Unit Plan 33 (Grade 2 Art): Personal Growth Reflection
Grade 2 students reflect on artistic growth, compare early and recent artwork, and create a personal experience piece while explaining how their skills and life connections have developed.
Focus: Discuss how artistic skills have improved over time and create simple artwork that connects to personal experiences, explaining those connections in student-friendly language.
Grade Level: 2
Subject Area: Art (Visual Arts • Connecting)
Total Unit Duration: 1–3 weeks, 50–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
In this unit, students look back at artwork they made earlier in the year and compare it to more recent pieces. They talk about how their skills have grown—for example, being neater, using more space, or adding more details—and how their art shows things from their own lives, like family, pets, and favorite activities. Students then create a small “Art Growth” picture inspired by a personal experience and explain what it shows about them as artists now. By the end, they can describe at least one way their art has improved and one way it connects to their real life.
Essential Questions
- How has my artwork changed and improved since the beginning of the year?
- How can my art show important people, places, and moments from my own life?
- Why is it helpful to talk about how my art has grown?
- What do I want my art to show about who I am right now?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Look at early and recent artworks and name at least one way their skills have improved (neatness, details, space, color).
- Identify at least one artwork that is inspired by a personal experience and tell the story behind it.
- Create a small “Art Growth” picture inspired by a personal memory or favorite activity.
- Use simple language to explain the connection between their “Art Growth” picture and their life.
- Share one growth statement (how they got better) and one proud moment from their art this year.
Standards Alignment — 2nd Grade (NCAS-Aligned)
- VA:Cn10.2a — Create artwork inspired by personal experiences and explain those connections.
- Example: Students draw a family celebration and describe its importance.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can look at my old and new art and see ways my skills got better.
- I can tell about a time when my art was about something from my life.
- I can make a new picture that shows a real memory or favorite thing.
- I can explain what my “Art Growth” picture is about and why it is important to me.
- I can say one thing I feel proud of and one thing I want to keep getting better at in art.