CLASSROOM SAMPLE
ELEMENTARY OPEN-RESPONSE QUESTION
Arts and Humanities: Visual Art, Elements of Visual Art
Core Content
Line, shape, forms, texture, color
Prompt
You’re visiting the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and you are standing in front of Vincent
Van Gogh’s Starry Night. This is your best friend’s favorite painting, so you call him on your cell
phone to describe it.
A. Describe the painting using two elements of art.
B. Does your friend need to see the painting in person or is his experience with reproductions
adequate? Justify your answer using two reasons and using art vocabulary.
Sample Level 2 Responses
Jean Finch:
A. The painting has very bold colors and they seem alive and full of motion.
B. I think the Starry night is very pretty and you should see it in person.
Sarah Hammond:
A. The painting has swirling lines and bright bold colors.
B. Seeing the painting in a book is fine because you get to see the same thing as the
original it just isn’t as bright in color.
Scoring Guide
4.
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Description is thorough and uses two art elements.
Justification includes at least two reasons to support position.
Justification includes art vocabulary to support the answer.
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Description is adequate and uses two art elements.
Justification includes two reasons.
Justification includes limited art vocabulary.
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Description is lacking details and/or uses only one element.
Justification includes only one reason.
Justification includes limited vocabulary.
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Description uses only one element or is not a description at all.
Justification includes no reasons or illogical reasons.
Justification includes no vocabulary or incorrect vocabulary.
3.
2.
1.