A Full-Year Middle School Art Curriculum for the Only Art Teacher in the Building
Art Complete – Middle School is a full-year grades 6–8 course for the art teacher who works alone: 70+ ready resources that pair looking at art with making it. You get structured lessons on the elements of art, principles of design and art from many cultures, plus studio projects that move from sketch to finished piece, so the art room no longer depends on whatever you invent each Sunday.
See the art curriculum →Art Complete – Middle School is a no-prep curriculum for grades 6–8 with 70+ resources, starting at $149.90. It combines visual literacy (elements of art, principles of design, composition, color, symbolism, visual storytelling, art from diverse cultures and periods) with studio practice in drawing, painting, mixed media and design. For the only art teacher in a school, it provides a sequenced year that ties each project to analysis. Art supplies are not included.
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 running the art room alone is harder than it looks
Most people in your building think the art teacher just picks a fun project. You know the real work: deciding what sixth graders should learn about line and value before you hand them paint, finding artworks from beyond the usual European canon, and justifying a grade on a piece that a student cried over. When you are the only art teacher, there is no one to trade project ideas with, no shared bank of exemplars, and no colleague to tell you whether your seventh-grade color unit is actually different from last year's. Supply budgets and room setup take time other teachers spend planning. The studio days themselves are loud and messy, so the analysis side of art, talking about composition and symbolism, tends to get dropped. A year built only from one-off projects can look busy on the bulletin board while students never learn to explain why an artwork works. You need a sequence that keeps making and looking connected, and that you can defend when a parent or principal asks what students are actually learning in art.
Why it fits
How it gives a solo art teacher a real sequence
The curriculum keeps art analysis and studio work side by side, which is the hardest balance to hold alone.
- Elements of art and principles of design give every project a vocabulary students use when they critique.
- Artworks from diverse cultures and periods widen your exemplar set without hours of image research.
- Projects move from sketch to finished artwork, so process steps are built in for students who rush.
- Drawing, painting, mixed media and design projects let you rotate media around your supply budget.
- Differentiated worksheets support students who struggle with drawing but can still analyze composition well.
- Visual storytelling and symbolism lessons give quieter, writing-minded students a strong way into art.
Getting started
How to set up your first two weeks
One practical way to start the year with this curriculum when you are planning alone.
- Take inventory against the projectsRead through the art practice units and list the materials each needs. Match them to what is in your cabinets now, then order or substitute before the first studio project starts.
- Open with elements and principlesTeach the elements of art and principles of design first, using the analysis worksheets. Students will reuse that vocabulary in every critique for the rest of the year.
- Pair one artwork with one projectChoose an analysis lesson, for example on composition or color, and follow it with a related studio task. Students see that what they studied shapes what they make.
- Run a first sketch-to-final cycleUse one short project to teach the sketch, revise and finish process. A small first cycle shows you which students need extra structure before longer mixed media work.
- Build your display and grading routineDecide how you will collect sketches and finished pieces and how you will grade them. With no art department, a clear routine is your defense when grades are questioned.
Which version
Choosing between the two versions
The base version, $149.90, includes all 70+ resources and is enough to run a full middle school year. The $189.90 version adds Teach-Life-Balance, a digital time-saving course with a planner, guides and templates. It contains no extra art lessons. Choose it if your hours are swallowed by setup, cleanup and supply orders and you want help organizing your week. If you want more studio work, the Complete Art Curriculum Bundle – 14 Hands-On Art Studios and the BUNDLE XXL Complete Art Curriculum, both for grades 5–9, are sold separately. If you also teach music, buying both Complete Curricula with TEACHMORE15 takes 15% off.
Honest limits
What it leaves to you
No paint, paper, clay or tools are included, and you will adapt projects to the materials and room you have. Artwork images in the lessons support analysis, but you may add images or devices of your own. The course is written for U.S. middle school classrooms; checking it against your state or district visual arts requirements is your job. If another teacher at your school wants to use it, write to Teach Lessons first. If it is not the right fit, you have 7 days to exchange it for store credit of equal value, not a cash refund.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Does it align with the National Core Arts Standards?
It has not been endorsed or certified by any standards organization, and we do not claim it aligns with the National Core Arts Standards or your state's visual arts framework. It is written for U.S. middle school art classes and covers analysis, studio practice, and art and culture. Compare it with your state or district requirements before planning your year around it.
Can I teach it on a tight supply budget?
Supplies are not included, so check the practice units against your stock first. Since drawing, painting, mixed media and design projects are all represented, you can lean on the ones that use what you have, and units can be used individually rather than in a fixed order.
I see sixth, seventh and eighth grade. Do I need three separate plans?
You can use the same units with different expectations. A sixth grader might identify the elements of art in a piece, while an eighth grader explains how composition and symbolism create meaning. Differentiated worksheets help with that, and the material is described as suitable for mixed-ability classrooms.
How much is art history versus making art?
Both are core. Visual literacy and analysis cover artworks from diverse cultures and periods, fine art, design and visual culture. Art practice covers drawing, painting, mixed media and design projects, with experimentation and work from sketch to finished artwork. The art, culture and meaning strand connects the two.
What do I leave for a sub in the art room?
Leave an analysis worksheet rather than a studio day. Studying composition, color or symbolism in an artwork needs no materials and no cleanup, and answer keys mean a non-art sub can still run it. The curriculum is described as flexible for substitute teaching and short lessons.
How do I see what is included before buying?
The product page lists what is included in the curriculum. Reading it next to your supply list and schedule is the quickest way to judge how much of your year it covers and where you will want to substitute projects.
Stop building the art year alone
The product page shows what comes in the 70+ resources and both versions.
See the art curriculum →