Art Curriculum: Grades K-5
The Elementary School Art curriculum at Philo Classical Academy integrates with the K-5 Literature sequence, fostering creativity and an appreciation for beauty through narrative-driven projects. Kindergarteners explore "Mother Goose Rhymes" and fairy tales with finger painting, collage, and crayon drawing, building foundational skills while connecting to storytelling traditions. 1st graders bring "Aesop’s Fables" to life with watercolor, paper cut-outs, and paper mache, inspired by the beauty of moral lessons and ancient art. 2nd graders create mixed-media labyrinths, clay reliefs, and ink drawings inspired by "Greek and Norse Myths", learning to find beauty in mythological narratives through complementary colors. In 3rd grade, students depict "Charlotte’s Web" and other tales through perspective drawings, vegetable prints, and pastel drawings, using warm and cool colors to capture natural beauty, enriched by Roman art history. 4th graders reflect "Little House on the Prairie" and Revolutionary tales with sketches, woven crafts, and oil pastel scenes, exploring colonial life and historical genres to appreciate beauty in history. In 5th grade, students engage with "Tom Sawyer" and other classics through charcoal drawings, symbolic collages, and acrylic paintings, delving into realism and medieval symbolism to prepare for deeper artistic exploration in middle school.
Kindergarten: Exploring Classic Tales through Nursery Rhymes and Fairy Tales
Kindergarteners develop foundational art skills while connecting to "Mother Goose Rhymes" and fairy tales, focusing on storytelling and beauty. In the first trimester, students finger paint Humpty Dumpty’s wall, learning primary colors (red, blue, yellow) and shape recognition (rectangles for bricks), tying to farm eggs in Science and storytelling in History. They explore how rhythm and color create joy in illustrations. In the second trimester, they create a collage of the bridge from "The Three Billy Goats Gruff", using paper, twigs, and yarn to explore texture and composition, inspired by Kate Greenaway’s gentle illustrations, connecting to farm animals in Science. In the third trimester, students draw the Gingerbread Man with crayons, using lines to show motion and shapes for buttons, tying to baking traditions in History and farms in Science, appreciating the beauty of movement in art.
1st Grade: Moral Lessons through Aesop’s Fables
1st graders build on basic skills while exploring "Aesop’s Fables", focusing on moral lessons and historical art. In the first trimester, they paint the Tortoise and Hare race with watercolor, mixing primary colors to make secondary ones (e.g., yellow + blue = green), tying to forest animals in Science and ancient storytelling in History, inspired by Milo Winter’s colorful illustrations. In the second trimester, students create a paper cut-out scene of the Lion and the Mouse, using contrast (yellow lion on green background), connecting to forest ecosystems in Science and Egyptian silhouette art in History. In the third trimester, they craft a paper mache golden egg from "The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs", learning 3D techniques and painting with gold, tying to geese in Science and the use of gold in Egyptian art, appreciating the beauty of value in art.
2nd Grade: Mythical Worlds through Greek and Norse Myths
2nd graders explore "Greek and Norse Myths" through diverse media, focusing on mythological beauty and classical art. In the first trimester, they create a mixed-media labyrinth for Theseus from "D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths", using complementary colors (blue and orange) and string for the labyrinth, tying to Mediterranean ecosystems in Science and Greek culture in History, inspired by Greek vase paintings. In the second trimester, students make a clay relief of Thor’s hammer from "Norse Myths", carving and texturing to show metal, connecting to northern ecosystems in Science and comparing to Greek symbolism in History, with inspiration from Viking carvings. In the third trimester, they draw the Monkey King from "Eastern Myths" with ink pens, using lines for energy, tying to eastern ecosystems in Science and global mythologies in History, appreciating the beauty of movement in Chinese scroll paintings.
3rd Grade: Imagination and Growth through Classic Stories
3rd graders engage with "Charlotte’s Web" and other tales, focusing on natural beauty and historical art techniques. In the first trimester, they draw the barn from "Charlotte’s Web" with one-point perspective, using warm colors (red barn) and cool colors (blue sky) for depth, tying to rural landscapes in Science and Roman villas in History, inspired by John Singer Sargent’s scenes. In the second trimester, students create a carrot print border for a drawing of Peter Rabbit from "The Tale of Peter Rabbit", learning printmaking and symmetry, connecting to gardens in Science and Roman frescoes in History. In the third trimester, they draw Narnia’s lamppost from "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" with pastels, blending for snow and adding a warm glow, tying to snowy landscapes in Science and Roman light sources in History, inspired by Caspar David Friedrich’s symbolic landscapes.
4th Grade: American History through Pioneer Tales
4th graders reflect "Little House on the Prairie" and Revolutionary tales, focusing on historical beauty and genres. In the first trimester, they sketch the forest from "The Courage of Sarah Noble", using value and cross-hatching for texture, connecting to the sky in Science and colonial life in History, inspired by Winslow Homer’s landscapes. In the second trimester, students weave a pouch inspired by "The Sign of the Beaver", using forest colors, tying to natural resources in Science and colonial crafts in History, with inspiration from Native American weaving. In the third trimester, they create an oil pastel scene of "Paul Revere’s Ride", blending colors for a night sky with a lantern glow, connecting to the moon in Science and the Revolutionary War in History, inspired by N.C. Wyeth’s dramatic illustrations.
5th Grade: Growth and Imagination through American Classics
5th graders delve into "Tom Sawyer" and other classics, focusing on realistic beauty and symbolic art. In the first trimester, they draw Tom Sawyer’s fence with charcoal, using contrast and smudging for texture, tying to observation in Science and medieval labor in History, inspired by John Singer Sargent’s sketches. In the second trimester, students create a collage of the Yellow Brick Road from "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz", using fabric and paper to symbolize the journey, connecting to observation in Science and medieval pilgrimage routes in History, with inspiration from medieval pilgrimage art. In the third trimester, they paint Terabithia’s treehouse from "Bridge to Terabithia" with acrylics, using color to show friendship, tying to observation in Science and medieval tree symbolism in History, inspired by Norman Rockwell’s realistic depictions of connection.