Unit Plan 13 (Grade 6 Art): Cultural Inspiration Project
Grade 6 art unit where students brainstorm, sketch, and create original artwork inspired by cultural art styles while connecting context, design choices, and personal meaning.
Focus: Create artwork inspired by a cultural art style while recognizing how context influences meaning and using thoughtful brainstorming and sketch development.
Grade Level: 6
Subject Area: Art (Visual Arts • Culture & Context • Creative Production)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 50–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
In this unit, students apply what they learned about art and culture by planning and creating their own artwork inspired by (not copying) a cultural art style. They review examples of cultural artworks, identify key features such as patterns, colors, subject matter, and materials, and then brainstorm ways to connect those ideas with their own experiences or a teacher-provided theme. Through guided sketch development, students generate and refine visual ideas, aiming to create a final piece that respectfully reflects cultural inspiration and personal meaning.
Essential Questions
- How can I use what I know about cultural context to inspire my own artwork respectfully?
- Which visual features from a cultural art style (patterns, colors, symbols, layouts) can I incorporate without copying or misusing sacred images?
- How can brainstorming and sketch development help me turn cultural inspiration into a clear idea for my own artwork?
- In what ways can my artwork show both personal experiences and influence from another culture’s art?
- Why is it important to credit and respect the cultures that inspire our artwork?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Select one cultural art style studied in class and identify key visual features and context (origin, purpose, traditions) that can inspire a new artwork (VA:Cn11.6a).
- Use brainstorming and sketch development to generate multiple visual ideas that connect cultural inspiration with a theme, prompt, or personal experience (VA:Cr1.6a).
- Choose a strong concept for a final artwork and create a detailed planning sketch that shows composition, major shapes, and key design elements (VA:Cr1.6a).
- Create a final artwork that visually reflects cultural inspiration through pattern, color, or structure while avoiding direct copying of sacred or specific cultural symbols (VA:Cn11.6a, VA:Cr1.6a).
- Write or speak a short artist explanation describing the cultural inspiration, context, and their own design decisions (VA:Cn11.6a, VA:Cr1.6a).
Standards Alignment — 6th Grade (NCAS-Aligned)
- VA:Cn11.6a — Identify how art reflects cultural or historical context and describe how context influences meaning.
- Example: Students study ancient art and explain its cultural purpose.
- VA:Cr1.6a — Generate artistic ideas by exploring themes, experiences, or assigned prompts through brainstorming and sketch development.
- Example: Students create preliminary sketches exploring the theme “change.”
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can choose a cultural art style and explain where it comes from and what it shows about that culture.
- I can brainstorm and sketch more than one visual idea that uses inspiration from that cultural style.
- I can plan and create a final artwork that shows cultural influence through pattern, color, or layout without copying exact sacred symbols.
- I can describe how context (where/why the original art was made) influenced my design decisions.
- I can write or share an artist explanation that clearly connects my artwork to a cultural inspiration and a personal or assigned theme.