Unit Plan 25 (Grade 5 Art): Personal Narrative Planning
Grade 5 art unit where students plan personal narrative artwork through brainstorming and sketching, selecting meaningful experiences and symbols to guide a future creative project.
Focus: Plan artwork inspired by personal experiences and interests by brainstorming, sketching, and selecting a meaningful idea for a future project.
Grade Level: 5
Subject Area: Art (Visual Arts • Creating/Connecting)
Total Unit Duration: 1–3 weeks, 50–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
Students plan a personal narrative artwork that tells a story from their own life, interests, or identity. They explore moments that matter—memories, traditions, challenges, favorites—and learn how to turn those moments into visual ideas. Through guided brainstorming, word webs, and multiple sketches, they connect their stories to symbols, settings, and characters, then choose one strong idea to develop for a later studio project.
Essential Questions
- How can my own experiences, memories, and interests inspire powerful artwork?
- What makes a personal story clear and meaningful when shown in a picture instead of words?
- How can brainstorming and sketching help me generate and refine ideas before I start a final piece?
- Why is it important to think about symbols, setting, and details when planning a personal narrative artwork?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Identify and describe personal experiences, traditions, or interests that could be turned into visual stories.
- Brainstorm multiple story ideas using word lists, memory maps, or mind maps.
- Create several thumbnail sketches that explore different ways to show a chosen personal narrative (composition, symbols, setting).
- Select one strong idea for a future artwork and explain how it connects to their personal experience.
- Use art vocabulary (narrative, symbol, setting, composition) when discussing their plans.
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:Cr1.5a — Generate artistic ideas by exploring themes, personal interests, or assigned prompts through brainstorming and sketching.
- Example: Students sketch multiple ideas for a landscape that communicates a specific mood.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can list personal experiences or interests that could become stories in my art.
- I can brainstorm and sketch more than one idea instead of going with the first one.
- I can use symbols, setting, and characters to show what my story is about.
- I can explain how my chosen idea connects to my own life.
- I can talk about my plan using words like narrative, symbol, and composition.