Unit Plan 6 (Grade 7 Art): Media Exploration Lab
Grade 7 art unit where students experiment with diverse media and techniques, compare technical effects, and create a personal Media Menu to guide purposeful material choices.
Focus: Experiment with materials and evaluate technical effects, using a range of media, tools, and processes to discover techniques that enhance meaning and craftsmanship.
Grade Level: 7
Subject Area: Art (Visual Arts • Materials & Techniques • Process & Craftsmanship)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 50–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
In this unit, students step into a media lab mindset, treating the art room like a place for experiments instead of perfect finished pieces. They explore a variety of materials and tools—such as graphite, colored pencil, marker, charcoal, ink, watercolor, and collage—at hands-on stations. Through structured technique swatches, mini-studies, and comparison activities, students observe how each medium behaves, what technical effects it can produce, and how it might support different moods, subjects, and messages. By the end, students create a personalized “Media Menu” that highlights which materials best fit their artistic goals and why.
Essential Questions
- How do different materials, tools, and processes behave when I experiment with them?
- In what ways can specific techniques (e.g., blending, layering, line quality, texture) improve craftsmanship?
- How can the choice of medium change the mood, clarity, or meaning of an artwork?
- Why is experimentation important before committing to materials for a major project?
- How can I keep track of my experiments so I can make stronger media choices in future artworks?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Experiment with a variety of art materials (e.g., graphite, colored pencil, marker, charcoal, ink, watercolor, collage) to discover technical possibilities and limits (VA:Cr2.7b).
- Practice and record at least 3–5 specific techniques for each medium (e.g., blending, hatching, washes, dry brush, layering) in a structured technique chart (VA:Cr2.7b).
- Evaluate how different media and techniques affect texture, value, edge quality, and control, and how these relate to meaning and mood (VA:Cr2.7b).
- Complete a small “same subject, different media” study to compare technical effects and ease of use (VA:Cr2.7b).
- Create a personal Media Menu that recommends which materials they might use for different artistic goals (e.g., calm landscape vs. bold poster) and explains why (VA:Cr2.7b).
Standards Alignment — 7th Grade (NCAS-Aligned)
- VA:Cr2.7b — Experiment with materials, tools, and processes to discover techniques that enhance meaning and craftsmanship.
- Example: Students test blending, layering, and line-quality techniques in several media before choosing which best supports the mood and clarity of a future artwork.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can test and record multiple techniques for different art materials instead of guessing how they work.
- I can describe how each medium’s strengths and challenges affect my ability to show texture, value, and mood.
- I can compare how the same subject looks and feels when drawn or painted with different media.
- I can choose materials on purpose for a specific artistic goal and explain my reasoning.
- I can keep a Media Menu that helps me remember which materials are best for which effects.