Creative & Aesthetic Expression
D07 P3: Intellectual & Cognitive Awareness
Making and responding to art in all its forms — visual, musical, moving, and made — as a way of knowing and sharing the world.
Art is not decoration; it is a way humans think, feel, and connect. Creative and aesthetic expression gives every learner a voice that does not require words and a way to honor the beauty and meaning others have made. Every culture's arts are treated as a living heritage, not a museum piece.
K–12 objective ladder
D07.S1 Visual Arts
- K D07.S1.K.01 Create art with different materials and describe what they made.
- 1 D07.S1.01.01 Create a drawing or painting using lines, shapes, and colors and tell what they made.
- 1 D07.S1.01.02 Look at an artwork and name one thing they notice and one feeling it gives them.
- 2 D07.S1.02.01 Mix two colors to make a new one and use it in a picture.
- 2 D07.S1.02.02 Compare two artworks and tell one way they are alike and one way they are different.
- 3 D07.S1.03.01 Use a simple pattern or repetition of shape, line, or color in an artwork.
- 3 D07.S1.03.02 Describe the mood of an artwork and point to what in the picture creates it.
- 4 D07.S1.04.01 Create an artwork that shows depth or space by overlapping, size, or placement.
- 4 D07.S1.04.02 Identify the subject, materials, and likely purpose of an artwork from another culture and name one respectful question about it.
- 5 D07.S1.05.01 Plan and complete an artwork with a clear idea, choosing materials and techniques to fit the idea.
- 5 D07.S1.05.02 Explain how an artwork from a specific culture reflects that culture's place, materials, or beliefs, citing what they observe.
- 6 D07.S1.06.01 Use the elements and principles of art such as line, shape, color, balance, and contrast deliberately to express an idea or feeling.
- 6 D07.S1.06.02 Compare how the same subject is shown differently across two cultures or time periods and offer a reason.
- 7 D07.S1.07.01 Create an artwork that communicates a personal message and revise it after feedback.
- 7 D07.S1.07.02 Explain how perspective, framing, or emphasis shapes what a viewer notices and feels about an image.
- 8 D07.S1.08.01 Create a series of artworks exploring one theme or idea, reflecting on how the work changes across the series.
- 8 D07.S1.08.02 Critique an artwork using evidence about its elements, context, and purpose, distinguishing observation from judgment.
- 9 D07.S1.09.01 Create a digital or mixed-media artwork that combines techniques and reflect on the choices technology made possible.
- 9 D07.S1.09.02 Analyze how visual media such as advertising, news, and social media uses composition and symbolism to influence viewers.
- 10 D07.S1.10.01 Develop a personal style by making a body of work and explain how it reflects their ideas and influences.
- 10 D07.S1.10.02 Distinguish cultural appreciation from appropriation in art, citing examples, and explain how to honor living traditions respectfully.
- 11 D07.S1.11.01 Create an artwork that addresses a social or environmental issue and explain its intended effect on an audience.
- 11 D07.S1.11.02 Curate a small exhibition of artworks, their own or others', and write the reasoning behind the selection and order.
- 12 D07.S1.12.01 Produce a sustained body of artwork that demonstrates technical skill and a coherent personal vision, and present it with a written artist statement.
- 12 D07.S1.12.02 Critique artwork across cultures and eras with insight, honoring diverse traditions while forming and defending an independent judgment.
D07.S2 Music & Sound
- K D07.S2.K.01 Sing, clap, or play a simple rhythm and say how it makes them feel.
- 1 D07.S2.01.01 Sing a simple song and keep a steady beat by clapping or tapping along.
- 1 D07.S2.01.02 Tell the difference between loud and soft, and fast and slow, sounds they hear.
- 2 D07.S2.02.01 Play or sing a short rhythm or melody pattern and repeat it accurately.
- 2 D07.S2.02.02 Identify one instrument by its sound and say whether the music feels happy, sad, or another way.
- 3 D07.S2.03.01 Create a short rhythm pattern using long and short sounds and perform it.
- 3 D07.S2.03.02 Describe how changing tempo, dynamics, or pitch changes the feeling of a song.
- 4 D07.S2.04.01 Read and play or sing a simple melody or rhythm from basic notation.
- 4 D07.S2.04.02 Describe how the music of another culture uses its own instruments, scales, or rhythms, and name one respectful question about it.
- 5 D07.S2.05.01 Compose a short piece or song with a clear beginning, middle, and end and perform it.
- 5 D07.S2.05.02 Explain how music reflects the place, history, or community that made it, citing what they hear.
- 6 D07.S2.06.01 Create a melody or rhythmic composition and notate it so others can follow it.
- 6 D07.S2.06.02 Compare how two musical traditions express a shared theme such as celebration or grief differently.
- 7 D07.S2.07.01 Perform a piece with attention to dynamics, phrasing, and ensemble, and revise after listening to a recording.
- 7 D07.S2.07.02 Explain how sound is used in media such as film, games, and ads to shape mood and meaning.
- 8 D07.S2.08.01 Compose a piece in a chosen style or tradition and reflect on the choices that shaped it.
- 8 D07.S2.08.02 Critique a musical work using evidence about its elements, context, and effect, separating observation from judgment.
- 9 D07.S2.09.01 Create music using digital or recording tools and reflect on how the technology shaped the sound and the process.
- 9 D07.S2.09.02 Analyze how music can build identity, community, or resistance, using examples from more than one culture.
- 10 D07.S2.10.01 Compose and record an original piece that expresses a clear idea or feeling, and explain the techniques used.
- 10 D07.S2.10.02 Distinguish respectful engagement with a musical tradition from appropriation, and explain how to honor living musicians and communities.
- 11 D07.S2.11.01 Arrange or compose a piece that responds to a social or environmental issue and explain its intended effect.
- 11 D07.S2.11.02 Curate a listening program of works from several cultures and write the reasoning behind the selection.
- 12 D07.S2.12.01 Produce and perform or present a sustained body of musical work that shows skill and a coherent personal voice, with a written statement.
- 12 D07.S2.12.02 Critique music across cultures and eras with insight, honoring diverse traditions while forming and defending an independent judgment.
D07.S3 Movement, Dance & Drama
- K D07.S3.K.01 Move or pretend to be a person, animal, or character in response to a story or music.
- 1 D07.S3.01.01 Move their body to show a feeling such as happy, angry, or tired in response to music or a story.
- 1 D07.S3.01.02 Pretend to be a character in a simple story and use their voice, face, and body to show it.
- 2 D07.S3.02.01 Create and repeat a short movement sequence with a clear beginning and end.
- 2 D07.S3.02.02 Act out a scene with a partner, taking turns leading and following.
- 3 D07.S3.03.01 Perform a short dance or movement piece that uses high and low levels, speeds, and shapes.
- 3 D07.S3.03.02 Retell a story or feeling using only movement and gesture, and explain their choices.
- 4 D07.S3.04.01 Learn and perform a simple dance or movement form from another culture and describe its meaning or occasion.
- 4 D07.S3.04.02 Create a character using voice, body, and a simple prop or costume, and explain what they chose to communicate.
- 5 D07.S3.05.01 Choreograph a short group dance or scene with a clear idea, working cooperatively to shape and perform it.
- 5 D07.S3.05.02 Explain how dance or drama reflects the place, history, or community that made it, citing what they observe.
- 6 D07.S3.06.01 Create a short performance that combines movement, voice, and one other element such as music or a prop to tell a story.
- 6 D07.S3.06.02 Compare how two traditions use movement or drama to express a shared theme, and offer a reason for the difference.
- 7 D07.S3.07.01 Perform a scene or dance with attention to timing, expression, and ensemble, and revise after feedback.
- 7 D07.S3.07.02 Explain how gesture, posture, and spacing communicate meaning without words, using examples from performance or daily life.
- 8 D07.S3.08.01 Choreograph or devise a piece exploring one theme, and reflect on how the work changed through rehearsal.
- 8 D07.S3.08.02 Critique a performance using evidence about its movement, expression, context, and purpose, separating observation from judgment.
- 9 D07.S3.09.01 Create a performance that uses the moving body to explore identity or a personal question, and reflect on the process.
- 9 D07.S3.09.02 Analyze how dance, drama, and ritual build community or carry memory across cultures.
- 10 D07.S3.10.01 Devise and perform an original piece that develops a clear concept and demonstrates craft in movement and expression.
- 10 D07.S3.10.02 Distinguish respectful engagement with a dance or dramatic tradition from appropriation, and explain how to honor living practitioners.
- 11 D07.S3.11.01 Create a performance that responds to a social or environmental issue and explain its intended effect on an audience.
- 11 D07.S3.11.02 Direct or curate a short performance program and write the reasoning behind the selection and staging.
- 12 D07.S3.12.01 Produce and perform a sustained piece that shows technical skill and a coherent creative vision, with a written artist statement.
- 12 D07.S3.12.02 Critique performance across cultures and eras with insight, honoring diverse traditions while forming and defending an independent judgment.
D07.S4 Making & Design
- K D07.S4.K.01 Build or make something from available materials and explain what it does.
- 1 D07.S4.01.01 Build something with a simple plan in mind and tell what it is for.
- 1 D07.S4.01.02 Test what they made and change one thing to make it work better.
- 2 D07.S4.02.01 Plan a making task by choosing materials and saying the steps before starting.
- 2 D07.S4.02.02 Compare two ways to solve a making problem and choose one, explaining why.
- 3 D07.S4.03.01 Follow a simple design process of imagine, plan, make, and improve to build something that meets a need.
- 3 D07.S4.03.02 Explain how the materials available shape what can be made, using an example from their own making.
- 4 D07.S4.04.01 Design and make something for a specific user and need, and gather feedback to improve it.
- 4 D07.S4.04.02 Explain how an object from another culture reflects that culture's materials, needs, and ideas.
- 5 D07.S4.05.01 Design and build something that solves a real problem in their class or community, and explain the choices they made.
- 5 D07.S4.05.02 Compare designs made for different climates or resources and explain how the environment shapes design.
- 6 D07.S4.06.01 Use a full design cycle, including research, prototypes, and testing, to make something and document the process.
- 6 D07.S4.06.02 Evaluate a product or building on how well it works, who it leaves out, and its effect on the environment.
- 7 D07.S4.07.01 Design something with accessibility in mind so more kinds of people can use it, and test it for barriers.
- 7 D07.S4.07.02 Explain how a design choice trades off cost, materials, function, and environmental impact.
- 8 D07.S4.08.01 Design and make a working prototype that solves a defined problem, and revise it through testing and feedback.
- 8 D07.S4.08.02 Critique a design using evidence about its function, materials, fairness, and environmental footprint.
- 9 D07.S4.09.01 Use digital or fabrication tools to design and make an object, and reflect on how the tools changed what was possible.
- 9 D07.S4.09.02 Analyze how technology and design shape everyday life and the environment, using examples from more than one context.
- 10 D07.S4.10.01 Design and make something that serves a community need with attention to sustainability and fairness, and document the decisions.
- 10 D07.S4.10.02 Distinguish responsible and sustainable design from design that harms people or the environment, citing examples.
- 11 D07.S4.11.01 Design a solution to a social or environmental problem, building and testing a prototype and explaining its intended impact.
- 11 D07.S4.11.02 Evaluate the full life cycle of a designed object, from materials and making through use and disposal, and propose improvements.
- 12 D07.S4.12.01 Design and realize a substantial project that demonstrates craft and a coherent purpose, presenting it with a written rationale.
- 12 D07.S4.12.02 Evaluate design across cultures and eras with insight, honoring diverse traditions while forming and defending an independent judgment about good design.
Creative & Aesthetic Expression
This domain file is part of the standards tree. It declares the strands and grade-level objectives for Creative & Aesthetic Expression, spanning Kindergarten through Grade 12.
Strands
D07.S1 — Visual Arts
Making and responding to visual work and reading the images around us.
D07.S2 — Music & Sound
Making, listening to, and understanding music and sound.
D07.S3 — Movement, Dance & Drama
Expressing meaning and feeling through the moving body.
D07.S4 — Making & Design
Imagining, planning, and building things with purpose and care.
Progression (spiral)
In Kindergarten, making is the whole curriculum: mark-making, song, pretend, and building with whatever is at hand. In the early grades (1–3) learners gain the basic elements of each strand — line, shape, and color; steady beat and pitch; movement and character; planning and testing — and begin to describe and compare what they make. In the middle grades (4–5) they learn craft (notation, depth, dance forms, a real design cycle) and meet the arts of other cultures as living traditions to be honored, not specimens. In grades 6–8 formal reasoning emerges, so learners compose, devise, and prototype with intention, then critique their own and others’ work using evidence, separating observation from judgment. In high school (9–12) they wield technology and craft deliberately, examine the ethics of cultural engagement and of sustainable, accessible design, and finally create and critique with skill and insight, honoring the arts of many cultures and using their own creative voice for joy, meaning, and change. Every grade builds on the one before with no leaps.