Unit Plan 29 (Grade 6 Art): Presentation & Viewer Experience
Help Grade 6 artists analyze how exhibition layout, spacing, grouping, and signage shape what viewers notice, feel, and understand—explaining how presentation choices influence interpretation.
Focus: Discuss how display choices influence interpretation and how viewers experience an exhibition.
Grade Level: 6
Subject Area: Art (Visual Arts • Presentation • Viewer Experience)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 50–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
In this unit, students shift their focus from what is displayed to how it is experienced. Building on their work mounting and planning exhibitions, they now explore how presentation choices—such as placement, grouping, spacing, and signage—change what viewers notice and how they interpret artwork. Through gallery walks, role-play as visitors, and discussion, students learn to see their exhibition through an audience’s eyes and describe how display decisions shape viewer understanding and emotion.
Essential Questions
- How do presentation choices (placement, spacing, grouping, labels) change what viewers notice first?
- In what ways can display decisions affect a viewer’s understanding of the artwork’s meaning or story?
- How does the path a viewer takes through an exhibition influence what they remember most?
- What responsibilities do artists and curators have to think about viewer experience when presenting work?
- How can reflecting on viewer reactions help us improve future displays and exhibitions?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Identify and describe presentation choices (placement, grouping, spacing, signs) in a display and how they affect viewer focus (VA:Pr6.6a).
- Compare two different ways of arranging the same artworks and explain how each layout changes viewer understanding (VA:Pr6.6a).
- Conduct a simple viewer experience gallery walk, gathering observations about what stands out and what is confusing (VA:Pr6.6a).
- Use specific vocabulary (e.g., focus, pathway, grouping, title wall) to explain how their class exhibition influences interpretation (VA:Pr6.6a).
- Create a short Presentation & Viewer Experience Reflection that connects at least two presentation choices to how viewers will likely experience the show (VA:Pr6.6a).
Standards Alignment — 6th Grade (NCAS-Aligned)
- VA:Pr6.6a — Describe how presentation choices influence viewer understanding.
- Example: Students explain how placement affects focus in a display.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can point to a presentation choice (like placement or grouping) and explain how it changes what viewers see first.
- I can compare two layouts of the same artwork and describe how each one changes viewer understanding.
- I can talk about our exhibition from a viewer’s point of view and say what feels clear or confusing.
- I can use words like focus, path, grouping, and labels when I describe viewer experience.
- I can write or say how at least two of our display choices will affect how people interpret our artwork.