Curriculum Resources

General Art Education Web Sites
Below are Web sites that provide a great source of Art Education materials. Educators can use this site to locate the California VAPA Framework and Content Standards as well as lesson plan ideas for arts activities in the classroom.

• California Visual and Performing Arts Framework
  The purpose of the California Visual and Performing Arts Framework is to guide teachers as they create a balanced arts education experience which involves four components: artistic perception, creative expression, historical cultural context and aesthetic valuing.
• California Department of Education's Visual and Performing Art Section
  In January 2001, the California State Board of Education adopted Visual and Performing Arts Content Standards for teachers to use as a reference tool when crafting age-appropriate arts-based curriculum.

• VAPA Standards "At-A-Glance"
  Edited by the Music Center Education Division, these "At-A-Glance" VAPA Standards downloads can serve as a quick reference for educators developing arts-based lessons.

  • Dance - Grades K-3 & 6 (PDF)
  • Music - Grades K-3 & 6 (PDF)
  • Theatre - Grades K-3 & 6 (PDF)
  • Visual Arts - Grades K-3 & 6 (PDF)

• K-12 Academic Content Standards for California Public Schools
  Published by the California Department of Education, this site contains the content standards for the core-curriculum, including English-language arts, mathematics, history-social science, and science. Teachers can refer to these standards when crafting arts curriculum that address core subject areas.
• TeachingArts.org
  TeachingArts.org is a virtual community for arts educators in California that provides electronic access to resources that strengthen the teaching of arts and support the new California Visual and Performing Arts content standards.
• LAUSDnet for Teachers
  This comprehensive sites includes a wide variety of information for teachers, including support for new teachers, sample lesson plans, and information about LAUSD teacher programs.
• ArtsEdge
  ArtsEdge is a comprehensive Web-based resource that helps teachers bring the arts into their classrooms through online lesson plans, primary resources (visual art images, audio and video of performances), and connections to National standards.
• ArtsEdNet
  Developed by the Los Angeles-based Getty, ArtsEdNet features lesson plans connected to art housed at the museum. Teachers can access online images as well as curriculum ideas.
• Department of Education: The Gateway to Educational Materials (GEM)
  GEM is a consortium effort to provide educators with quick and easy access to thousands of educational resources found on various federal, state, university, non-profit, and commercial Internet sites.
• Smithsonian Lesson Plans
  Teachers can search through the Smithsonian's collection of lesson plans which provide photographs and reproductions, guidelines for working with the lessons, and links to other online resources.
• How to Make a Rubric From Scratch - Ideas and Rubrics
  Created for the Chicago Public Schools, this online resource can help teachers learn more about assessment and to create their own rubrics.