Exploration
Students will investigate the theme of exploration by experimenting with media, understanding the creative process and discovering the purpose of their own and other artists’ work. Students will explore how artists’ select, present and preserve their artwork within art museums.
Mini-Masterpieces
Objectives: We will be able to explain what an art museum is and distinguish how an art museum is different from other buildings.
We will explore the purpose of an art museum. 

Kindergarten students were introduced to the Art Museum by reading Jack in Search of Art by Arlene Boehm . We discussed the difference between paintings and sculptures and what makes a master artist. Students then got the chance to be master artists and created a mini-masterpiece to put in our class art museum.
Dot Day! Express Yourself!
Objectives: We will know the purpose of art. We will understand that there are many reasons why people make art. We will be able to create art to express ourselves.

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After hearing the story, The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds, kindergarten students explore different reasons for making art. 
Experiment with Paint
Objective:  We will be able to engage in exploration and imaginative play with materials.

We will explore how to create with paint.
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​Kindergarten art students explore different art media by working in a risk pods (each table is set up with different material and students have the opportunity to play and explore with each).  
My Favorite Object or Animal
Objective: We will be able to describe what an image represents.

Kindergarten art students explore different art media by working in a risk pods (each table is set up with different material and students have the opportunity to play and explore with each)! Then we discussed what is an image. Students pick their favorite object or animal for the image in their art work, and had the opportunity to choose the media for their artwork. 
Discovery of a New Planet
Kindergarten artists were given the following artistic problem: You are an explorer on a new planet. You need to create an artwork to document what you see. Your artwork will be displayed in a museum showing new discoveries in the universe.

Objectives:
We will be able to engage in exploration and imaginative play with materials.
We will explain the process of making art while creating.
We will identify a purpose of an artwork.

Nature
In this unit, students will become explorers of their natural environment.  They will discover how artists document the world around them to record history and remember beauty.
Snails
Objectives: We will…
-       Know a safe and non-toxic art material used to create a sculpture.
-       Be able to create art that represents the natural environment.
-       Be able to explain the process of making art while creating.
-       Be able to identify the subject matter and describe relevant details.
-       Be able to identify the purpose of our artwork.

Kindergarten students have been creating art that represents natural environments. Students made the snail out of clay and glaze. Then students created an environment for their snail. 
(This was an assignment that connected to the unit assessment.)
Tree Houses
Objectives: We will...
- Understand art media can be combined
-       Be able to experiment with media and build skills in various media and approaches to art-making.
-       Be able to create art that represents natural and constructed environments.
-       Be able to explain the process of making art while creating.
-       Be able to identify the subject matter and describe relevant details.
-       Be able to identify the purpose of our artwork.

Kindergartners heard the story The Tree House that Jack Built by Bonnie Verburg and Mark Teague. Students first created an environment and then designed a tree house to go into the environment.
Owls
Objectives: We will...
- be able to engage collaboratively in creative art-making in response to an artistic problem.
- be able to explain the process of making art while creating.


Kindergarten students explored a variety of media and processes in creating their owls including watercolor paint, tempera paint, and collage. Students discussed all the different places an owl might live or where they would see an owl.
Animals in their Habitats
Objectives: We will...
- be able to create art that represents natural and constructed environments.
- be able to engage collaboratively in creative art-making in response to an artistic problem.

Kindergarten students were asked to create an animal and draw that animal in a habitat. They looked at some animal books and chose one that piqued their interest. We talked about how that animal's habitat doesn't have to be realistic, as we are in the art room and can use our imagination. 

Students then chose which media (painting or drawing) they wanted to use to finish their project.
Animal Environments
Kindergarten artists were given the following artistic problem:  You will create an artwork about the environment of our (animal/insect/plant of choice*) to document where it lives. 

Students created an artwork showing the environment for their animal/insect.  This was a 2D surface like a drawing or painting that was turned into a 3D diorama for the creature they created on an earlier day.  

Objectives:
We will explain the subject matter of the artwork.
We will describe the details that support the subject matter.
We will explain the process of creating the artwork.


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