1st Grade: Elements of Art: Shape /Lesson Organizer

Lessons taken from What Your First Grader Needs to Know and the Core Knowledge Teacher Handbook
The Big Idea: Of the generally recognized elements of art – color, line, shape, form, space, light (value), and texture – children will study
color, line, shape, and texture.

ELEMENTS OF ART Vocabulary

Form: any three dimensional object
Geometric shape: precise and sharply defined shape such as a triangle, square, or circle
Organic shape: shape that is irregular in outline, often found in nature
Shape: a two dimensional enclosed area

Domain Vocabulary: shape, geometric shapes, organic shapes, form, repeated, realistic, circle, oval, square, rectangle, irregular, contour

What Students Need to Learn:

1. Recognize basic geometric shapes in nature, objects, and artworks, including Parade, and Stone City, Iowa.

At a Glance: The most important ideas for students are:

1. Color and line can be used to create shape in art and to suggest real texture when working in two dimensions.
2. Children should have chances to use color, line, shape, and texture in art projects.

Higher Order Thinking

# Method Objectives Materials
Framework
Questioning
Demonstration Students will be introduced to Elements of Art: Q. What are some Lots of different Knowledge,
Class Shape – Get in Shape! names of Geometric colored paper, Patterns
Discussion, shapes? reference page with Modeling
Activity When lines join together, they make shapes. Cut outs examples of Creativity
from paper are shapes. Q. Which ones make geometric shapes
you think of
Look at circle, ovals, triangles, squares, rectangles, something moving? One piece of large
diamond shapes, etc. These are called GEOMETRIC A. Circles roll, ball, construction paper
SHAPES. wheels, marbles… folded in half

Which ones make you think of something moving?

Circles roll, ball, wheels, marbles… Squares and
rectangles seem to rest in one place, like a refrigerator.
Triangles have points like a tip of a rocket.

Lesson Ideas:
1. Make a Geometric Shapes Collage
(Option: Students will draw and cut out
geometric shapes of circle, ovals, triangles,
squares diamond, semicircle, oval, rectangle
shapes, etc. Cut more than one of each shape in
different sizes.
On half of a folded piece of construction paper,
students will glue the geometric shapes in a
collage. (The other half will be for the organic
shapes collage.)
Label one of each shape with a marker on the
collage.)
Demonstration Geometric Shape Drawings Q. What basic Knowledge,
Class geometric shapes of Patterns
Discussion, Lesson Ideas: a head, torso, arms Modeling
Activity 1. Make drawings of people (a friend, or family) and legs? Creativity
or objects, etc. using only circles, squares, and A. The head is an
triangles. oval, the torso is a
2. (Optional: Use geometric shape templates to rectangle, arms and
draw geometric shapes) legs are long
bendable rectangles.
Demonstration Students will be introduced to Shape vs Form Q.What are the A real sculpture and Knowledge,
Class differences between a photograph of the Patterns
Discussion, Lesson Ideas: form and shape? same sculpture. Modeling
Activity 1. Examine a real sculpture and then look at a Creativity
photograph of the same sculpture. A.Forms are always cubes, spheres, and
2. Compare similarities and differences between 3-D and shapes are cylinders (Sphere-
the picture and the ‘real thing’. 2-D (flat). ball, cylinders- cans
& towel rolls; cube-
Lesson Ideas: box, etc.)
1. Learn to identify forms of cubes, spheres, and
cylinders from real life. (Sphere-ball, cylinders- plastecene clay
cans & towel rolls; cube-box, etc.)
2. Go on a ‘shape and form’ hunt in the classroom.
3. Locate and point to a 2-D square then point to a
3-D cube, etc.

Lesson Ideas:
1. Make 3-D geometric shapes with plastecene
clay
2. Assemble the shapes to make a clay robot.
3. Draw a picture of their robot.
Demonstration Students will make an Organic Shape Collage Q. What is the String, Lots of Knowledge,
Class difference between different colored Patterns
Discussion, Lesson Ideas: Geometric and paper Modeling
Activity 1. Review definition of a shape (a 2-D image by Organic (nature) Creativity
lines that meet). shapes?
2. Take an arm’s length of string tied together to
arrange the string to make interesting and
irregular outlines, organic shapes by moving
parts of the string on the table.
3. Cut out different natural organic shapes on
different colored paper. A person’s body, an
animal, a flower, leaf, (Hand out strips of 2-3
inch papers)
4. On the other half of the construction paper,
(from the Geometric shapes) students will glue
the organic shapes in a collage.)
Demonstration (Optional as time allows) Q. Will your shapes Paper and thick Knowledge,
Activity Students will make a Name Shape Picture be geometric or markers Patterns
Lesson Ideas: organic shapes? Modeling
1. Write name in the middle of a paper and using a Creativity
different color marker make a continuous line
around it matching the shape of the letter
2. Demo thick and thin lines around name
3. Make a pattern using thick and thin lines and a
pattern of colors
Demonstration Students will be introduced to Jacob Lawrence’s Ask students if Recording of When Knowledge
Class Parade Art History and Q’s they’ve been to a the Saints go Modeling
Discussion, parade. Marching in. Patterns
Activity Ask students if they’ve been to a parade. What did it Q. What did it feel Creativity
feel like? What did they see? Show pictures of Mardi like? Geometric shape
Gras or other kinds of Parades and marching bands. Q. What did they sponges, rectangles,
Where can you see the same things in this painting? see? ovals circles, squares
Q. Where can you Parade Reference
Focus on the colors, sights and sounds of a parade. see the same things Pictures poster
Play music “When the Saints Go Marching In”. in this painting?
Q. What geometric Markers and
 Demonstrate: Trace over the shape of the black shapes you see in the construction paper to
marcher in the middle from his hat to feet and up Parade painting? add shapes and
again. How many people can be outlined as a triangle? details
It’s almost a painting of marching triangles.
(Can link to Mardi Gras or other local parades)

Lesson Ideas:
1. make a parade of people using geometric
shapes
(Optional: use sponge/stamp shapes with paint
or cut out construction paper shapes to glue on
another piece of paper and use markers or
crayons to define the details.
Draw details on the people and costumes.)
Demonstration Students will be introduced to Grant Wood’s Stone Look at the painting; White, blue and Knowledge
Class City Iowa Art History and Q’s Q. Have you been up green paint to make Modeling
Discussion, so high that when sky and hills Patterns
Activity Demonstration: Trace over Grant Wood’s Stone City you looked down, Creativity
Iowa the basic shapes squares, rectangles, circles, everything seemed Reference pictures
triangles. Look at the tracing. “Where are most of the to look like little of farm towns,
circles shapes?” “Where does the artist place most of shapes? cityscape, and
the rectangles?” Q. Can you tell that mountain town
we are looking down
Lesson Ideas: in this picture?
1. Be shown photos of farming towns and students Look at the houses:
will compare those photos with Stone City, they look like
Iowa. rectangles, with
2. Also show photos of big cities, and mountain triangle roofs.
town views for comparisons. Q. What shape does
3. Imitate Grant Wood’s style using simple shapes Wood use for
to create their own picture of a community, treetops?
farming town, city, or mountain town or other
geographic location. Look at the tracing.
4. Make the city, farm town, or mountain town. Q. Where are most
5. Students cut out shapes of painted papers, of the circles
squares, triangles, ovals etc. for trees, houses, shapes?
 roofs, etc.
6. Add details Q. Where does the
artist place most of
the rectangles?
Class Questions that students should know at the end of Knowledge
Discussion, the unit.

1. What are the four elements of art we have

studies this year?
A. This year we studied about line, color,
texture, and space.
2. What is a shape?
A. A shape is a flat area without any openings
(any 2-D enclosed area).
3. What are the differences between form and
shape?
A. Forms are always 3-D and shapes are 2-D
(flat).