Grade 8 - Visual Elements and Principles of Art and Design (Perceiving/Responding)

PRESCRIBED LEARNING OUTCOMES

The visual elements are: line, colour, form, space, shape, texture, value, and tone.

The principles include: pattern/repetition/rhythm, balance, contrast, emphasis, movement, and unity/harmony.

It is expected that students will:

• use appropriate vocabulary in oral and written analyses of works of art
• analyse how individual visual elements and principles of art and design are used to create meaning in images
• analyse how the physical qualities of visual elements and principles of art and design are used to create effects or mood in representational or non-representational images.
• analyse 2-D and 3-D images for their use of particular visual elements and principles
• evaluate personal use of the elements and principles of art and design

To view the prescribed learning outcomes for Visual Elements and Principles of Art and Design (Perceiving/Responding) in other grades click on an icon below.

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

• Students examine examples of artwork and describe the feelings each work elicits. Analyse one piece, focussing on how particular elements have been used to create the feelings that students identify. (e.g., Morisseau generally uses colour to create playful and supernatural effects, while Goya often chose colours that convey sinister darkness.) Use questions such as: What types of colours do you see? What thoughts or feelings do these colours evoke? Students could then work in small groups to develop their own analyses of given works, using appropriate vocabulary to describe the elements.
• Provide students with a collection of drawings. Introduce and discuss elements in the drawings (e.g., an emphasis on line, shape, tone). Have students draw three pictures of an object, emphasizing the elements (e.g., first line, then shape, and finally tone).
• Have students examine how the principles of art and design (e.g., patterns, repetition) are used in clothing.
• Each student produces a large poster that uses lettering to illustrate a different element or principle. (e.g., The word line could be in broad script.) Display these around the classroom and collect individual work that illustrates that element or principle.
• Have students examine sculptural works (e.g., Aboriginal carvings, African masks) and discuss design elements such as shape, texture, and form. Examinations might be visual, tactile, or both.

SUGGESTED ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

• Students demonstrate evidence of their knowledge of the principles of design through discussion and recorded observations such as critiques, reviews, and diagrams. Observe whether students recognize the elements and principles of art and design in their own work and in the work of others.
• Have students view a painting and consider the colours used. Prompt discussion with questions such as:
  • How do you respond to the colours in this painting? Do the colours make you feel a certain way?
  • Does everyone respond to the colours in the same way?
  • How would you use colour in your own work?
  Then have students record two or three comments or observations about colour in their journals or other collections.
• In group discussions of representational and non-representational artwork, look for evidence of the students' abilities to:
  • use appropriate vocabulary (e.g., line, shape, tone, contrast, emphasis, movement)
  • describe the elements and principles used by the artist
  • express how colour, contrast, and emphasis are important when creating a specific mood or effect
• Show a group of images that illustrate particular elements and principles (e.g., texture, unity, harmony, emphasis). Through small-group discussion, identify the elements and principles exemplified in each artwork. Ask each student to record (in words, sketches, or combination) key points of their discussion. Review their notes for evidence of understanding.
• Develop a form or guide that students can use to review their portfolios to assess how effectively they have used the elements and principles of design in their work. Focus on a small number of specific elements or principles in each review.

RECOMMENDED LEARNING RESOURCES

• Art First Nations: Tradition and Innovation
• Art From Many Hands: Multicultural Art Projects
• Art Images and Ideas
• Arttalk (Second Edition)
• Claywork - Form and Idea in Ceramic Design (Third Edition)
• Down Town
• Experimenting with Art: 25 Easy-to-Teach Lessons in Design and Color
• Exploring Art
• How to Plan Your Drawings
• An Introduction to Acrylics
• An Introduction to Drawing
• An Introduction to Pastels
• A Painter's Palette: A Collection of Painting Activities for Intermediate Grades
• Photographing the World Around You
• Portraits
• Stencil It!
• Understanding Art
• The Visual Experience A World of Images
• The Young Artists Series

• Color with Stephen Quiller
• Learning to Paint with Carolyn Berry

• Themes and Foundations of Art

Table of Contents

Province of British Columbia
Ministry of Education
Standards Department © 1995 Copyright

Maintained by: Fine Arts Coordinator - Visual Arts

Revised: March 13, 1996

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