United States · Common Core State Standards
7th Grade Visual & Performing Arts
This course explores the intersection of technical skill and personal voice across visual and performing arts. Students analyze cultural influences and artistic choices to develop a portfolio that reflects their evolving identity as creators and critics.
The Artist's Eye: Drawing and Composition
Students master foundational drawing techniques and the elements of art to create depth and focus in two dimensional works.
Techniques for using light and shadow to create the illusion of three dimensional form on a flat surface.
Introduction to one point and two point perspective to represent architectural spaces and depth.
Selecting and arranging objects to convey personal meaning or narrative through composition.
Rhythm and Resonance: Foundations of Music
An exploration of music theory, composition, and the cultural impact of diverse musical genres.
Understanding rhythm, melody, and harmony as the building blocks of musical composition.
Investigating the role of music in different cultures and how traditional sounds influence modern pop.
Using software tools to arrange loops and original recordings into a cohesive track.
The Stage and the Self: Theater Arts
Students develop acting skills, script writing abilities, and an understanding of technical theater production.
Methods for building a character through physical movement, vocal inflection, and backstory.
Analyzing how lighting, set design, and costumes contribute to the storytelling process.
Practicing the 'Yes, And' rule to build scenes collaboratively in the moment.
Body Language: Dance and Movement
Focusing on dance as a medium for communication, physical fitness, and cultural expression.
Studying space, time, force, and body as the core components of choreography.
Creating short movement sequences that tell a specific story or express a theme.
Exploring the origins and evolution of social and ceremonial dances around the world.
The Art of Critique: History and Analysis
Developing the vocabulary to analyze, interpret, and evaluate works of art from various eras.
Learning to describe art using objective observations of color, line, and texture.
Examining how artists have used their work to protest or promote social and political ideas.
Understanding how the arrangement and presentation of art in a museum affects its meaning.
Media Mashup: Digital and Mixed Media
Integrating traditional art forms with modern digital tools to create innovative projects.
Using composition rules and software to capture and manipulate photographic images.
Combining found objects, painting, and digital prints to create textured work.
Exploring typography and color theory to create visual identities and logos.