6th Grade Elements of Art Lessons Weather Art Projects and Art Activities

This Grade 6 Elements of Art unit is fully planned and introduces each of the Elements of Art through the theme of Weather. Students explore line, shape, color, value, texture, form and space through 7 guided art tutorials and 7 open-ended, choice-based art projects that encourage experimentation, risk-taking and student voice.

It works for classroom teachers and homeschool families. A unit introduction video kicks off the learning, and detailed lesson plans, printable activities and illustrated step-by-step guides mean you can print it and be ready to teach with minimal prep.

WHAT'S INCLUDED (FULLY PLANNED, NON-EDITABLE PDFS IN A FOLDER)

• Unit Plan with the scope and sequence
• Introduction Video about the Elements of Art, why artists use them, and the unit theme: Weather
• 2 Introductory Lessons with full lesson plans and worksheets to introduce and practice drawing each element, plus coloring and practice sheets to scaffold learning
• 7 Fully Planned Art Tutorials, one for each element, each with a complete lesson plan (hook, participation strategies, steps and conclusion), step-by-step tutorial, artwork examples, display sign, rubric, assessment and reflection
• 7 Choice-Based Art Lessons, each with a complete lesson plan, planning, rough draft and artwork pages, and rubric and reflection pages (no examples, so students develop their own ideas)
• Viewing Art Lesson Activity with a poem and a reading about art galleries and museums
• Choice-Based End of Unit Art Project
• Black-line printable student pages and a binder cover

The 7 art tutorials:

• Line: windy day line art using different types of lines for visual interest, texture, detail and pattern
• Color/Color: a weather artwork with warm, cool and full hue color schemes and color mixing with pencil crayons, with a poem included to hook students and bring in literacy
• Value: a thunderstorm and lightning landscape in soft pastels, adding white for tints and black for shades
• Shape: an abstract weather collage with cut paper organic shapes and drawn geometric shapes, with an article about shapes and weather
• Form: a tornado in oil pastels using tint, hue and shade to create the illusion of form
• Space: a landscape with trees and clouds using size, overlapping, placement and one-point perspective to create depth
• Texture: a hurricane seen from space using construction paper and soft pastels

WHAT STUDENTS LEARN

Students practice each element in a guided tutorial, then use the choice-based lessons before or after a tutorial to play with mediums, techniques and ideas on their own. In the Viewing Art activity, they identify the elements in an artwork from art history, learn how to interpret art and find its message, and consider how museums reflect the history and values of a community. The unit ends with a choice-based artwork that combines two elements and the Weather theme, using criteria the class creates together.

National art standards covered (Grade 6): VA:Cr1.1.6a, VA:Cr1.2.6a, VA:Cr2.1.6a, VA:Cr2.2.6a, VA:Cr3.1.6a, VA:Pr6.1.6a, VA:Re.7.1.6a, VA:Re.7.2.6a, VA:Re8.1.6a, VA:Re9.1.6a, VA:Cn10.1.6a and VA:Cn11.1.6a.

HOW TO USE IT

Review the unit plan for the teaching sequence and start with the introductory lessons and video. Print a master copy, organize it in a binder or tub with the included binder cover, and photocopy student pages ahead of time. Each lesson plan walks you through the hook, participation strategies, steps and conclusion.

FAQ

How long does each lesson take?

It is flexible. The introductory lessons take 1 to 2 periods (if 30 to 45 minutes), each art project takes 1 to 3 art periods, each choice-based lesson about 1 period, the Viewing Art activity 30 to 40 minutes, and the end of unit project 1 to 3 periods. You could use it for a whole semester or pick the lessons you want.

Do I have to teach every lesson?

No. You can skip pages or lessons to shorten the unit, or teach it all to make it longer.

Is it editable?

No. The PDFs are non-editable.

ALL TEACHER REVIEWS (7)

★★★★ “These projects are great! I love that they are already divided into units and have easy to use steps.” Jessica G.

★★★ “I can't wait to see the artwork that my classes produce. My only feedback is to make the slides where the steps are in pencil need to be clearer as they can be hard to see at a certain angle.” Natalie R.

★★★★ “This is laid out so well, and perfect for when I was thrown into an art class. It breaks everything down so well and provides great information for the students and the teacher. It was a real life-saver.” Inspired E.

★★★★ “My students loves this unit. They learned so much about the elements of art and got good practice with the elements.” Tamara K.

★★★★ “My students really enjoyed the art projects in this resource. I liked the information for all the elements to be able to teach the students.” Becky M.

★★★★ “My student have been able to be more engaged and learn more about the elements of art when using the notes and the video. They like the theme and the projects.” Alexis B.

Get free, classroom-ready art lessons and printables in my Free Art Lesson Library.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kathleen McGiveron (Ms Artastic) is an artist who has been featured on NBC LX News and designs art lessons for kids and educational resources for teachers. She is the founder of Ms Artastic and hosts the Ms Artastic YouTube Channel and Podcast.

TERMS OF USE

Images and lessons are copyright products.

YOU MAY: use this in your own classroom or homeschool program, use it as clip art, binder covers or bulletin board décor (if applicable), and purchase additional licenses for multiple educators.

YOU MAY NOT: upload it to Outschool, post or share it online or on a blog, email, share or distribute it to other teachers or schools, or resell, give away or convert it to another format.

Sincerely,

Ms Artastic