Fourth Grade Art

Fourth graders at Boyer Valley learn about the Elements of Design, the four steps of Art Criticism, and about several of the most influential artists throughout history.

These oil pastel paintings were created after studying Vincent Van Gogh. Students learned that Van Gogh's paintings were very expressive, communicating his feelings and his reactions to what he saw. They learned that he painted many self portraits and that he mixed colors, usually working from a very limited palate. Students were limited to only two colors and black and white.

Although licensed to teach K-12 this is only the second year which I've taught 4th and 5th grades, so I have been learning at least as much as I have been teaching- if not more.
I have noticed that some of these 4th graders have drawing and proportion skills that rival some 8th graders, but there are also 4th graders who's motor abilities and visual perception levels are closer to those of 4 year olds. This shouldn't be a surprise, every classroom has a wide range of developmental levels in any academic discipline, from reading to math and everything in between.