Years 3 to 4
The Arts
ASARTVISY34
Years 3 to 4 Visual Arts Achievement Standard
4 statements aligned to content descriptors and elaborations
Achievement standard (as ACARA publishes it)
Achievement standard
Click any sentence to jump to its statement and linked content descriptors.
By the end of Year 4, students describe the use of visual conventions, visual arts processes and materials in artworks they create and/or experience. They describe where, why and/or how visual artists create and/or display artworks across cultures, times, places and/or other contexts.
Students use visual conventions, visual arts processes and materials to create artworks that communicate ideas, perspectives and/or meaning. They share or display their artworks and/or visual arts practice in informal settings.
The 4 achievement standard statements
Open a statement to see the content descriptors ACARA links to it, then open a descriptor's elaborations.
By the end of Year 4, students describe the use of visual conventions, visual arts processes and materials in artworks they create and/or experience.
Content descriptorAC9AVA4C01 Creating and making
use visual conventions, visual arts processes and materials to create artworks that communicate ideas, perspectives and/or meaning
Elaborations (6)
- Elaboration drawing on a selection of topics they may be exploring in other subjects, mind-mapping some ideas that link to these topics, using Viewpoints to explore multiple possibilities such as, “What are my questions about this topic?”, “What visual conventions could communicate ideas about this topic?”, “What do I already know about this?”, extending the ideas to arrive at 3 compositional ideas, selecting one idea, documenting their reasons for the selection and making the artwork
- Elaboration exploring tools and awareness of measured and freeform perspectives; for example, using digital and/or analog tools to reference a special place near their school, and dividing the scene, surface or paper into foreground, middle ground and background sections to consider how to create depth in their artwork
- Elaboration creating a visual artwork inspired by a performance that can become a part of the performance or the setting for a situation; for example, creating an abstract painting that documents the lines, movement and gestures in a dance, or illustrating a scene from a devised drama
- Elaboration considering how as artists they can communicate perspectives to viewers through the use of visual conventions and visual arts processes in the way that an illustrator represents ideas in a text to communicate aspects of the story, and applying this to their own work; for example, by re-reading a section of a familiar text as a class, discussing multiple ideas for illustrating the scene and perspectives in the text, creating their own work and comparing their approach to others’ approaches
- Elaboration using Viewpoints to develop questions as they experiment with composition to arrange visual conventions, subject matter and materials based on a designated area and deliberately changing the meaning of a visual story; for example, “What happens if I make the subject fill the frame?”, “Can I change the meaning of my work by using darker or lighter tones?”
- Elaboration combining their understanding of visual conventions and visual arts processes to create different meaning in an artwork; for example, using a range of 2D media such as charcoal and coloured pastels to create gradation of tone in their artwork and using Viewpoints to develop questions as they work, such as “In what ways can I use colour to change the feeling of this artwork?”, “How does using darker tones contrasting with lighter ones create an illusion of depth?”
Content descriptorAC9AVA4D01 Developing practices and skills
experiment with a range of ways to use visual conventions, visual arts processes and materials
Elaborations (5)
- Elaboration exploring the ways that artists use composition by observing space and balance within an artwork; for example, using transparent material or digital tools layered over a diverse selection of artworks to outline the dominant forms and divisions of space, such as foreground and background, positive and negative space or areas of emphasis, and using this outline as the basis for the composition of a new artwork
- Elaboration exploring materials based on visual conventions; for example, creating a tactile (texture) board from a collection of materials and objects, brainstorming adjectives to describe the textures and/or collecting samples of colours they connect with and inventing new names for those colours that are meaningful to them; then using Viewpoints to develop questions that explore the diversity of responses
- Elaboration working within limits to explore and experiment with the properties of materials; for example, playing a game to find different ways of creating lines with a wide range of materials in a timed period, and then comparing their results; or finding different ways of using a limited set of materials, such as cardboard and chenille sticks, to create a sculpture
- Elaboration learning to use visual arts language when describing and documenting their thinking and learning; for example, developing questions based on Viewpoints, and using arrows and short statements to annotate their visual experiments (“What media did I use?”, “What worked well?”, “What went wrong, and how could I explore other options next time?”) or creating a sound file of their learning and thinking to accompany their experimentations when they present “work-in-progress”
- Elaboration manipulating and experimenting with combinations of various materials and technologies to create visual effects; for example, using crosshatching to create tone, or using design elements to focus the viewer’s attention on a composition and using Viewpoints to reflect on the effectiveness of their experimentation ("What was I trying to achieve?", "What did I learn from pushing the boundaries of the materials and processes?")
Content descriptorAC9AVA4E01 Exploring and responding
explore where, why and how visual arts are created and/or presented across cultures, times, places and/or other contexts
Elaborations (7)
- Elaboration exploring a diverse range of artworks created by artists working collaboratively and brainstorming the reasons why artists might choose to work as a team, and then comparing their ideas with information the artists have shared about their collaborative practice
- Elaboration exploring artists’ practice by sourcing information created or co-created by the artist and using Viewpoints to develop questions to develop understanding of the practices, such as “What does the artists’ studio or space look like?”, “How do they develop their ideas?”, “What are they doing when they are developing and trialling their techniques and working with materials?”, “How do they engage with galleries (physical or virtual) to exhibit their work?”
- Elaboration observing and exploring details such as use of materials, patterns, proportions or familiar features in artworks and using Viewpoints to co-create questions such as, “What is the artwork made of?”, “How can I look more closely at this work to see something I did not notice the first time?”, “What do I see when I look at the work through half-shut eyes?”, “How does the work look like it feels, and how does it actually feel?”
- Elaboration making connections and comparisons between artists working across cultures, times and/or places; for example, finding similarities and differences between the ways that an artist’s context impacts their approach to a theme such as sustainability or community celebrations, or finding similarities and differences between the ways that different artists approach the same material and techniques, such as different approaches to creating sustainable sculpture using found objects, natural and human-made materials
- Elaboration exploring ways to represent the world as they see it; for example, using ideas and experience about a recent event (such as a sports or cultural event or celebration) and making an artwork that communicates their perspective of the event; and then identifying how their work is different from the works created by other students in the class, how the teacher’s work differs from the students’ work or how their works compare to works by other artists that feature similar subject matter
- Elaboration identifying ways that artworks by different artists can present multiple perspectives of the same event and discussing how these works can develop social awareness; for example, accessing and comparing artists and artworks that explore sustainability, such as land art, artworks using recycled materials that represent the effects of climate on the environment
- Elaboration describing and categorising visual features and cultural works around the school, such as artworks, craft works, design or architectural features, memorials, murals or displays according to their purpose; for example, social, decorative, architectural, functional, cultural
They describe where, why and/or how visual artists create and/or display artworks across cultures, times, places and/or other contexts.
Content descriptorAC9AVA4E01 Exploring and responding
explore where, why and how visual arts are created and/or presented across cultures, times, places and/or other contexts
Elaborations (7)
- Elaboration exploring a diverse range of artworks created by artists working collaboratively and brainstorming the reasons why artists might choose to work as a team, and then comparing their ideas with information the artists have shared about their collaborative practice
- Elaboration exploring artists’ practice by sourcing information created or co-created by the artist and using Viewpoints to develop questions to develop understanding of the practices, such as “What does the artists’ studio or space look like?”, “How do they develop their ideas?”, “What are they doing when they are developing and trialling their techniques and working with materials?”, “How do they engage with galleries (physical or virtual) to exhibit their work?”
- Elaboration observing and exploring details such as use of materials, patterns, proportions or familiar features in artworks and using Viewpoints to co-create questions such as, “What is the artwork made of?”, “How can I look more closely at this work to see something I did not notice the first time?”, “What do I see when I look at the work through half-shut eyes?”, “How does the work look like it feels, and how does it actually feel?”
- Elaboration making connections and comparisons between artists working across cultures, times and/or places; for example, finding similarities and differences between the ways that an artist’s context impacts their approach to a theme such as sustainability or community celebrations, or finding similarities and differences between the ways that different artists approach the same material and techniques, such as different approaches to creating sustainable sculpture using found objects, natural and human-made materials
- Elaboration exploring ways to represent the world as they see it; for example, using ideas and experience about a recent event (such as a sports or cultural event or celebration) and making an artwork that communicates their perspective of the event; and then identifying how their work is different from the works created by other students in the class, how the teacher’s work differs from the students’ work or how their works compare to works by other artists that feature similar subject matter
- Elaboration identifying ways that artworks by different artists can present multiple perspectives of the same event and discussing how these works can develop social awareness; for example, accessing and comparing artists and artworks that explore sustainability, such as land art, artworks using recycled materials that represent the effects of climate on the environment
- Elaboration describing and categorising visual features and cultural works around the school, such as artworks, craft works, design or architectural features, memorials, murals or displays according to their purpose; for example, social, decorative, architectural, functional, cultural
Content descriptorAC9AVA4E02 Exploring and responding
explore how First Nations Australians use visual arts to communicate their connection to and responsibility for Country/Place
Elaborations (6)
- Elaboration looking at visual artworks that represent the importance of Country/Place and Story for First Nations Australians as a starting point for talking about different ways of seeing the same place and telling stories
- Elaboration accessing examples of contemporary First Nations Australian artists’ ideas about Country/Place through cultural expressions; for example, works that express spiritual and intellectual connections to the land, sea, sky and waterways, and using Viewpoints to develop questions about the work, such as, “Who are the artists and on what Country was the work created?”, “What can I learn from the artists about this work?”, “What does this work make me think about my own connections to significant places?”
- Elaboration examining a diverse range of symbols and emblems and learning from people with cultural authority about their importance to First Nations Australians’ identity and culture
- Elaboration exploring topics in other learning areas, such as the diversity of Nations, by examining a diverse range of cultural expressions or artworks of and by First Nations Australian artists in order to learn from the artists what the works teach us about the subject matter; for example, using Viewpoints to develop questions that explore what is important to them, their identity, stories and their communities, such as, “How does this work represent identity?”, “Are there place-based narratives in this artwork?”, “What do we see?” or ‘What have we learnt that makes us think this?”
- Elaboration considering what their own cultural connections are as individuals; for example, considering place, language, family customs, values and beliefs and how, as an artist, they can use Viewpoints questions to map ways to use visual arts processes, subject matter and visual conventions to create artworks that communicate their personal connection to place. A typical question is, “Where do I feel most connected to my family, and what symbols, colours, shapes and subject matter could I create to represent this connection?”
- Elaboration exploring visual conventions, symbols or patterns with representatives of a First Nations Australian community, or resources that are created or co-created by First Nations Australians; for example, exploring artworks that share cultural accounts of Country/Place
Students use visual conventions, visual arts processes and materials to create artworks that communicate ideas, perspectives and/or meaning.
Content descriptorAC9AVA4C01 Creating and making
use visual conventions, visual arts processes and materials to create artworks that communicate ideas, perspectives and/or meaning
Elaborations (6)
- Elaboration drawing on a selection of topics they may be exploring in other subjects, mind-mapping some ideas that link to these topics, using Viewpoints to explore multiple possibilities such as, “What are my questions about this topic?”, “What visual conventions could communicate ideas about this topic?”, “What do I already know about this?”, extending the ideas to arrive at 3 compositional ideas, selecting one idea, documenting their reasons for the selection and making the artwork
- Elaboration exploring tools and awareness of measured and freeform perspectives; for example, using digital and/or analog tools to reference a special place near their school, and dividing the scene, surface or paper into foreground, middle ground and background sections to consider how to create depth in their artwork
- Elaboration creating a visual artwork inspired by a performance that can become a part of the performance or the setting for a situation; for example, creating an abstract painting that documents the lines, movement and gestures in a dance, or illustrating a scene from a devised drama
- Elaboration considering how as artists they can communicate perspectives to viewers through the use of visual conventions and visual arts processes in the way that an illustrator represents ideas in a text to communicate aspects of the story, and applying this to their own work; for example, by re-reading a section of a familiar text as a class, discussing multiple ideas for illustrating the scene and perspectives in the text, creating their own work and comparing their approach to others’ approaches
- Elaboration using Viewpoints to develop questions as they experiment with composition to arrange visual conventions, subject matter and materials based on a designated area and deliberately changing the meaning of a visual story; for example, “What happens if I make the subject fill the frame?”, “Can I change the meaning of my work by using darker or lighter tones?”
- Elaboration combining their understanding of visual conventions and visual arts processes to create different meaning in an artwork; for example, using a range of 2D media such as charcoal and coloured pastels to create gradation of tone in their artwork and using Viewpoints to develop questions as they work, such as “In what ways can I use colour to change the feeling of this artwork?”, “How does using darker tones contrasting with lighter ones create an illusion of depth?”
Content descriptorAC9AVA4D01 Developing practices and skills
experiment with a range of ways to use visual conventions, visual arts processes and materials
Elaborations (5)
- Elaboration exploring the ways that artists use composition by observing space and balance within an artwork; for example, using transparent material or digital tools layered over a diverse selection of artworks to outline the dominant forms and divisions of space, such as foreground and background, positive and negative space or areas of emphasis, and using this outline as the basis for the composition of a new artwork
- Elaboration exploring materials based on visual conventions; for example, creating a tactile (texture) board from a collection of materials and objects, brainstorming adjectives to describe the textures and/or collecting samples of colours they connect with and inventing new names for those colours that are meaningful to them; then using Viewpoints to develop questions that explore the diversity of responses
- Elaboration working within limits to explore and experiment with the properties of materials; for example, playing a game to find different ways of creating lines with a wide range of materials in a timed period, and then comparing their results; or finding different ways of using a limited set of materials, such as cardboard and chenille sticks, to create a sculpture
- Elaboration learning to use visual arts language when describing and documenting their thinking and learning; for example, developing questions based on Viewpoints, and using arrows and short statements to annotate their visual experiments (“What media did I use?”, “What worked well?”, “What went wrong, and how could I explore other options next time?”) or creating a sound file of their learning and thinking to accompany their experimentations when they present “work-in-progress”
- Elaboration manipulating and experimenting with combinations of various materials and technologies to create visual effects; for example, using crosshatching to create tone, or using design elements to focus the viewer’s attention on a composition and using Viewpoints to reflect on the effectiveness of their experimentation ("What was I trying to achieve?", "What did I learn from pushing the boundaries of the materials and processes?")
They share or display their artworks and/or visual arts practice in informal settings.
Content descriptorAC9AVA4P01 Presenting and performing
share and/or display artworks and/or visual arts practice in informal settings
Elaborations (5)
- Elaboration selecting examples from their visual arts practice (for example, experimentation with materials and processes or different compositional approaches for a final artwork) and arranging these in a visual display to share the development of their ideas
- Elaboration deciding on appropriate ways to share their artworks and their learning; for example, including experiments and self-reflections in folios or visual diaries for assessment, demonstrating progress being made via peer circle shares in class; and deciding on appropriate audiences, such as decorative or communicative exhibitions/displays for the school community, social media posts for the broader community
- Elaboration trialling different ways of presenting artworks in different locations; for example, presenting a school wall display of artworks, considering what might need to change so that it can be shared on a digital platform such as the school learning management system
- Elaboration discussing and documenting the ideas, themes and meaning/s of their artwork; for example, taking the form of a written or spoken artist statement, and exploring different ways of presenting their artwork and artist statement (possibly via multimedia)
- Elaboration identifying and explaining their own and other artists' choices in art-making, including visual arts processes, visual conventions and materials
This achievement standard describes the expected learning for Years 3 to 4 Visual Arts. Use it to plan teaching and assessment with the Australian Curriculum v9.
At a Glance
| Strand | Substrand | CDs | Elaborations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creating and making | Visual Arts | 1 | 6 |
| Developing practices and skills | Visual Arts | 1 | 5 |
| Exploring and responding | Visual Arts | 2 | 13 |
| Presenting and performing | Visual Arts | 1 | 5 |
| Total | 5 | 29 | |
Frequently Asked Questions
What should students know by the end of Years 3 to 4 Visual Arts?
By the end of Year 4, students describe the use of visual conventions, visual arts processes and materials in artworks they create and/or experience. They describe where, why and/or how visual artists create and/or display artworks across cultures, times, places and/or other contexts. Read the full standard
How many Content Descriptors support this standard?
5 Content Descriptors support this Achievement Standard (Creating and making: 1, Developing practices and skills: 1, Exploring and responding: 2, Presenting and performing: 1).
How does this compare to Years 1 to 2?
The Years 1 to 2 Visual Arts standard (ASARTVISY12) covers the preceding curriculum level. Standards build progressively, with Years 3 to 4 expectations extending what was introduced in Years 1 to 2.
Is this from the latest Australian Curriculum?
Yes, this Achievement Standard is from the Australian Curriculum version 9.0 (AC v9), the most current version published by ACARA.