Modules in Teaching Arts in the Elementary Grades

Ma. Cecilia C. Dalucapas

Faculty, College of Education

Module 4
SCOPE AND SEQUENCE OF ARTS FOR GRADES 1-6

Learning Outcomes

After this module, you should be able to:

1. Evaluate and discuss the scope and sequence of art elements from first to sixth
grades.

As children gain better control of their fine muscles, they become more confident in
exploring and learning the different art forms namely, drawing, painting collage,
printmaking, modelling and three-dimensional art. For children to gain the most benefit
from these are experiences, teachers should know how to determine the best way to plan,
organize and provide these experiences.

DRAWING

Everybody draws. There can scarcely be a person above the age of two who has
never made a drawing. Many people take photographs, some paint, a few make
sculpture, and a very few may even design a building. But everybody draws. You see a
patch of wet sand at the beach, a dusty tabletop, or a blank notepad while you are sitting
in class or at a business meeting – and your natural impulse is to draw something.

Children begin to draw long before they begin to write, sometimes before they can
talk intelligibly. In drawing far more than in speech, children reveal their fantasies and
their fears. Whatever the content, nearly all children draw, which shows how truly
universal is this method of expression.

Drawing is the manipulation of lines to create a visual effect. Children draw using
different tools and surfaces. For example, a children draw with their fingers on sand, with
a twig on the ground, with a pencil on paper, or with a marker on the wall. For children,
drawing is more than art. It also mirrors their thought and emotions. Drawing is linked to
their linguistic development and is considered as the child’s first written language.
Drawing benefits the child in various ways. According to Koster (1997) through and by
drawing, children develop:

1. Physically, by using their large and small muscles;

2. Socially, by working together and sharing art materials;
3. Emotionally, by enjoying the act of drawing on the ability to control a part of their
environment;
 4. Perceptually, by exploring new ways to make marks and responding to the visual
effects they have created;
5. Cognitively, by learning a drawing vocabulary and language in combination with
graphic production, and by seeing that their motions can cause the effect of making
visual lines; and
6. Art awareness, by becoming familiar with the ways drawing and lines are used in
books and the artwork of others.

Drawing Materials for Young Children

The following drawing materials are appropriate for very young children.

Materials Description
Use washable crayons for introductory explorations. Use thick
Crayons kindergarten size crayons. They are sturdy enough for grasping.
Other shapes and sizes can be slowly introduced over time.
Choose water-based, broad-tipped markers. They create broad
Marker sweeps of vibrant colors with little pressure. In addition, taking off and
putting on the caps provide small muscle practice.
Choose pencils with very soft leads.
Pencils Children like using pencils because it makes them feel grown-ups.
Using pencils also allows them to draw their finer lines than they can
with either crayons or markers.
Sidewalk chalk provides an interesting color and texture change from
Chalk using crayons and markers.
Use chalk on outside activities only and avoid the use of chalk on paper
or any other surface when working with young children.

Drawing Surfaces

Bogus drawing textured A heavyweight gray paper with a rough textured surface that
paper provides a contrast to the smoothness of most other papers.
Construction paper A medium-weight paper that comes in a wide variety of colors.
Medium-weight brown paper like that of grocery bags. It is often
Kraft paper sold in rolls. It is a sturdy paper for drawing and other art
activities. Colored kraft paper is also available.
Manila paper A medium-weight paper in a pale golden beige with a slight
texture. It is a durable paper for children’s drawings.
Newsprint A lightweight, inexpensive paper, slightly gray in color.
Tag board A stiff, smooth bendable board also called poster board or
oaktag. It makes a gold surface for drawing.
White drawing paper A sturdy paper with smooth surface. It offers a durable surface
for active drawing.
Large boxes can be used by four children drawing on each side
Boxes of the box. Securely fasten the box to the floor to withstand the
pushing of the children.
Sand Children can draw on sand using their fingers. A smooth twig
or a dowel. The sand can be wet or variation.
 Children can also draw on large flat rocks or small round stones.
Rocks Do not use chalk to draw on rocks because the dust can be
hazardous for young children.

PAINTING
.
To begin this discussion of painting, we should define some terms that allow us to
understand how, physically, such a work of art id put together. Paint is made up of
pigment, powdered color, compounded with a medium or vehicle, a liquid that holds the
particles of pigment together without dissolving them. The vehicle generally acts as or
includes a binder, an ingredient that ensures that the paint, even when diluted and spread
thinly, will adhere to the surface. Without a binder, pigments would simply powder off as
the paint dried.

Artist’s paints are generally made to a pastelike consistency and need to be diluted in
order to be brushed freely. Aqueous media can be diluted with water. Watercolors are
example of an aqueous medium. Nonaqueous media require some other diluent. Oil
paints are an example of a nonaqueous medium; these can be diluted with turpentine or
mineral spirits. Paints are applied to a support, which is the canvas, paper, wood panel,
wall or other surface on which the artist works. The support may be prepared to receive
paint with a ground or primer, a preliminary coating

What happens when child, paint, and brush mix? There’s nothing quite like it.
Painting is entirely different from other media. It has qualities of flow and freedom. When
painting, a child becomes focused on the interplay of mind, muscle, action and reaction.
Creating a painting for the young child is first and foremost a sensory experience. When
children paint they develop:

1. Physically, by using the large and fine muscle of the arm to control the paintbrush;
2. Socially, by working alongside others and by taking care of the paint so that others
may use it, too;
3. Emotionally, by being trusted to handle paint that is easy to spill and messy to work
with;
4. Perceptually, by observing the visual effects of their motions and identifying the
resulting colors, shapes and lines;
5. Cognitively, by learning a painting vocabulary and by observing how paint changes
physically when it mixes and dries; and
6. Art awareness, by responding to painting done by different artists.

Painting Materials for Young Children

Teachers can use their creativity to think of different ways of applying paint. The
following are some tools that can be used to apply paint.

Painting Tool Description

Thick handled, stubby paintbrushes work well for toddlers.
 Brushes Long handled easel brushes encourage the child to use more arm
and shoulder movements.

House painting brushes allows better grip.

Aside from the paintbrushes, other painting tools include: sponges, sponge brushes,
paint rollers, feathers and feather dusters, branches and twigs, squeeze bottles such as
empty shampoo or lotion containers, and craft sticks with cloth taped to an end.

Paints for Young Children

1. Tempera comes in containers with tight-fitting lids so that unused paint can be
saved for the next day. If the tempera is too thin, add a small amount of flour to
thicken it. You may also add a small amount of liquid detergent to make hand
cleanup easier.
2. Tempera blocks come in dry cakes. Children must wet their brush to dampen the
cube for use.
3. Watercolors, because of the small size of the individual watercolors in a set, are
more suitable for children with well-developed fine motor skills. They also stain
clothing more easily than tempera. Before applying watercolor, dampen the paper
first by applying water using a sponge or paintbrush.

( Tempera shares qualities with both watercolor and oil paint. Like watercolor,
tempera is an aqueous medium. Like oil paint, it dries to a tough, insoluble film.
Yet while oil paint tends to yellow and darken with age, tempera colors retain their
brilliance and clarity for centuries. Technically, tempera is paint in which the
vehicle is an emulsion, which is a stable mixture of an aqueous liquid with an oil,
fat, wax, or resin. A familiar example of an emulsion is milk, which consists of
minute droplets of fat suspended in liquid. A derivative of milk called casein is one
of the many vehicles that can be used to make tempera colors. The most famous
tempera vehicle, however, is another naturally occurring emulsion, egg yolk.
Tempera dries very quickly, and so colors cannot be blended easily once they are
set down. While tempera can be diluted with water and applied in a broad wash,
painters who use it most commonly build up forms gradually with fine hatching and
crosshatching strokes, much like drawing. Traditionally, tempera was used on a
wood panel support prepared with a ground of gezzo, a mixture with white pigment
and glue that sealed the wood and could be sanded and rubbed to a smooth,
ivorylike finish.)

(Watercolor consists of pigment in a vehicle of water and gum Arabic, a sticky

plant substance that acts as the binder. As with drawing, the most common
support for watercolor is paper. Also like drawing, watercolor is commonly thought
as an intimate art, small in scale and free in execution. Easy to carry and requiring
only a glass of water for use, they could readily be taken on sketching expeditions
outdoors and were a favorite medium for amateur artists)
 Guide to Mixing Colors

Do not worry if children mix up the paint colors. With practice they will learn to keep
the brushes separate. With minimal help, they will learn what happens when certain
colors are mixed.

The Primary Colors Adding Black

The primary colors are red, yellow, Black plus any color makes it
and blue. Primary colors, when darker and duller. It takes only
mixed, make the secondary colors: small amount of black to change a
color.
Red + Yellow = Orange Mix it in sparingly.
Red + Blue = Purple
Blue + Yellow = Green Black + White = Gray
Black + Red = Brown
Adding White Black + Yellow = Olive Green

White plus any color makes it Other Combinations

lighter or more pastel. Even a small
amount of a color little by little until
the tone is just right. More white will
probably be used than any other
color, so purchase double the amount
of white.
Red + White = Pink
Blue + White = Pastel Blue
Green + White = Mint Green
Orange + White = Peach
Purple + White = Lavender
Brown + White = Tan
Orange + Yellow = Gold
Red + Green = Brown
Blue + Green = Turquoise
Red + Purple = Magenta
Blue + Purple = Deep Blue
(Indigo)
Yellow + Green = Chartreuse
Skin Tones
Skin tones can be made by mixing
different combinations of black,
brown, yellow, red, and white.
Always start with the lighter colors
and add the darker ones.

FINGER PAINTING

An early childhood art program can never be complete without finger painting
activities. For some children, finger painting is at first a confusing activity. This is
especially true to those who have been taught to keep their hands clean. It is wise not
to force children to finger paint. Once their reluctant children see their classmates
enjoying the activity, they will soon find themselves joining in the fun. Once they get
used to the activity, they will begin to go beyond the “messiness” associated with finger
painting and will begin to create designs of their own.
 Group Composition

Begin by working with one or two toddlers at a time or three to four older
children. These children need to be supervised at the sink for wash time, and
there should not be more children working than can fit the sink at a time.

Setup

Finger painting is best done with children standing at child-height tables.

Always put newspaper under painting surfaces. Keep a bucket of soapy water
children to soak in their hands before rinsing. Also, make sure that there are
plenty of damp paper towels for wiping paint smears.

Materials

Commercial finger paints in different colors are available in easy to clean

formula. Homemade finger paints can be prepared using the recipes.

Recipes for Finger Paint (1)

You will need ½ cup cornstarch in 1 cup cold water.

1. Dissolve the cornstarch in the cold water.

2. Pour mixture into 3 cups of boiling water.
3. Stir constantly until shiny and translucent.
4. Allow to cool in a jar.
5. Stir in tempera

Recipes for Finger Paint (2)

You will need 3 cups water, 1 cup cornstarch and tempera.

1. Boil the water and remove from the stove.

2. Make a paste with the cornstarch, tempera, and a little cold water.
3. Add the paste to the hot water, stirring constantly.

You may add some detergent to the finger paint to make cleanup easier.

Children can finger paint using commercial finger paint paper or directly on smooth-
surfaced tabletops. Pictures can be saved by placing paper over the painting and rubbing
to create a monoprint.

(Create your own work of art using watercolor.)

COLLAGE

Collage is a French word that means “pasting” or “gluing”. In art terms it refers to
the practice of attaching objects, such as bits of paper or cloth, to the surface of a
canvas or other support, as well as to the resultant artwork.

(The Mosaic artist “paints” by assembling small colored stones, bits of glass, or
colored clay tiles into a pattern or pictorial image. Usually, mosaic works are set in a
whole or ceiling – or even a floor, because the durability of the material allows it to be
walked upon.)

Collage is one of the most popular art forms for young children and is considered as
one of the most creative. Collage is the French word for gluing. This art form consists
of attaching paper or objects to a base using an adhesive. It requires good eye-hand
coordination and a great deal of patience for both child and children.

Collage helps children develop:

1. Physically, by using the large and fine muscle of the arms and hands in cutting
paper with scissors, in spreading paste, and in pasting paper and objects on the
collage paper;
2. Socially, by working with other children and by sharing collage materials;
3. Emotionally, by learning to enjoy the act of collage making as a means of self-
expression, and by gaining self-confidence through being able to control a cutting
tool (scissors);
4. Perceptually, by manipulating and observing a variety of textures and shapes;
5. Cognitively, by learning words that describe size, shape, color, texture, and
placement in talking about their work, by observing the changes that occurs in
materials like paste and glue; and
6. Art awareness, by observing the art elements in the collage made by other
artists.

Introducing Collage to Young Children

Here are some tips to remember in introducing collage to young children.

1. Make the group size small. Limit the size of the group to one or two toddlers or
four to six three-year of children and up. Most young children tend to put paste
and glue into their mouth because of all the art materials, these two most
resemble the texture of food.
2. Provide a low table at which children can comfortably stand or sit.
3. Use a table that is easy to wash up. Do not use newspaper to cover the tabletop.
Use an old plastic shower curtain or plastic table cover.
4. Offer only about a tablespoon of paste at a time.
5. Put collage materials in separate table and sorted into shallow containers such
as shoeboxes or baskets.
 6. Demonstrate ways of spreading paste or glue onto the paper.
7. Use the activity to talk about the texture of paste and the shapes, colors, and
textures of the materials.

Aside from learning how to paste precut papers, young children should also develop
tearing and cutting skills. Tearing paper is appropriate for younger children who have
not developed the fine motor skill needed to use scissors. On the other hand, cutting
with scissors is more appropriate for children who have developed control over their
fingers.

Suggested Collage Objects Collage Adhesives

All shades and colors of yarns, strings, School paste – it is the most commonly used
ribbons, pipe cleaner, and colored wire adhesive because it is inexpensive and safe.
However, it is not suitable for heavier
All varieties of papers objects.

Buttons of all sizes and colors
Bottle caps and corks
All shapes and sizes of styrofoam packing
White glue or school glue – this is a strong
durable adhesive and can be used to glue all
kinds of objects. However, its runny
consistency makes it difficult for children to
handle, and it dries very slowly.

All kinds of natural materials – seeds, bark, Gel glue – it is transparent and dries clear
twigs, pods, shells leaving a shiny mark on the paper.
Small tiles However, it is hard to control, dries slowly,
and wrinkles the paper.
Beads

Leather scraps and trimmings

Cloth and wallpaper

Wood chips and wood shavings

( Collect pictures of painting, sculpture, architecture and crafts. Then make a collage.
Write 7 – 10 sentences reflecting on the mood, idea or message of the artwork)

PRINTMAKING

If you have ever received a handmade greeting card, then you will appreciate the
difference between an art print and a mass-produced reproduction. Commercial
greeting cards are cranked out by the thousands, even millions, by the major card
manufacturers. But many people like to make their own cards with their own original
designs. Usually they will print cards by some type of stamping process. The design is
carved out on a printing block made of wood, linoleum, or even the cut side of a potato,
leaving some areas raised as in a rubber stamp. Then the printing block is coated with
ink and pressed carefully onto paper to make the card.
 Prints differ from most other works of art in two important respects. First, they are
made by an indirect process. The artist does not draw or paint directly on the work of
art but instead creates the surface that makes the work of art. Second, the printing
process results in many nearly identical images, which is why it is called an art of
multiples. Each image – called an impression – is considered an original work of art.
This latter point is crucial to an understanding of art prints.

Printmaking procedures now are rigidly controlled. The artist works on a plate or
stone or some other surface to make the image. Then the image is printed on paper, by
hand or by a hand-operated machine, either by the artist or by someone under the
artist’s immediate supervision. Each print is examined to make it sure it meets the
artist’s standards, and any faulty impressions are destroyed. Usually the artist and
printer decide in advance how many impressions will be made – ten, fifty, a hundred or
more – and this number is referred to as the edition.

The type of print we are talking about must be distinguished from posters and other
reproductions made by mechanical or photographic processes.

Today’s art print, is designed to be a print. It is not a copy of a work done in some
other medium, although it may be adapted from an image in another medium. Some
artists, for instance, will take a theme they have used in painting and explore its
possibilities in prints, but in this case the artist adjusts the image to fit the physical
qualities and expressive potential of the particular print medium chosen. Like drawings,
prints are a great boon to the art lover and the collector.

There are four basic methods for making an art print – relief, intaglio, lithography
and screenprinting.

The term relief describes any printing method in which the image to be printed is
raised from a background. Think of a rubber stamp itself you may see words standing
out from the background in reverse. You press the stamp to an ink pad, then to paper,
and the words print right side out – a mirror image of the stamp. All relief processes
work according work according to this general principle. Any surface from which the
background areas can be carved away is suitable for relief printing.

Intaglio from an Italian word meaning “to cut”, which includes several related
methods. Intaglio is exactly the reverse of relief, in that the areas meant to print are
below the surface of the printing plate. The artist uses a sharp tool or acid to make
depressions – lines or grooves – in a metal plate. When the plate is inked, the ink sinks
into the depressions. Then the surface of the plate is wiped clean. When dampened
paper is brought into contact with plate under pressure, the paper is pushed into the
depressions to pick up the image.

Lithography is a planographic process, which means that the printing surface is

flat – not raised as in relief or depressed as in intaglio.
 To understand the basic principle of screenprinting, you need only picture the
lettering stencils used by schoolchildren. The stencil is a piece of cardboard from which
the forms of the alphabet letters have been cut out. To trace the letters onto paper, you
simply place the stencil over the paper and fill in the holes with pencil or ink. Today’s
art screenprinting work much the same way. The screen is a fine mesh of silk or
synthetic fiber mounted in a frame, rather line a window screen. Silk is the traditional
material, so the process has often been called silkscreen or serigraphy – “silk writing”.

An art form that involves making a copy of something is called printmaking. Some
printing techniques can produce multiple prints, others only a monoprint. To make a
clear handprint, have the child put paint on the hand either by dipping or spreading it on.
Then, they should press the hand down on the paper or printing surface, hold it still and
lift it up again off the paper. This pattern of action – pressing down, holding still, and
lifting up – is the key to printmaking.

Have you ever had to clean up children’s handprints on the walls. Although
handprints and fingerprints are the first prints of children, teachers, should fully
understand the nature of the techniques and how children approach it, before offering
printing activities to children. Printmaking activities help children develop:

1. Physically, by using the large and small muscles of the arm to apply paint to n an
object and pressing the object down on paper;
2. Socially, by working alongside other children and sharing the printing materials;
3. Emotionally, by making prints to express oneself and by feeling competent in
using and controlling a messy material like paint;
4. Perceptually, by exploring different ways of arranging print marks on a piece of
paper or on a flat surface and by matching an object to the shape of its print;
5. Cognitively, by learning words about printing and words that describe printing
marks, and by perceiving similarities and differences in print marks in terms of
shape and texture; and
6. Art awareness, by describing print as used in book illustrations, posters, and
other artworks.

Tips in Teaching Printmaking

1. Limit the group of children to one or two toddlers or four older children. You can
increase the number of children as they become familiar with the technique.
2. Have children work on a low table where they can work while standing. Cover
the table with newspaper, and have all materials set in place before asking
children to start working.
3. While children are working, do not interfere except for safety reasons.
4. When the children are done, give comments that describe the marks made by
the objects and the actions that the child has used.
5. Extend the printmaking activity by making a Big Book about patterns, or
composing a printing chant with the children.
 Printmaking Objects

Blocks (building or interlocking) Ornamental Corn

Bristle blocks Pinecones

Cans (with smooth edges) Plastic cups and containers

Corks Potato masher

Erasers Rocks

Forks Shells

Feet Shoes

Film cans Sponge ball

Garlic press Spools

Hands Toy trucks

Juice cans Tubes

Lids and tops Wood blocks

(Go online and watch video tutorials on how to create 3D arts. Feel free to follow the
tutorial and make your own crafts)

MODELING

When children are working with three-dimensional pliable materials, they are engaged
in modelling. Modeling enhances children’s understanding of the spatial realm in which
they exist as they roll, twist, stamp, squeeze, and poke plastic clay or play dough.
While drawing or painting, children focus on the visual marks they make. While
modeling, children respond first to the tactile properties of the forms as they create
them. They also make a lot of talking and noise as they explore the modeling materials.

Modeling activities help children develop:

1. Physically, by using the large muscles of the arms and the fine muscles of the
hands as they manipulate the modeling material;
2. Socially, by working with other children and by sharing materials with them;
 3. Emotionally, by using the modeling activity to release energy, tension, and
emotion;
4. Perceptually, by exploring three-dimensional materials from different angles and
observing how pliant materials can change;
5. Cognitively, by learning words that describe size, shape, form, comparison, and
relationship and by observing cause and effect as they manipulate the modeling
materials; and
6. Art awareness, by observing three-dimensional modeled forms such as pots and
vases that have been created by people from different times and places.

The Development of Modeled Forms

The kind of images that children produce in modeling depends upon the amount of
control the child has over the particular modeling materials. The table below describes
the development of modeled forms children and the behavior they manifest in each
level.

Mode Child’s Behavior

1. Initial Exploration Manipulate materials using all the senses; uses

large motions of the arms and hands

2. Controlled Exploration Begins to make basic forms – worm, ball, and

pancake; uses palms and fingers

3. Named Forms Gives names and labels to modeled forms;

begins to use them in symbolic play; uses
fingers for shaping

4. Symbolic Forms Plans the forms that can be used; can attach
form together; can pull a form out of a larger
piece of modeling material; can use fingers to
create small details

Tips in Teaching Modeling

1. Limit the number of children to one or two during exploration activities. Increase
the number of children as they gain more control over the modeling material.
2. Make sure that the modeling clay is safe and the modeling clay colors do not
come off on the hands of the children.
 3. Before giving children modeling materials, explain that the material is not food
and that they should not put the materials into their mouths. It is important to
emphasize from the start that art materials should never be put in the mouth.
4. Provide each child a baseball-sized piece of the modeling clay, but do not show
them how to use it.
5. Once the children are engaged, do not interfere with their exploration unless it is
for safety purposes.
6. Use the activity to talk about the tactile qualities of the play dough. Use
descriptive words like soft, sticky, press, poke, pull, push, and flatten.
7. Make up some modeling chants to accompany the activity.
8. Allow the children to spend as much as they wish exploring the modeling
materials.
9. When the children are done, show them how to gather the materials, return them
to the proper place, and clean up the area.

Play Dough Recipes

Basic play dough 1

You will need 3 cups flour, ¼ cup salt, 6 tablespoons oil, enough dry tempera to color it,
and about ¼ to 1 cup water.

1. Encourage children to measure amounts of salt, and flour and mix them together with
dry tempera.
2. Add tempera before adding water. If using food coloring, mix three ounces of water in
a bottle before combining with salt and flour.
3. Combine oil with ¼ cup water and add to dry ingredients. Mix with fingers, adding as
much water as necessary to make workable but not sticky dough.

Basic play dough 2

1. Stir together 2 cups flour, 2 tablespoons cream of tartar, and ½ cup salt.
2. Combine 2 cups water with 2 tablespoons oil, food coloring, and oil of cloves (if
desired for scent)
3. Combine wet and dry ingredients, stir and cook over medium heat until it forms a ball.

Cooked play dough

1. Blend 1 cup flour, ½ cup cornstarch, and 1 cup water together to make a better in top
of double boiler.
2. Boil 3 cups of water and 1 cup of salt together and pour it into cornstarch flour mixture.
 3. Cool in double boiler until dough looks shiny and translucent, stirring firmly and
constantly.
4. Allow to cool enough so children can handle mixture, then stir in coloring.
5. Gradually work in 3 to 4 more pounds (12 to 16 cups) of flour until dough is of good
handling consistency.

Cornstarch dough

1. Mix thoroughly 1 cup salt, ½ cup cornstarch, and ¼ cup water to which food coloring
has been added, and cook in a double boiler until thick and translucent. This happens
suddenly, and it is very difficult to stir but worth it.
2. Allow to cool to lukewarm on an aluminum pie plate.

Baker’s dough

1. Mix 4 cups flour, 1 cup salt, and 1 to 1 ½ cups of water as needed to make dough nice
to handle.
2. Knead and handle as desired. Bake at 350 F for 50 to 60 minutes. Material will brown
slightly, but baking at a lower temperature will not be as successful.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Photography is the art form that best demonstrates a basic truth: Artistry resides
not in the hands but in the head. People who cannot draw well sometimes think
painters have some unusual skill in their hands, just as a singer may have an
exceptional voice. But while some art forms do demand manual skill, the difference
between a merely competent mechanical performance and a great work of art lies not in
the artist’s hands but in the brain – in the artistic inspiration that tells the hands what to
do.

Share your thoughts about Photography and Drawing.

_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________