Unit Plan 14 (Grade 3 Art): Expressing a Personal Story
Grade 3 art unit where students plan artwork from a personal experience, sketch multiple layout solutions, choose the strongest design, and explain their choice.
Focus: Plan artwork based on a personal experience, exploring more than one possible solution before choosing a final layout.
Grade Level: 3
Subject Area: Art (Visual Arts • Connecting/Creating)
Total Unit Duration: 1–3 weeks, 50–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
In this unit, students turn their own personal experiences into ideas for artwork. They think about memorable moments—such as a trip, a celebration, a scary or exciting day—and explore how to show them visually. Using brainstorming and sketching, students create more than one possible layout for their story before choosing the strongest one. Throughout the unit, they learn how art can reflect their own lives and how trying multiple ideas can make their final artwork clearer and more powerful.
Essential Questions
- How can my personal experiences inspire ideas for artwork?
- What details (people, places, objects, actions) help tell a personal story in a picture?
- Why is it helpful to try more than one layout before choosing a final plan?
- How can I explain how my artwork connects to a real experience in my life?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Recall at least one personal experience and describe why it is meaningful or memorable.
- Brainstorm visual ideas (people, setting, objects, actions) that can show a chosen personal story.
- Develop two or more layout sketches for their story, changing placement, size, or focus of important parts.
- Choose one layout as the strongest solution and explain why it best tells their story.
- Begin or create an artwork that clearly shows their chosen personal experience, using details that connect back to real life.
Standards Alignment — 3rd Grade (NCAS-Aligned)
- VA:Cn10.3a — Create artwork inspired by personal experiences and describe those influences.
- Example: Students create artwork based on a memorable event.
- VA:Cr1.3b — Develop more than one possible solution to a visual problem and explain why one is chosen.
- Example: Students compare two layout ideas before beginning a final drawing.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can choose a personal experience that I want to show in my artwork.
- I can brainstorm and sketch more than one way to show my story.
- I can explain which layout I chose and why it tells my story best.
- I can add details that show who, where, and what is happening in my picture.
- I can describe how my final plan or artwork is connected to a real event in my life.