School Tours: Exploring the Elements of Art
Grades 4–6
Please note: The Gallery is no longer taking School Tour requests for fall 2009. Please check back on December 1 to begin requesting School Tours for winter and spring 2010. You can still review information about tours and planning self-guided visits by clicking on the links below.
Logistical Information | Additional Gallery Resources
What are the different elements that make up a work of art? This tour examines the elements of color, line, shape/form, space, and texture. Guided looking, art-making, writing, and discussion activities help students understand how artists consciously manipulate these elements—often in combination—to achieve particular effects. After registering for this tour, educators will receive a twenty minute DVD entitled, Art Elements: An Introduction for the students to view prior to their tour. This film is no longer screened at the National Gallery as part of the tour.
Looking and Learning Skills
During the tour, students engage in activities that foster conversations about works of art. The following skills and ideas are promoted:
- Comparing the different ways that artists use the elements of art
- Engaging in the creative process of looking at and making art
- Interpreting and making personal connections to works of art
- Reasoning with evidence drawn from the artworks themselves
- Connecting new ideas learned from the tour to prior knowledge and experience
Group Size: Up to 60 students
Length: 75 minutes
Meeting Location: East Building, Entrance (inside)
Pre-Visit Materials
Museum policies
Student lunches
General information
What is object-based teaching and learning?
- NGAClassroom: Art Since 1950 (printable learning resource)
- NGALoanfinder: Inquiring Eye: Exploring the Elements of Art (teaching packet)
- NGAKids: Paintbox (interactive art activity)
- NGAKids: Brushter (interactive art activity)
- NGAKids: Collage Machine (interactive art activity)