How to Plan Your Middle School Art Curriculum Scope & Sequence in 8 Easy Steps!
Ever wondered how to create a middle school art curriculum scope and sequence that not only engages students but also builds their skills step-by-step? Whether you’re a seasoned teacher or new to the classroom, planning a successful art curriculum can feel like a daunting task. But don’t worry—I’m here to help you lay a solid foundation that your students can build on, one lesson at a time.
In my 26 years of experience teaching secondary art, I’ve learned that the way you sequence lessons makes a big difference. I like to start small with quick lessons that make students feel successful, then progress to more complex projects incorporating more skills. It is always best to isolate each new skill with simple exercises or practice art worksheets so you can gauge progress and understanding of the new technique, and make sure students master the concept before moving onto the final artwork.
Why is a Well-Planned Middle School Art Curriculum Scope and Sequence Important?
Fosters Creativity: A well-structured curriculum encourages students to express themselves while gradually introducing them to more complex techniques.
Builds Confidence: Starting with simple art projects helps students feel successful early on, which boosts their confidence.
Develops Skills: By introducing skills logically, you ensure that students master each step before moving on to the next.
Ready to Plan Your Middle School Curriculum?
Planning a middle school art curriculum scope and sequence doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Here’s a step-by-step approach to get you started.
1. Start the Scope & Sequence with Simple and ExpressiveEasy Art Projects
Kick off the year with a quick middle school art lesson plan that allows your students to express their personality. The goal here is to establish trust and create positive associations with art. Remember, students are nervous and afraid to fail in front of their peers. Replacing those fears with positive feelings and emotions will help them feel more comfortable and willing to take more significant risks over time.
This is their chance to shine, and your opportunity to get to know them. Students may not know art yet, but they do know themselves. Allowing them to communicate the one thing they know well can help alleviate any anxieties they may be experiencing.
Think of it as laying down the first brick in your art education house. You want them to feel successful and excited about what’s to come!
Lesson Example: First Day of School Pop Art Name Design
One fantastic way to start the year in the junior high art class is with a get to know you activity. Incorporating student names is always fun and can help you learn their names. Here is an example of the First Day of School Pop Art Project Name Designlesson from my Middle School Art Curriculum.
This Pop Art Lesson is a name design activity introduces students to the vibrant world of Pop Art while allowing them to showcase their unique personalities.
It’s an ideal project for both the first day and the first week of school, setting a positive and creative tone for the rest of the year. By focusing on bold colors and creative lettering, students can experiment with different artistic techniques and see how Pop Art can be both fun and expressive. This easy art project includes visual aids and practice sheets, ensuring that students gain confidence and proficiency in their artistic abilities.
2. Build a Strong Drawing Foundation with Easy Contour Line DrawingLessons
Once your students feel confident, it’s time to introduce skills that build on each other—slowly. Start with simple contour line drawing lessons. These should touch on composition and design, helping students get comfortable with hand-eye coordination, line quality, and line weight. These lessons are the mortar that holds your junior high curriculum together. It’s all about mastering the basics and building confidence with easy art lessons before moving on to more challenging skills.
Lesson Example: Contour Line Drawingwith Watercolor Painting Project
A great junior high art lesson to introduce these concepts is the Contour Line Drawing and watercolor lesson from my Middle School Art Curriculum Bundle. This contour line drawing project teaches students the fundamentals of line drawing while allowing them to create interesting and visually engaging artwork. By focusing on contours, students learn to observe and capture the edges of objects, which is essential for drawing accurately. This quick and easy art lesson for middle school combines contour line and watercolor painting and encourages them to experiment with different line weights and qualities, helping them to develop a more nuanced understanding of how lines can create depth and interest in their work.
3. Explore Positive and Negative Spacein Art Projects
Next up, introduce positive and negative space. This crucial concept helps students learn what to look for when drawing from life or an image. It’s like teaching them to see the spaces in between—an essential skill that will serve them well in future drawing and painting projects.
Lesson Example: Positive and Negative Space Drawing
This Postive and Negative Space Drawing lesson is one of the middle school art projects from my Middle School Art Curriculum Bundle and is a great way to introduce this concept. This watercolor painting and marker mixed media art lesson challenges students to shift their focus from the objects themselves to the shapes around and between them. By practicing with positive and negative space, students enhance their observational drawing skills and begin to see the world in a more detailed and artistic way. This mixed media art lesson is essential for helping students understand the importance of composition and balance in their artwork.
4. Master the X-Grid Drawing Method for Scalinga Drawing
Here’s where things start to get exciting. Introduce the X-Grid drawing technique to help students scale images accurately. This method is the foundation of my middle school art curriculum, and I can’t stress enough how important it is. I like to begin with the X grid because it requires no measuring and circumvents a lot of annoying mistakes with the ruler.
I have my students complete multiple projects that begin with an X-Grid drawing method, switching out the mediums and materials to keep things interesting. By the time they’ve mastered this, they’re ready for more advanced techniques.
Lesson Example: Neurographic Art and Watercolor Painting Lesson Bundle
The Neuro Doodle Lesson Bundle from my curriculum incorporates the X-Grid drawing technique in a creative and engaging way. Students use the grid drawing method to transfer fun simple line drawings, allowing them to practice scaling a simple image while exploring expressive doodling and neruographic art. This project builds their confidence with the X-Grid drawing method as they learn how to do neurographic art, and explore watercolor painting. This sets them up for success as they move on to more detailed and challenging subject matter.
5. Explore the Elements of Art and Principles of Design
With a solid drawing foundation in place, it’s time to dive into the elements of art and principles of design. You can teach these in various ways, but I like to keep things simple and focus on abstract art projects that allow students to be successful. This is where they start to see how all the pieces fit together.
Lesson Example: Elements & Principles of Art Handouts
The Elements & Principles of Art Handouts from my curriculum scope and sequence provide a comprehensive introduction to these crucial concepts. With clear explanations and examples, students will gain a solid understanding of how to apply the elements and principles of art and design in their own work.
6. Practice Value and Shading Techniques with Easy Drawing Projects for Middle School
It’s time to tackle shading simple shapes once your students are comfortable with line drawing and composition. Start small and keep the projects simple to help them understand and practice good technique. Shading can be tricky, but your students will get the hang of it with a bit of patience. I like to begin with shading worksheets before talking about complete shading projects.
Lesson Example: Value and Shading Geometric Shapes Art Lesson
The Shading Geometric Shapes project from my middle school art curriculum is perfect for teaching shading. Students start with basic shapes, learning how to apply different shading techniques with graphite to create light, shadow, and texture. The quick art lesson for middle school includes step-by-step instructions and practice exercises, ensuring that students build their shading skills gradually and effectively.
Now that your students have a handle on shading, it’s time to explore color theory and value. Use simple, easy art projects to help them experiment with different color schemes and learn how to create dark and light values with color. This is also an excellent opportunity to introduce them to various art materials like oil pastel, colored pencil, watercolor, or acrylic paint.
Lesson Example: Painting Neon Lights
The Painting Neon Lights easy middle school art lesson from my curriculum is a vibrant and engaging way to explore color theory. In this neon lights drawing project, students learn about value and color contrast by creating neon light effects using bright, bold colors on a dark background. This acrylic painting lesson not only reinforces their understanding of color theory but also allows them to experiment with color in a way that feels fresh and exciting, helping to cement these concepts in a memorable and creative manner. I often swith this out for my oil pastel version of the same lesson depending on what supplies I have more of that year.
Finally, bring it all together with lessons on perspective and painting. Sometimes, I teach these before shading, but often I save them for last. Shading can be tedious and requires a lot of focus, so by the end of the semester, students appreciate something a little more fun and expressive to finish the year on a high note.
The Landscape Drawing Project in my Middle School Art Curriculum Bundle is designed to teach students these critical concepts. Through guided practice, students learn to create depth and dimension in their landscapes by carefully considering how different elements of the scene relate to each other. This lesson serves as a perfect culmination of the skills they’ve developed throughout the year, as they apply their understanding of perspective to create realistic and balanced compositions.
There you have it! This is the basic scope and sequence I use to plan my middle school art curriculum. Remember, the key is to start with quick art lessons, build on skills slowly, and keep things engaging. And if you’re looking for more detailed examples or a ready-to-use curriculum, I’ve got a PDF document you can download here.
Make It Easy with My Middle School Art Curriculum Bundleof Middle School Art Lesson Plans
If this sounds like a lot to manage, you’re not alone. Designing an effective middle school art curriculum can be time-consuming. That’s why I’ve developed a comprehensive Middle School Art Curriculum Bundle designed to make your lesson planning process easier. It includes detailed lesson plans, engaging projects, and all the resources you need to implement these strategies seamlessly in your classroom.
Ready to make your teaching experience smoother and more enjoyable? 🎨
Click hereto explore my Middle School Art Curriculum Bundle and see how it can help you build an engaging and effective art program for your students. Happy teaching!
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