Unit Plan 21 (Grade 3 Art): Mixed Media Exploration
Grade 3 art unit where students combine drawing, paint, and collage to create thoughtful mixed media artwork with improved control and craftsmanship.
Focus: Combine multiple art materials thoughtfully to explore effects, improve control, and build craftsmanship in mixed media artwork.
Grade Level: 3
Subject Area: Art (Visual Arts • Creating)
Total Unit Duration: 1–3 weeks, 50–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
In this unit, students discover how artists use more than one material in a single artwork to create richer, more interesting images. Through guided play with drawing tools, paint, and collage, they explore how each material behaves and what it is “good at.” Students then plan and create a small mixed media piece where they choose materials on purpose for different parts of the image, focusing on neat work and growing craftsmanship.
Essential Questions
- What does it mean to make a mixed media artwork?
- How do different materials (pencil, crayon, marker, paint, collage, etc.) change the way an artwork looks and feels?
- How can I combine materials thoughtfully instead of using everything at once?
- How does practicing with different materials help me improve my control and craftsmanship?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Explain that mixed media means using more than one art material in a single artwork.
- Experiment with at least two or three different materials (e.g., pencil, crayon, marker, watercolor, collage papers) to see how each behaves.
- Plan a simple mixed media picture and choose which materials to use for background, main subject, and details.
- Create a small mixed media artwork, showing growing control (neat cutting, careful gluing, controlled coloring/painting).
- Reflect on how combining materials changed their artwork and which material combinations they liked best.
Standards Alignment — 3rd Grade (NCAS-Aligned)
- VA:Cr2.3b — Experiment with materials and techniques to improve control and craftsmanship.
- Example: Students practice layering paint to create richer color.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can tell what mixed media means and name two or more materials in my artwork.
- I can try different materials and notice what each one does well.
- I can choose materials on purpose for different parts of my picture (background, main subject, details).
- I can show good craftsmanship by cutting, gluing, and coloring or painting carefully.
- I can explain how combining materials made my artwork more interesting or expressive.