What should a middle school art curriculum include?
What should a middle school art curriculum include?
A middle school art curriculum should combine making art with looking at and talking about art: drawing, painting, mixed media and design, the elements of art and principles of design, art from many cultures and periods, and a habit of moving from sketch to finished work. Reflection and critique tie it together. This page covers why planning is tricky, the core strands, a sample year and a ready-made curriculum.
See Art Complete – MSInclude four things. First, studio practice in drawing, painting, mixed media and design, with time to experiment. Second, the elements of art and principles of design as a shared vocabulary. Third, visual literacy: analyzing artworks, design and visual culture from many cultures and periods for composition, color and symbolism. Fourth, a creative process that moves from sketch to finished work with reflection and critique. Build these across Grades 6–8 rather than repeating the same projects.
Ready-made material
Art Complete – Middle School, Grades 6–8
The first cover is the main resource; the others are related options. 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
Art Complete – Ready-to-Use Curriculum for High School Art (Grades 9–12)
SEL Art Activities Bundle | 6 Calm Drawing and Painting Projects | Grades K–4
Why it is hard
Why middle school art is hard to plan
Middle school is when many students decide they can't draw. In elementary art the bar was enjoyment; by sixth grade, students compare their work with realistic drawings online and with classmates, and the ones who fall short often stop trying. A curriculum that leans only on realistic drawing makes this worse. At the same time, a run of fun projects with no thread between them leaves students with a folder of crafts but no vocabulary to talk about art and no growing control of materials. Art analysis is usually the first thing cut. Teachers short on time skip looking at artworks, or reduce it to one slide of a famous painting before the project starts. Students then copy a style without understanding why the artist made those choices. Materials and class size shape everything too. A painting unit that works with a small group and a sink can collapse with a large class and no running water. Finally, students arrive with very different backgrounds, from those who sketch every day to those who have done little art since second grade.
What works
Core strands to build into Grades 6–8
Each strand should appear every year, with projects and analysis getting more demanding from Grade 6 to Grade 8.
- Drawing fundamentals: contour, value, proportion and perspective, taught as skills students practice, not talents they have.
- Color and painting: color theory, mixing and paint handling through projects with a clear purpose.
- Mixed media and design: collage, printmaking or graphic design that rewards ideas over realism.
- Visual literacy: regular discussion of artworks from many cultures, using elements and principles as vocabulary.
- Art and meaning: how artists use symbolism and visual storytelling to say something about identity or society.
- Process and reflection: sketchbooks, critique routines and artist statements that make thinking visible.
Step by step
A sample year in Grade 6
This outline assumes a semester or year course meeting several times a week. Adjust the length of each unit to your schedule and supplies.
- Unit 1: Line and observational drawingStart with contour and blind contour drawing so mistakes are expected from day one. Introduce line as an element, look at drawings by several artists and start a sketchbook habit.
- Unit 2: Value and formTeach shading with value scales and simple objects. Students analyze how light and shadow create mood in a painting, then draw a still life using at least three values.
- Unit 3: Color and paintingMix primary and secondary colors, explore complementary contrast and paint a small scene or abstract piece where the color choices, not the subject, carry the mood.
- Unit 4: Art across culturesStudy art from several cultures, such as textiles, pottery or calligraphy. Students analyze pattern and symbolism, then design a piece using a motif that means something to them.
- Unit 5: Mixed media and critiqueCreate a mixed media piece from sketch to final, run a structured class critique and write a short artist statement explaining choices of composition, color and symbol.
Ready-made option
A ready-to-teach middle school art curriculum
Art Complete – Middle School (Grades 6–8) is built on the same two halves. Visual literacy and art analysis cover artworks from diverse cultures and periods, fine art, design and visual culture, and the elements of art and principles of design. Art practice covers drawing, painting, mixed media and design projects, moving from sketch to finished artwork. It includes 70+ resources for $149.90, or $189.90 with the Teach-Life-Balance course. If you want studio projects more than analysis, the Complete Art Curriculum Bundle with 14 hands-on art studios for Grades 5–9 ($129.99) fits well. For Grades 9–12, see Art Complete – High School ($149.90).
Honest limits
What you still decide and supply
The curriculum gives you lessons, slides, worksheets and answer keys, not paint, paper, clay or printmaking supplies, so check each project against your budget and room. You choose which units fit your schedule and how much time each one gets. Compare the content with your state's visual arts standards or the National Core Arts Standards, since the store does not claim alignment. The license covers your own classes, and a department or school sharing it needs a short message to Teach Lessons first. You can exchange it within 7 days for store credit of equal value, not cash.
Good to know
More teacher questions
How do I teach students who think they can't draw?
Teach drawing as a set of skills with exercises, not a gift. Contour drawing, blind contour and value scales give everyone early wins, because the goal is careful looking rather than realism. Mix in projects where ideas matter more than accuracy, such as collage or design, and grade the process as well as the result.
How much art history belongs in middle school art?
Enough that every project connects to real artworks. A short, focused look at two or three works before each studio project, with students describing what they see before you explain, is more useful than a separate art history unit. Include artists from many cultures and periods, and living artists too.
Should middle school art use sketchbooks?
Yes. A sketchbook gives students a low-stakes place for warm-ups, planning and experiments, and it gives you evidence of process for grading. Short daily prompts, such as drawing one object from three angles, build the habit. Collect them now and then rather than daily so students feel the book is theirs.
How should I grade art in middle school?
Use rubrics that separate skill, effort, process and reflection, and share them before the project starts. Students who struggle with technique can still earn credit for strong planning, experimentation and thoughtful artist statements. Short self-assessments help students explain their own choices and show you how they think about their work.
Does Art Complete – Middle School meet state art standards?
The store makes no claim that it meets or aligns with any state or national standards. The units cover visual literacy, analysis and art practice, but each state words its visual arts standards differently. Check the units against your state document or the National Core Arts Standards and add any required content.
Is there a discount if I buy art and music together?
Code TEACHMORE15 gives 15% off when you buy two or more Complete Curriculum packages, for example Art Complete – Middle School with Music Complete – Middle School. It does not apply to bundles such as the Complete Art Curriculum Bundle, or to single units, so it fits best when two arts teachers or one teacher of both subjects buy together.
Build a year that grows with students
Map the four strands across Grades 6–8 first, then fill each year with projects that ask a little more than the last.
See Art Complete – MS