Grade 9 - 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
• analyses 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 and mood in representational and non-representational images
• 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

• As an ongoing activity, have students collect small reproductions of works of art and respond to these works in journals, using the vocabulary associated with the visual elements and principles of art and design.
• In small groups, students collect examples of found objects or images that make interesting use of a single element or principle. Create assemblages of the objects and label them with the appropriate element or principle of design.
• Working in small groups, students collect images they feel represent a particular mood (e.g., danger, pastoral, excitement, serenity). Each group develops an analysis of how the chosen elements and principles of art and design contribute to the creation of the mood.
• Show students a selection of non-figurative abstract works. Discuss them in terms of the elements and principles of art and design and whether or not they have "meaning." Examples of works to consider might include abstract artists (e.g., Kandinsky, Mondrian, Arp, Schwitters), abstract expressionists (e.g., Frankenthaler, Pollock, David Smith), op artists, and examples of ethnic geometric textile design and decoration (e.g., Kente cloth from Ghana, Australian Aboriginal songline paintings).
• Have students analyse their own dress or the dress of others, using the elements and principles of art and design. (e.g., colour symbolism, fabric connotations, pattern, labels) Students could also relate dress to personality. (i.e., how does their attire express their personalities?)

SUGGESTED ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

• Students build on their knowledge of vocabulary and the effect of particular elements and principles. Observe their awareness of how these elements and principles can be used for a particular effect. How effectively do they use the language of art to accurately describe points of reference and to influence?
• Review students' journals, idea books, or sketchbooks. Look for evidence of their abilities to:
  • use terminology correctly
  • use a variety of terms when describing ideas or works
• After working in groups and collecting images that represent a mood, have students:
  • analyse how various elements and principles are used to create particular effects
  • explain how one element or principle of art can be effective on its own
  • generate new ways of incorporating the elements and principles of art into their personal work
• Give students an example of a non-figurative work. Ask them to describe it in detail. Look for evidence of appropriate vocabulary for elements and principles.
• When reporting on ways in which people express their personalities and preferences visually, look for evidence that students are developing:
  • appropriate vocabulary for describing the elements and principles
  • increased awareness of the meaning between the elements and principles
  • insights into the relationship between personality and image
• Assign partners or small groups of students to develop "challenge activities" for each other that assess knowledge of topics such as the elements and principles of art and design strategies and their uses in industrial design and architecture. Assess both the challenge activities and the responses.

RECOMMENDED LEARNING RESOURCES

• Art and Design in Context
• Art From Many Hands: Multicultural Art Projects
• Art Images and Ideas
• Arttalk (Second Edition)
• Art First Nations: Tradition and Innovation
• Claywork - Form and Idea in Ceramic Design (Third Edition)
• Down Town
• Drawing Figures
• Exploring Art
• How to Plan Your Drawings
• An Introduction to Acrylics
• An Introduction to Drawing
• An Introduction to Pastels
• Photographing the World Around You
• Portraits
• The Step-by-Step Guide to Photography
• Understanding Art
• The Visual Experience A World of Images
• The Young Artists Series

• Color with Stephen Quiller
• Henry Moore: The Sculptor
• The Iconoclast
• Learning to Paint with Carolyn Berry
• Life's Imprint: Lithographs by Jack Shadbolt
• Seurat: The Realm of Light

• The Art Pack
• 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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