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Des Moines Public Schools K-12 Student Learning Objectives in the Visual Arts 
  • Students can communicate at a foundational level in the visual arts. This includes knowledge and skills in the use of basic vocabularies, materials, tools, techniques, and intellectual methods of the discipline.
  • Students can communicate proficiently in at least one art form, including the ability to define and solve artistic problems with insight, reason, and technical proficiency.
  • Students can develop foundational evaluations and analyses of works of art from structural, historical, and cultural perspectives.
  • Students can develop an informed acquaintance with exemplary works of art from a variety of cultures and historical periods, and a basic understanding of historical development in the arts disciplines, across the arts as a whole, and within cultures.

Effective Components of an Educational Studio Program
  • Demonstrations of artistic techniques and uses of media
  • Opportunities for practice, experimentation, and refinement based on effective feedback
  • Support for divergent thinking and multiple learning outcomes
  • A rich and robust variety of visual references
  • A variety of critique and response formats
  • Introductions to and expectations for use of appropriate art vocabulary
  • Connections among artists, careers, and art in everyday life and communities
  • An organizational system for storage and disbursement of materials and tools
  • Clear and maintained expectations for art room safety, cleaning, and classroom procedures
  • Integrations and connections with other content areas
  • Displays of various student works within the school and the community
The DMPS Middle School Visual Arts Curriculum is built as a spiraling experience for grades six through eight.  By allowing our middle school students access to the same goals each year through an ever-widening contextual lens, we ensure that they are able to deepen and build upon the skills and knowledge learned in middle school and prepare for visual arts at the high school level and beyond.