Unit Plan 29 (Grade 2 Art): Presentation & Viewer Experience
Grade 2 students explore how spacing, grouping, height, and labels change what viewers notice and feel, learning how presentation choices shape focus, mood, and interpretation in an art display.
Focus: Explore how presentation choices—such as placement, spacing, grouping, and labels—change what viewers notice, focus on, and feel when they look at artwork.
Grade Level: 2
Subject Area: Art (Visual Arts • Presenting • Responding)
Total Unit Duration: 1–3 weeks, 50–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
In this unit, students learn that how artwork is presented can change how people see and understand it. They compare different ways of hanging the same pieces—crowded vs. spaced out, high vs. low, grouped by color vs. mixed—and talk about how each choice changes what they notice first and how the display feels. Students experiment by rearranging mini “galleries” on the wall or tabletop and reflect on how presentation can make an exhibition feel calm, busy, fair, or confusing. By the end, they understand that artists and curators make presentation choices on purpose to guide the viewer experience.
Essential Questions
- How can the way artwork is hung or arranged change what people notice first?
- How do spacing, height, and grouping affect how a display feels (calm, busy, exciting, crowded)?
- Why might artists and curators choose certain presentation styles to help viewers understand the artwork?
- How can we make presentation choices that feel fair and respectful to all artists in our class?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Describe at least two different ways the same artworks can be presented (e.g., close together vs. spread out, mixed vs. grouped).
- Explain how presentation choices can change what viewers focus on or how a display feels.
- Rearrange a small set of artworks to create different viewer experiences (calm, exciting, crowded, neat).
- Share one idea for making a class exhibition feel more welcoming and clear for visitors.
- Reflect on how presentation choices can be helpful or confusing for viewers.
Standards Alignment — 2nd Grade (NCAS-Aligned)
- VA:Pr6.5a — Explain how presentation choices affect how viewers interpret artwork.
- Example: Students discuss how spacing or framing changes focus.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can notice when artwork is hung in different ways and say how it looks different.
- I can explain how spacing, height, or grouping change what people see or feel.
- I can help arrange a small display to make it feel calm, exciting, or neater.
- I can share one idea for how to make our art displays more helpful for visitors.
- I can talk about how presentation can make a display feel fair and respectful to everyone.