This course will provide six different art units targeted for 5th and 6th grade students.  Each unit will cover a different artist, art movement, and/ or art culture and will teach students how to manipulate various art media, both 2D and 3D, better preparing students for upper middle school art. 

Once the course begins, students will start a new unit approximately every 2 to 3 weeks, depending on the project.  (See weekly breakdown listed below).  Each unit will have a different learning goal, sketch assignments, and a final project.   Students will be introduced to each unit by learning about its art history portion.  Students will then complete a sketch assignment to better understand and master the media of the project as well as better prepare for the final project before starting it. The instructor will model and show students how to complete the sketches and show finished examples while also providing a downloadable/ printable step-by-step guide which features photos of each step and directions.  Students will start those sketches together in class, so they can ask questions as they work, can bounce ideas off of each other, and can hold up their sketches to the screen for the instructor to check and for other students to view.  If students do not complete their sketches by the end of the weekly class, the sketches will be assigned as homework; and the students will be required to post a photo of their sketches to the class page and/ or bring the sketch to art the next week.  That way the other students and the instructor can view the sketch, provide feedback as needed, and get ideas from each other’s sketches.

Once the sketches are complete, students will start the final project.  As with the sketches, the instructor will model how to complete the project, go over project requirements, and provide finished examples and step-by-step guides.  As with the sketches, students will start the project in class to make sure they are meeting project requirements, to exchange ideas with one another, and to give and receive feedback by holding up their project to the camera.  Project will not be finished completely in class, so students can continue to work after the class ends.  However, students will post photos of their progress to the class page before the next live meeting to give and receive feedback both from each other and from the instructor.

After completing each project, students will bring their finished project to class as well as post a photo of their project on the class page in order to participate in a class critique.  Students will take turns saying one thing they like about each other’s art works, their favorite part of the project, and one thing they will use again in their own art.  Students will also store their finished projects in an art portfolio which will also be the first project they make in class.

Below is a weekly breakdown of the course.  Please note extra weeks may be given for school breaks.
Unit 1:  Name collages and paper marbling- a 2D mixed media design to decorate art portfolios (2 weeks)
Unit 2:  Window scene- a series of reverse self-portraits (2 weeks)
Unit 3:  Color wheel- an abstract design to learn how to mix and manipulate paint colors properly (2 weeks)
Unit 4:  Pop Art portrait- a print that resembles those of Pop Art made with free graphic design software (2 weeks)
Unit 5:  Era still life- a painting of three to five personal objects, painted in the design and style of a chosen art movement (2 weeks)
Unit 6:  Altered book- a mixed media project that alters a hardcover book using various methods to create a 3D unified design (4 weeks)
Unit 7:  Clay box- a ceramic vessel with a lid and handles (1 week)