Our Curriculum › Art › 2nd Grade
Art 2
A year of second-grade art: trying and repurposing materials, studio safety, the seven elements of art (value is the newest), talking about and displaying art, mood in pictures, art from two cultures, and an art show.
180 lessons
One a day for a school year
9 units
Each opens to its lessons
2 art traditions compared
Ukrainian eggs, Mexican paper banners
Standards
National Core Arts Standards (visual arts)
What's taught, unit by unit
Experimenting with materials, and repurposingDays 1–30
Crayon rubbings, chalk, torn paper, yarn, stamps, sponges, foil and fabric, then turning things headed for the recycling bin (boxes, bottle caps, socks, tubes, egg cartons, cans, newspaper) into new art. Ends with a mystery-object challenge and showcase.
- 1 · Welcome to Art Explorers!
- 2 · Crayon Rubbings and Layers
- 3 · Soft and Smudgy Chalk Art
- 4 · Torn Paper Collage Creatures
- 5 · Yarn Line Designs
- 6 · Homemade Stamp Prints
- 7 · Leaf and Stick Nature Art
- 8 · Mixing Crayon and Chalk
- 9 · Cotton Ball Cloud Pictures
- 10 · Sponge Dab Painting
- 11 · Shiny Foil Art
- 12 · Fabric Scrap Collage
- 13 · My Favorite Material Showcase
- 14 · What Does Repurpose Mean?
- 15 · Cardboard Box Transformation
- 16 · Bottle Cap Creatures
- 17 · Sock Puppet Friends
- 18 · Paper Towel Tube Rockets
- 19 · Egg Carton Caterpillars
- 20 · Plastic Bottle Vase
- 21 · Jar Lid Picture Frames
- 22 · Newspaper New Creations
- 23 · Magazine Cut-and-Paste Art
- 24 · Tin Can Pencil Holders
- 25 · Greeting Card Redo
- 26 · Cork Boats and Towers
- 27 · Plastic Bag Weaving
- 28 · Button Box Bugs
- 29 · Mystery Object Challenge
- 30 · Art Explorers Grand Showcase
Studio habits, value, movement and proportionDays 31–60
Caring for brushes, markers and scissors, cleaning spills and sharing tools. Then value (light and dark, value scales, shading a round shape, crosshatching), movement through lines and repeated shapes, and proportion, including head-to-body in people.
- 31 · Why Our Art Studio Has Safety Rules
- 32 · Taking Care of Paintbrushes
- 33 · Markers and Caps: Keeping Colors Ready
- 34 · Scissors: Safe to Use, Safe to Store
- 35 · Wiping Down Your Table
- 36 · Spills Happen: Cleaning Up Safely
- 37 · Putting Supplies Away in Their Spot
- 38 · Sharing Art Tools Kindly and Safely
- 39 · Studio Routine: Start to Finish
- 41 · A New Element of Art: Value
- 42 · Value Is Not the Same as Color
- 43 · Making a Value Scale
- 44 · Where Does the Light Come From?
- 45 · Shading a Round Shape
- 46 · Finding Value in Black-and-White Pictures
- 47 · Practice: Adding Value to Shapes
- 48 · Crosshatching: A Value Technique
- 49 · Spotting Value in a Real Painting
- 50 · Value Review: The Seventh Element
- 51 · New Principles of Design: Movement and Proportion
- 52 · Movement: Making Your Eye Travel
- 53 · Using Lines to Create Movement
- 54 · Repeated Shapes Create Movement
- 55 · Draw a Picture With Movement
- 56 · Proportion: Comparing Big and Small
- 57 · Proportion in People: Head to Body
- 58 · Proportion in Everyday Objects
- 59 · Movement and Proportion Together
- 60 · Unit Review: Value, Movement, and Proportion
Plus 1 review day, not listed.
Talking about art with othersDays 61–70
Explaining the color, shape and material choices you made, listening well, asking a good question about someone else's art, giving kind and helpful feedback, and reflecting on how sharing felt.
- 61 · Sharing Your Art: A New Kind of Conversation
- 62 · Talking About a Color Choice You Made
- 63 · Talking About a Shape Choice You Made
- 64 · Talking About a Material Choice You Made
- 65 · Being a Good Art Listener
- 66 · Asking a Great Question About Someone Else's Art
- 67 · Giving Kind and Helpful Feedback
- 68 · How Sharing Your Art Made You Feel
- 69 · Peer Art Chat: Full Practice Day
- 70 · Unit Review: Talking About Art With Others
Exhibits: sorting and presenting artDays 71–90
What an exhibit is, sorting art by theme (animals, seasons, feelings, colors), planning pretend shows, and how to present paper art, clay sculpture and collage. Comparing drawing with clay and painting with collage.
- 71 · What Is an Art Exhibit?
- 72 · Sorting Art by Theme: Animals
- 73 · Sorting Art by Theme: Seasons
- 74 · Sorting Art by Theme: Feelings
- 75 · Sorting Art by Theme: Colors
- 76 · One Artwork, Many Themes?
- 77 · Naming Your Own Exhibit Theme
- 78 · Planning a Pretend Animal-Themed Art Show
- 79 · Planning a Pretend Seasons-Themed Art Show
- 80 · Unit Review: Categorizing Art for an Exhibit
- 81 · Getting Art Ready to Show: Why Presentation Matters
- 82 · Paper Art Needs Taping or a Frame
- 83 · Clay Art Needs a Shelf or Stand
- 84 · Collage Art and Careful Framing
- 85 · Matching Artwork to the Right Presentation
- 86 · Comparing Two Techniques: Drawing vs. Clay Sculpture
- 87 · Comparing Two Techniques: Painting vs. Collage
- 88 · Planning How to Present Your Own Artwork
- 89 · Whole-Unit Review: Sharing, Sorting, and Presenting Art
- 90 · Your Pretend Art Show: Putting It All Together
Art in the community, and beauty around usDays 91–110
Murals, park sculptures, school and library displays, art in town squares and what community art says about a place. Then noticing and describing beauty in nature (sunsets, leaves, shells) and in buildings, bridges and streets.
- 91 · Welcome to the Community Art Walk
- 92 · Murals: Giant Paintings on Walls
- 93 · Sculptures in the Park
- 94 · Art in Our School Hallways
- 95 · Art at the Library
- 96 · Art in Town Squares and Community Centers
- 97 · How Art Tells a Community's Story
- 98 · How Art Brightens a Space
- 99 · Plan Your Own Community Art Walk
- 100 · Community Art Walk Review
- 101 · Noticing Beauty All Around Us
- 102 · The Beauty of a Sunset
- 103 · Patterns in Leaves
- 104 · The Beauty of a Seashell
- 105 · Beauty in Buildings
- 106 · Bridges Can Be Beautiful Too
- 107 · Beauty in Streets and Sidewalks
- 108 · Nature and Built Beauty Side by Side
- 109 · Words to Describe Beauty
- 110 · Aesthetic Perception Review
Mood and feeling in artDays 111–135
How pictures make us feel happy, calm, excited, spooky, silly or sad, and the clues that create a mood: warm and cool colors, jagged and curvy lines, sharp and round shapes, and subject. Practice on Monet's bridge and other famous works.
- 111 · Art Can Make Us Feel Things
- 112 · Happy and Cheerful Pictures
- 113 · Calm and Peaceful Pictures
- 114 · Exciting Pictures
- 115 · Spooky and Mysterious Pictures
- 116 · Silly and Funny Pictures
- 117 · Sorting Pictures by Feeling
- 118 · How Color and Shape Change a Feeling
- 119 · Matching Moods to Pictures
- 120 · Unit 4 Final Review
- 121 · Art Detectives: What Is a Mood?
- 122 · Color Clues: Warm Colors and Happy Feelings
- 123 · Color Clues: Cool Colors and Peaceful Feelings
- 124 · Color Clues: Dark Colors and Mysterious Moods
- 125 · Line Clues: Jagged Lines and Curvy Lines
- 126 · Shape Clues: Sharp Shapes and Round Shapes
- 127 · Subject Clues: What the Picture Shows
- 128 · Full Practice: Monet's Peaceful Bridge
- 129 · Practice: A Swirling, Mysterious Sky
- 130 · Practice: A Powerful Ocean Wave
- 131 · Practice: A Sunny Park Afternoon
- 132 · Mood Detective Challenge
- 133 · Silly and Playful Moods
- 134 · Sad and Lonely Moods
- 135 · Mood Interpretation Review
Using art words to explain what you likeDays 136–150
Moving beyond 'I like it' by using line, shape, color, texture, form, space, value, balance and movement to explain a preference, combining two words, comparing two artworks and acting as an art critic. Ends with a review.
- 136 · Beyond "I Like It": Using Real Art Words
- 137 · Using the Word Line to Explain Your Preference
- 138 · Using the Word Shape to Explain Your Preference
- 139 · Using the Word Color to Explain Your Preference
- 140 · Using the Word Texture to Explain Your Preference
- 141 · Using the Word Form to Explain Your Preference
- 142 · Using the Word Space to Explain Your Preference
- 143 · Using the Word Value to Explain Your Preference
- 144 · Using the Word Balance to Explain Your Preference
- 145 · Using the Word Movement to Explain Your Preference
- 146 · Combining Two Art Words in One Sentence
- 147 · Comparing Two Artworks With Vocabulary
- 148 · Practicing Preferences on Monet's Bridge
- 149 · Art Critic Day: Mood and Vocabulary Together
- 150 · Unit Wrap-Up: Mood Detective and Art Vocabulary Review
Art about life events, and two culturesDays 151–164
Planning and making art about a family celebration, a school memory and a community event. Then comparing Ukrainian pysanky eggs and Mexican papel picado paper banners, with a design project for each.
- 151 · Art Tells the Story of Your Life
- 152 · Planning Your Family Celebration Artwork
- 153 · Creating Your Family Celebration Artwork
- 154 · Planning Art About a School Day Memory
- 155 · Creating Your School Memory Artwork
- 156 · Planning Art About a Community Event
- 157 · Creating Your Community Event Artwork
- 158 · Comparing Art From Different Places
- 159 · Ukrainian Pysanky: Eggs That Tell a Story
- 160 · Design Your Own Pysanky-Inspired Egg
- 161 · Mexican Papel Picado: Paper That Dances in the Wind
- 162 · Design Your Own Papel Picado Banner
- 163 · Pysanky and Papel Picado: Same and Different
- 164 · Cultural Comparison Review
The art showDays 165–180
Picking materials, starting, adding details and finishing a show piece, describing it, writing a museum-style label, inviting a guest, setting up the display and presenting. Ends with a celebration of the year.
- 165 · Get Ready: Our Art Show Is Coming!
- 166 · Noticing Beauty for Inspiration
- 167 · Choosing Your Art Show Materials
- 168 · Art Show Safety Reminder
- 169 · Starting Your Art Show Piece
- 170 · Adding Details to Your Art Show Piece
- 171 · Finishing Touches
- 172 · Describing Your Finished Piece
- 173 · Writing Your Artist Label
- 174 · Sharing Your Art With Someone
- 175 · Getting Ready to Display
- 176 · Practice Presenting Your Art
- 177 · Invite Someone to Your Art Show
- 178 · Set Up Your Art Show
- 179 · Art Show Day!
- 180 · Celebrating a Whole Year of Art
By the end of the year, your child can
- Make art from a range of materials, including things that would otherwise be thrown away
- Use value, movement and proportion in a drawing
- Use safe studio habits: care for brushes, scissors and markers, and clean up spills
- Describe the mood of a picture and point to the colors, lines and shapes that create it
- Explain what they like in an artwork using words such as line, color, texture and balance
- Compare art traditions from two cultures and present their own work with a label