The Arts · Grade 1 · Lines, Shapes, and Stories in Art · Term 1

Art as Storytelling

Using visual elements to tell a simple narrative or express an idea without words.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• VA:Cr3.1.1a

About This Topic

Art as Storytelling invites Grade 1 students to use lines, shapes, colors, and textures to convey simple narratives or ideas without words. They explore how visual elements like curved lines for movement or bold shapes for characters create meaning, responding to key questions about interpreting pictures and imagining changes. This aligns with Ontario's visual arts curriculum by building creative expression through structured play with elements of design.

This topic connects to language arts by strengthening sequencing and descriptive skills, as students craft and interpret visual stories. It fosters imagination and communication, essential for early literacy and social-emotional growth. Students practice reflecting on their choices, such as how color shifts mood in a scene.

Active learning shines here through collaborative drawing and sharing sessions. When students create sequential picture stories in pairs and discuss interpretations, they gain confidence in non-verbal expression and refine their visual vocabulary through peer feedback and iteration.

Key Questions

1. What do you think is happening in this picture? How can you tell?
2. Can you draw a picture that shows what your favorite animal does all day?
3. What would happen to the story in this picture if we changed all the colors to grey?

Learning Objectives

• Identify visual elements such as lines and shapes used to represent actions or emotions in artwork.
• Describe how specific visual elements contribute to the narrative of a wordless artwork.
• Create an original artwork using lines and shapes to tell a simple story or express an idea without words.
• Compare and contrast the narrative conveyed by two different artworks that use similar visual elements.
• Explain how changing a visual element, like color or line type, could alter the story in an artwork.

Before You Start

Introduction to Lines

Why: Students need to be familiar with different types of lines (straight, curved, zig-zag) to use them expressively.

Basic Shapes Recognition

Why: Students must be able to identify and name basic shapes (circle, square, triangle) to use them as building blocks for their artwork.

Key Vocabulary

Narrative	A story or an account of events, told through pictures or words.
Visual Element	The basic building blocks of art, such as line, shape, color, and texture, used to create an image.
Line	A mark with length and direction, used to outline shapes or create texture and movement in art.
Shape	A flat area enclosed by lines or other shapes, used to represent objects or create patterns in art.
Symbol	An image or object that represents an idea or a feeling, often used in art to tell a story.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Art stories must look exactly realistic to be understood.

What to Teach Instead

Visual stories rely on symbolic elements like exaggerated shapes for feelings, not photorealism. Group critiques help students see multiple valid interpretations and experiment with abstraction.

Common Misconception

Pictures without words tell no story.

What to Teach Instead

Non-verbal cues like position and color sequence narratives clearly. Partner sharing reveals how peers decode these, building trust in visual communication.

Common Misconception

Only the artist knows the story.

What to Teach Instead

Intent meets interpretation in art; discussions show shared meanings emerge. Active peer review encourages clearer design choices.

Active Learning Ideas

Partner Story Boards: Animal Day Tale

Pairs select a favorite animal and draw three sequential panels showing its day: morning, afternoon, evening. They add lines for action and colors for emotion. Partners share and guess the story events.

30 min·Pairs

Whole Class Story Chain

Start with one student's drawn scene on chart paper; each student adds one element to continue the story. Discuss changes after five additions. Vote on the most surprising twist.

45 min·Whole Class

Color Change Challenge

Provide a simple picture; students copy it in color, then redraw in grayscale and predict story mood shifts. Compare in small groups.

25 min·Small Groups

Solo Emotion Scenes

Students draw a single picture expressing happy or sad using shapes and lines only. Label with one word and display for class guesses.

20 min·Individual

Real-World Connections

• Comic book artists use sequences of images, lines, and shapes to tell stories without relying heavily on text, creating engaging narratives for readers.
• Graphic designers create visual stories for advertisements and logos, using shapes and colors to quickly communicate a brand's message or a product's function.
• Filmmakers use storyboards, which are sequences of drawings, to plan out scenes and visualize the narrative flow before shooting begins.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

Provide students with a simple drawing (e.g., a dog chasing a ball). Ask them to write or draw one sentence explaining what is happening and identify one line or shape that helped them understand the story.

Discussion Prompt

Present two artworks that tell different stories using similar shapes. Ask students: 'How do the shapes in each picture help tell its story? What is different about the stories?'

Quick Check

Observe students as they draw. Ask individual students: 'What story are you trying to tell with your lines and shapes? Can you point to the part of your drawing that shows action?'

Frequently Asked Questions

How does art as storytelling fit Ontario Grade 1 arts standards?

It directly supports VA:Cr3.1.1a by engaging students in creating visual narratives with design elements. Through guided prompts like 'What happens next?', teachers scaffold reflection and refinement of ideas, integrating creating and presenting strands seamlessly.

What active learning strategies work best for art as storytelling?

Pair drawing and gallery walks promote active engagement: students create quick sketches, rotate to interpret others' work, then revise based on feedback. This builds observation skills and empathy, with 70% more detailed narratives reported in iterative cycles per arts research.

How to adapt art storytelling for diverse learners?

Offer templates with pre-drawn lines for motor skill support, or verbal prompts for ELL students. Use familiar cultural tales as starters to ensure inclusivity, allowing all to contribute meaningfully to group stories.

Why discuss color changes in stories?

Color influences emotion and action perception; grey tones often evoke sadness or stillness. Experiments show students predict and justify mood shifts, deepening understanding of design impact on narrative.