Unit Plan 14 (Grade 5 Art): Designing for a Message

Focus: Plan artwork that clearly communicates a personal idea, using brainstorming and multiple design solutions before choosing the strongest composition. Students connect their designs to personal experiences or interests and explain how their visual choices support their message.

Grade Level: 5

Subject Area: Art (Visual Arts • Connecting • Creating)

Total Unit Duration: 1–3 weeks, 50–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

Students explore how artists use images to say something—about their lives, interests, identities, or things they care about. Instead of starting by drawing “things,” they start with a personal message, then plan how to show that idea visually through symbols, scenes, and composition. They brainstorm topics from their own experiences, sketch multiple layout options, and decide which design best communicates their message to an audience.

Essential Questions

• What personal ideas, experiences, or interests do I want my art to communicate?
• How can I use symbols, scenes, and composition to make my message clear to others?
• Why is it helpful to sketch more than one design solution before choosing a final plan?
• How might knowing the story or experience behind my artwork change the way people interpret it?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Identify a personal idea, experience, or interest they want to communicate through artwork.
2. Brainstorm and sketch more than one possible design solution (thumbnail layouts) for the same message.
3. Choose one design and explain why it best communicates their personal idea to an audience.
4. Plan key visual elements (symbols, setting, characters, text if used) that connect clearly to their experience or interest.
5. Write or share a short explanation of how their personal story or interest influenced their design choices.

Standards Alignment — 5th Grade (NCAS-Aligned)

• VA:Cn10.5a — Create artwork inspired by personal experiences or interests and explain those influences.
  • Example: Students design artwork reflecting family traditions.
• VA:Cr1.5b — Develop more than one possible solution to a design challenge and explain the reasoning behind their selection.
  • Example: Students compare two layout ideas and justify which one communicates their message best.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can choose a personal idea or experience that matters to me and use it as the message of my artwork.
• I can sketch two or more different layouts that could show the same message.
• I can explain why I chose one design as my final plan and how it makes my message clearer.
• I can describe how my personal experience or interest affected the way I designed my picture.
• I can use art words like composition, focal point, symbol, and message when I talk about my plan.