The 1st Grade Fine Arts TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, 19 TAC Chapter 117) expand on Kindergarten basics by building foundational literacy, fine motor control, and basic artistic notation.

All four disciplines—Art, Music, Theatre, and Dance—are organized around the same four core strands:

1. Foundations (Observation, perception, and skill literacy)

2. Creative Expression (Creating, performing, and producing)

3. Historical and Cultural Relevance (Connecting art to time, place, and society)

4. Critical Evaluation and Response (Analyzing, reflecting, and responding)

Summary by Discipline

1. Art (§117.105)

• Foundations: Students observe their environment using the senses to spot similarities, differences, and variations in nature and human-made designs. They identify elements of art (line, shape, color, texture, form) and design principles like pattern and simple balance.

• Creative Expression: Children combine lines, shapes, and colors to invent original images. They build fine motor skills through drawing, painting, printmaking, and sculpting.

• Historical & Cultural Relevance: Students recognize that art is made by people around the world across different eras and identify simple themes in various media.

• Critical Evaluation: Students explain their own art choices and share respectful, informed observations about peer and master artworks.

2. Music (§117.106)

• Foundations & Music Literacy: Students visually and aurally identify instrument families (woodwinds, brass, strings, percussion) and distinguish singing voice types. They read, write, and reproduce basic rhythms (quarter notes, paired eighth notes, quarter rests) and simple 3-note pentatonic melodies. They also learn formal terms like allegro (fast), largo (slow), forte (loud), and piano (soft).

• Creative Expression: Students perform simple part-work (e.g., maintaining a steady beat against a rhythm or vocal ostinato), sing tunefully, play classroom instruments, and create short rhythmic or melodic patterns.

• Historical & Cultural Relevance: Students sing and play music from diverse global cultures and Texas heritage traditions.

• Critical Evaluation: Children identify musical form (e.g., AB or AABA patterns) and articulate why they like or dislike specific musical selections.

3. Theatre (§117.107)

• Foundations: Students refine sensory awareness, emotional expression, and spatial boundaries using dramatic play.

• Creative Expression: Children create distinct characters using voice pitch/volume, facial expressions, and body movement. They perform short scripted or improvised role-plays, use props/costumes symbolically, and cooperate with peers in small scenes.

• Historical & Cultural Relevance: Students explore cultural folktales, myths, and diverse storytelling traditions.

• Critical Evaluation: Children practice being a respectful audience member and identify the main conflict, setting, or lesson in theatrical performances.

4. Dance (§117.104/117.108)

• Foundations: Students build spatial awareness by moving in personal space vs. general space and following geometric pathways (curved, straight, zig-zag).

• Creative Expression: Children combine locomotor (running, leaping, sliding) and non-locomotor (twisting, swaying) skills into simple movement sequences to express feelings or tell a story.

• Historical & Cultural Relevance: Students learn basic traditional folk, circle, and cultural dances.

• Critical Evaluation: Children observe dance performances, describe movement characteristics, and reflect on their own physical coordination.