Welcome to the John W. Tolbert Jr. Elementary Art Program

1st - 5th grade students have direct art instruction from a visual arts educator once a week for 50 minutes. Kindergarten students receive 30 minutes per week of instruction in the art room.

Throughout the elementary art experience students are exploring different, age-appropriate methods of becoming artists. Students will work with a variety of media including drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, and collage. Curriculum includes the role of artists in society, recognizing art as a form of communication and expression, and identifying elements of art such as line, shape, color, texture and space. Art history instruction is also a component of the curriculum.  

All projects help students to use their imagination. Critical and creative thinking are a large component of the LCPS art curriculum. Students will plan and reflect on their artmaking. They will also curate work and prepare artwork for display. 

Integrating art lessons with content from the classroom is very powerful. This is highly beneficial for those students who are visual-spatial and bodily-kinesthetic learners.  It also allows students to bring knowledge they have learned into the art room to demonstrate understanding or solidify abstract concepts from the classroom into practical use. 

Lessons are carefully aligned to criteria in the Loudoun County Standards of Achievement, the Virginia Standards of Learning and the National Visual Arts Content standards.

How is my child graded in art?

 It is important to know and understand that everyone is an artist in their own way!

Students are assessed using the LCPS Visual Art Standards.

Assessments are NOT based on the child's artistic talent but rather:

- how they apply the skills taught

- how they express unique meaningful content

- the level of craftsmanship they put into each piece they create

- their understanding of art concepts

Below are the assessment marks you will see on your child’s report card and a description of each.

4—Exceeds Standard

Student consistently takes the lesson content and goes creatively further in their expression, independently.

3—Meets Standard

Student is fulfilling the content requirements.

2—Progressing to Standard

Student is beginning to demonstrate the content requirements.

1—Below Standard

Student is not yet able to demonstrate the lesson content; the skill may be more difficult and require further practice.

LCPS provides all of your child's art materials.
They will need no specific supplies for art.

Please be sure to know what day your child has art and dress them appropriately. We provide smocks and aprons in the art room but accidents happen...