts · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.4 From Medieval to Renaissance: Giotto · 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 Contour Lines: Drawing the Edges: 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, Cross-Hatching and Stippling: 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 a Still 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 Forms and Ellipses: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.1 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 6 | Session 1: Lesson 2.2 Proportions of the Face: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.2 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 7 | Session 1: Lesson 2.3 Measuring the Figure in Heads: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.3 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 8 | Session 1: Lesson 2.4 Drawing Animals from Shapes: 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 Hue, Value and Intensity: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.1 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 10 | Session 1: Lesson 3.2 Mixing Tertiary Colors: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.2 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 11 | Session 1: Lesson 3.3 Neutrals and Browns from Complements: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.3 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 12 | Session 1: Lesson 3.4 Choosing a Color Scheme: 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 Seven-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 The Light Source and the Form 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 Which Way Do Cast Shadows Fall?: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.3 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 16 | Session 1: Lesson 4.4 Reflected Light: 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 Watercolor: Transparent Layers and Glazing: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.1 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 19 | Session 1: Lesson 5.2 Tempera and Acrylic: What Holds the Color: 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: Fibers, Weight and Cotton: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.3 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 21 | Session 1: Lesson 5.4 Ink, Quill and Nib: 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 Drawing Texture: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.1 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 23 | Session 1: Lesson 6.2 Relief Printing with Foam: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.2 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 24 | Session 1: Lesson 6.3 Carving Away and Building Up: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.3 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 25 | Session 1: Lesson 6.4 A Clay Animal: 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 A Room in One-Point Perspective: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.1 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 27 | Session 1: Lesson 7.2 Vanishing Point and Orthogonals: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.2 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 28 | Session 1: Lesson 7.3 Atmospheric Perspective: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.3 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 29 | Session 1: Lesson 7.4 Painting a Landscape with Depth: 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 Rule of Thirds: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.1 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 31 | Session 1: Lesson 8.2 Emphasis: Where the Eye Goes First: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.2 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 32 | Session 1: Lesson 8.3 Illuminated Manuscripts: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.3 studio project and sketchbook practice | ||
| Wk 33 | Session 1: Lesson 8.4 From Medieval to Renaissance: Giotto: 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 (one per lesson) 40%, Sketchbook practice and warm-ups 20%, Unit reviews (8 × 50 points) 15%, Portfolio pieces (one per unit) 25%. Scale: A 90–100, B 80–89, C 70–79, D 60–69, below 60 needs more practice before moving on.