Grade 6 Art Curriculum: A Clear Start to Middle School Art
If you need a full year of sixth grade art, Art Complete – Middle School is a grades 6–8 curriculum with 70+ ready-to-teach resources you can start in grade 6. It covers looking at and talking about art, the elements of art and principles of design, and hands-on drawing, painting and mixed media, with differentiated worksheets for students arriving from very different elementary programs.
See the grades 6–8 curriculum →For grade 6, Art Complete – Middle School ($149.90) gives you a structured art year from a grades 6–8 curriculum with 70+ no-prep resources. It covers visual literacy, studio practice and art in cultural context. You choose which units to teach in sixth grade; the curriculum does not assign units to grades, so you can set a foundation year and keep later units for grades 7 and 8.
The curriculum
Art Complete – Middle School, Grades 6–8
Start with the full curriculum. The other resources below are optional add-ons. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
Art Complete – Ready-to-Use Curriculum for Middle School Art
Complete Art Curriculum Bundle | 14 Hands-On Art Studios | Middle School Art | Grades 5–9
BUNDLE XXL: Complete Art Curriculum for Grades 5–9 – Workbook, Projects & Activities
Art Complete – Ready-to-Use Curriculum for High School Art (Grades 9–12)
Teach-Life-Balance: The Complete Time-Saving Course for Teachers (incl. Planner, Guides & Templates)
The real problem
Why sixth grade art is its own challenge
Sixth graders arrive with wildly different art experience. Some came from an elementary school with a full-time art teacher and a kiln. Others had art once a month from a classroom teacher, or not at all. You get both groups in the same room. Some students already think of themselves as artists and some have decided they cannot draw, and that second group can shut down fast. Sixth grade is also the year students first meet middle school routines: a bell schedule, a class that is not their homeroom, materials they are responsible for. Art vocabulary may be new to many of them. Words like composition, contrast or symbolism need to be taught, not assumed. If the year starts with a demanding studio project, the students without a background fall behind in the first week. If it starts too young, the experienced kids check out. What a sixth grade teacher needs is a starting point that brings everyone to shared vocabulary and habits, then gives them real projects with room to grow. It also helps if that start connects to what you will teach the same students in seventh and eighth grade, rather than being a separate one-off course.
Why it fits
Using it with sixth graders
The curriculum spans grades 6–8 and does not label units by grade. That leaves you to build a sixth grade year that suits your students.
- Elements of art and principles of design lessons give every sixth grader the same vocabulary.
- Differentiated worksheets support students with no prior art class alongside experienced ones.
- Sketch-to-finished-artwork tasks teach a working process, not just a single product.
- Artworks from diverse cultures and periods introduce art history without a lecture-heavy start.
- Answer keys help you check understanding quickly with large, new groups.
- Because units build across 6–8, you can save some units for these students next year.
Getting started
Your first weeks with sixth graders
One possible way to open the year. It is a suggestion; the product does not include a grade 6 calendar.
- Choose your grade 6 unitsRead through the curriculum and pick the units you want for sixth grade. Keep a short list of others for seventh and eighth grade so returning students meet new material. Write the list down so colleagues know too.
- Start with looking and talkingOpen with a visual literacy lesson. Project an artwork, ask what students notice, and introduce the elements of art. Everyone can contribute, whatever their drawing skill.
- Introduce a low-risk drawing taskFollow with a short drawing or design activity where experimenting matters more than accuracy. Students who think they cannot draw get an early success. Clear routines save minutes every class.
- Set routines for materialsUse the first studio lesson to teach handing out, using and putting away materials. It saves time for every project afterward. Rehearse it once before any real materials come out.
- Check vocabulary before projects growUse a worksheet with an answer key to see who has the basic terms. Group or differentiate before moving into a longer sketch-to-final project. It keeps longer projects fair for everyone.
Which version
Which version fits a sixth grade teacher
The $149.90 version includes all 70+ resources for grades 6–8. That is enough for a sixth grade year and leaves material for later grades. The $189.90 version adds Teach-Life-Balance, a digital course with a planner, guides and templates for managing your own time. It does not add art lessons, so buy it only if planning time is your real bottleneck. If you also teach sixth grade music, TEACHMORE15 gives 15% off two or more Complete Curriculum packages.
Honest limits
What you still decide yourself
The curriculum does not say which units belong in grade 6. You decide that, and you should check your choices against your state or district grade 6 art expectations. Supplies are not included. If other art teachers in your school want to share it, send Teach Lessons a short message first. If it does not fit your classes, you can exchange it within 7 days for store credit of equal value, not cash.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is it aligned to grade 6 art standards?
It is written for U.S. middle school art classrooms, grades 6–8. It is not approved, adopted, endorsed or certified by any state, district or the National Core Arts Standards, and there is no official grade 6 alignment. Look at your state's grade 6 expectations and choose units from the curriculum that match them.
Which units are meant for sixth grade?
The curriculum covers grades 6–8 as one set and does not label units by grade. You choose what to teach in sixth grade. Many teachers start with visual literacy, the elements of art and simpler studio tasks, and leave more independent work for later years. Leaving the more demanding units for grades 7 and 8 gives returning students something new.
My students have very different art backgrounds. Will this work?
The worksheets are differentiated and the materials are described as suitable for mixed-ability classrooms. Starting with analysis lessons, where everyone can talk about what they see, also helps level the field before drawing and painting projects. Short, low-risk drawing tasks early in the year also help students who arrive convinced they cannot draw.
Can I keep using it in grades 7 and 8?
Yes. It is one grades 6–8 curriculum, so the same purchase covers later grades. If you teach the same students again, choose different units for them so they are not repeating work. A simple list of which units each class has done saves confusion two years later.
How long are the lessons?
The curriculum does not fix lesson length. It is described as flexible for full units, short lessons, review and substitute teaching, so you can fit it to your bell schedule. With sixth graders who are still learning middle school routines, shorter lessons early in the year are often easier to manage.
How do I access it?
Right after purchase you get a download link by email, and the files stay in your customer account under Orders. The product page lists what is included. You can download them again later from the same place, for example on a school computer. The product page lists everything included in the grades 6–8 set.
Give sixth graders a solid start in art
Check the contents on the product page and choose the units you want for your grade 6 year.
See the grades 6–8 curriculum →