Unit Plan 12 (Grade K Art): Celebrations in Art
Kindergarten Art: Students explore how art represents holidays, traditions, and community celebrations, then create drawings that show a special event from their own lives.
Focus: Recognize how art shows holidays, traditions, or community life.
Grade Level: K
Subject Area: Art (Visual Arts • Connecting)
Total Unit Duration: 1–3 weeks, 30–45 minutes per session
I. Introduction
In this unit, kindergarten students explore how art can show celebrations and special traditions. They look at pictures of parades, holiday decorations, family gatherings, and community events and notice colors, shapes, and symbols that tell about a special day. Students connect these images to their own experiences—birthdays, holidays, cultural events, or school celebrations—and share how people in their lives celebrate. By the end of the unit, students understand that art can tell about real celebrations, traditions, and community life.
Essential Questions
- How can art show holidays, celebrations, or special days?
- What colors, shapes, or symbols do I see in art that tell me it is a celebration?
- How do people in my family or community celebrate important days?
- How can my own artwork show a special tradition or celebration from my life?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Look at artwork and notice when it shows a celebration, holiday, or community event.
- Describe at least one thing in a picture that tells them it is a special day (e.g., balloons, lights, special clothes).
- Share about one celebration or tradition from their own life or community.
- Create a simple drawing that shows a celebration or tradition that is important to them.
- Talk about their artwork by naming the celebration and telling what is happening.
Standards Alignment — Kindergarten (NCAS-Aligned)
- VA:Cn11.Ka — Recognize that art can show celebrations, traditions, or community life.
- Example: Students explore artwork related to a holiday.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can tell when a picture shows a celebration or special day.
- I can say what I see in art that tells me it is a holiday or tradition.
- I can make a drawing of a celebration or special day from my life.
- I can talk about my celebration drawing and say what is happening.