Unit Plan 25 (Grade 4 Art): Personal Narrative Planning
Grade 4 visual arts unit where students plan a personal narrative artwork by brainstorming meaningful experiences and interests, sketching multiple thumbnail ideas, and refining a final concept with characters, setting, and mood before beginning a future studio piece.
Focus: Plan artwork inspired by personal experiences and interests, using sketching and brainstorming to generate and refine ideas for a visual narrative.
Grade Level: 4
Subject Area: Art (Visual Arts • Creating/Connecting)
Total Unit Duration: 1–3 weeks, 50–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
In this unit, students learn how their own lives can become powerful subjects for art. They think about meaningful memories, places, people, and activities, then translate those experiences into visual ideas. Through guided brainstorming, word lists, and thumbnail sketches, students plan a personal narrative artwork that tells a story or captures a feeling from real life. The focus is on planning, not finishing a final piece, so students can explore options and choose the strongest idea to carry into a later studio project.
Essential Questions
- How can my own experiences and interests become inspiration for artwork?
- What makes a personal narrative artwork clear and meaningful to the viewer?
- How can sketching and brainstorming help me generate and refine ideas before I start a final piece?
- Why is it important to plan my artwork instead of drawing the first idea that pops into my head?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Identify personal experiences, interests, or memories that could be turned into an artwork (e.g., a favorite activity, a special place, a family tradition).
- Brainstorm visual ideas using word lists, quick notes, and thumbnail sketches to explore multiple ways to show a personal story.
- Choose one main personal narrative idea and plan how to show it visually (characters, setting, key actions, important objects).
- Describe how their chosen idea connects to their real life and why it matters to them.
- Create a planning page that includes at least two thumbnails and written notes to guide a future final artwork.
Standards Alignment — 4th Grade (NCAS-Aligned)
- VA:Cn10.4a — Create artwork inspired by personal experiences or interests and describe those influences.
- Example: Students create artwork inspired by a favorite activity.
- VA:Cr1.4a — Generate artistic ideas by exploring themes, observations, and personal interests through sketching and brainstorming.
- Example: Students sketch multiple ideas for a landscape inspired by nature.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can name at least one personal experience or interest that I want to turn into an artwork.
- I can brainstorm and sketch more than one idea before deciding what to draw.
- I can explain how my planned artwork connects to my life or something important to me.
- I can use thumbnail sketches and notes to plan characters, setting, and important details for my personal narrative art.
- I can talk about why I chose my final idea and how I want the viewer to feel or understand my story.