Grade 8 Art Curriculum: Portfolio Work and the Bridge to High School
Eighth grade art teachers who need a full year can use Art Complete – Middle School, a grades 6–8 curriculum with 70+ ready-to-teach resources, as the capstone of middle school art. Students take a piece from sketch to finished artwork, analyze art from many cultures and periods, and build a body of work they can carry into a high school art class.
See the full curriculum →Art Complete – Middle School ($149.90) is a grades 6–8 art curriculum with 70+ no-prep resources. For grade 8, teachers can choose units that lean on more independent studio work, deeper analysis of composition and symbolism, and art in cultural context. The curriculum does not assign units to grades. A separate Art Complete – High School (grades 9–12) exists for teachers who also handle the next step.
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
What eighth grade art needs to do
By eighth grade, art class is carrying two jobs. It is the last required or available art for many students, and it is the audition, in effect, for those who will choose art in high school. You have students who have taken art every year and are ready for more freedom, and students who are counting the days until they never have to draw again. Both deserve a serious year. The ones heading into high school art benefit from a collection of finished work, a habit of planning before making and the ability to explain their choices in words. The ones who are done with art still need to leave able to read an image critically, since they will spend the rest of their lives looking at advertising, design and media. Eighth graders also push back more. They want reasons. A project that feels like elementary school gets eye-rolls, and a lecture loses them. The year has to give them real decisions, real ideas to wrestle with, and a sense that the work is going somewhere. Planning all of that from scratch while also teaching sixth and seventh grade is where most of the strain comes from.
Why it fits
Using it with eighth graders
Since the curriculum covers grades 6–8 without labeling units by grade, you pick the units that fit an end-of-middle-school year.
- Sketch-to-finished-artwork projects produce pieces students can collect into a simple portfolio.
- Analysis of style, composition and symbolism gives students words to explain their own choices.
- Visual culture and design lessons serve students who will not continue in art.
- Experimentation in mixed media gives advanced eighth graders room to take risks.
- Art, culture and meaning lessons connect art to identity and media, topics eighth graders care about.
- Shared structure with the high school curriculum makes the step to grades 9–12 easier to plan.
Getting started
Planning a capstone year
Here is one way to organize grade 8 around a portfolio. The product does not contain this plan; treat it as a suggestion.
- Decide what the portfolio holdsBefore the year starts, decide how many finished pieces students will keep and what reflection, if any, goes with each. That shapes which studio units you choose.
- Choose units they have not doneCheck what students covered in grades 6 and 7. Pick eighth grade units from the curriculum that give them new media, new content and more independence.
- Open with critique skillsUse an early analysis lesson on composition and intention. Students learn to talk about artwork, which they will later apply to their own and each other's pieces.
- Run the first portfolio pieceWork through a sketch-to-finished-artwork project. Students plan, revise and finish, then write a few sentences on the choices they made. Keep the finished piece and the writing together in each student's folder.
- Review and set goalsHave students look at their first piece next to the analysis vocabulary. They set one goal for the next project, which keeps the portfolio growing in a direction. That keeps the portfolio growing with purpose instead of becoming a pile of unrelated projects.
Which version
Which version, and when to add high school
For a grade 8 teacher, the $149.90 Middle School version with all 70+ resources is usually enough. The $189.90 version adds Teach-Life-Balance, a digital planner and time-saving course for teachers, which helps with workload but adds no art lessons. If you teach both eighth grade and a high school art class, or a combined 8th/9th group, buying Art Complete – High School as well makes sense, and TEACHMORE15 gives 15% off when you buy two or more Complete Curriculum packages.
Honest limits
Limits worth knowing
There is no ready-made portfolio system or grade 8 course in the product. You decide which units and pieces make up the year, and you should check them against your state or district grade 8 art expectations. It does not count toward high school credit or placement on its own; ask your district about that. Supplies are not included. For use by several teachers at your school, send Teach Lessons a short message first. Within 7 days you can exchange it for store credit of equal value if it is not a fit, which is store credit and not cash.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is it aligned to grade 8 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 it makes no claim of official grade 8 alignment. Compare it with your state's expectations when you choose eighth grade units. The same applies if you want to use parts of it with students moving into high school art.
Does it include a portfolio unit?
It does not include a named portfolio unit. What it does include are sketch-to-finished-artwork projects and analysis lessons, which you can use to build a portfolio of finished pieces with written reflection. Students can choose their strongest pieces at the end of each term and add a short written statement about each one.
Will this prepare students for high school art?
It gives them practice in planning, finishing and explaining artwork, plus vocabulary for composition, style and symbolism. Whether that meets a specific high school's entry expectations is something to check with that school. A talk with the high school art teacher about what they expect from incoming ninth graders is worth having early in the year.
Can I use this with an 8th and 9th grade combined class?
You can, and some teachers in that situation also buy Art Complete – High School for the older students. Both follow the same structure. TEACHMORE15 takes 15% off when you buy two or more Complete Curriculum packages. You would choose which material goes to which students, and the shared structure makes planning both levels side by side easier.
What about students who do not like art?
Visual literacy and design lessons are useful for every student, since they teach how to read images in media and everyday life. Those lessons often engage students who are not keen on drawing. Projects in design and visual culture also give these students a reason to care about the year.
How do I get it?
Access is instant after purchase through a download link sent by email. The files also stay in your customer account under Orders. The product page lists what is included. You can download the files again later, which helps if you plan portfolio units over the summer.
Close out middle school art with work students keep
Open the product page, check the units, and plan an eighth grade year that leads somewhere.
See the full curriculum →