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Art Media & Techniques

Seventh graders explore the major art media — drawing, painting, collage, sculpture, and printmaking — and the materials and techniques that make each one unique.

Grade 7Media45 minutes1 class periodArtistic ProcessExplicit teaching4 StandardsNCAS
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Name art media.
  • ✓Know each one’s materials.
  • ✓Compare techniques.
  • ✓Choose a medium.
Essential Question

From a pencil sketch to a clay sculpture, artists work in many different media. What are the major art media, and what makes each one special?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Explore · Interactive

The Art Media Explorer

Project this and tap each medium. Have students learn the major art media and techniques.

🎨 Explore art media — tap eachTry it

The Lesson · Artistic Process (Look · Explore · Create · Share · Reflect)

45 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Look — Many Ways to Make Art

5 min

From a sketch to a sculpture, artists work in many media — what are they?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show works in 2 media.
  • Ask how they differ.
  • Get ready.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Look.
  • Wonder.
  • Get ready.
2

Explore — Art Media

11 min

Students explore.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to the Art Media Explorer.
  • Note each medium.
  • Compare techniques.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Tap each.
  • Note them.
  • Name.
3

Create — Create

13 min

Students create.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Choose a medium.
  • Try its technique.
  • Make a small work.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Choose it.
  • Try it.
  • Make it.
4

Share — Share

11 min

Students share.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show your work.
  • Name your medium.
  • Give feedback.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Show it.
  • Name it.
  • Feedback.
5

Reflect — Reflect

5 min

Students respond.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name an art medium.
  • Say its materials.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name one.
  • Say it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the National Core Arts Standards (Visual Arts).

NCAS
VA:Cr2.1.7

Use various art media.

NCAS
VA:Cr2.2.7

Explore media techniques.

NCAS
VA:Re7.1.7

Perceive media in art.

NCAS
VA:Cn10.1.7

Connect media to expression.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Media + material cards.
  • Sentence frame: “___ uses ___.”
  • Show real materials.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with drawing and painting.
  • Use examples.
  • Name one medium.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Combine two media.
  • Explain a technique.
  • Compare 2D and 3D media.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Projector / board
  • 🎨Art materials
  • 💻The Art Media Explorer
  • ✂️Collage supplies
  • 🗿Clay
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

mediuma type of art materialmediamore than one mediumtechniquea way of making artdrawingart with pencil or penpaintingart with paintcollageart from glued piecessculpture3D artprintmakingmaking copies of an image
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What materials does drawing use?
Pencil, charcoal, pen, or marker.
QUESTION 2
What is collage?
Building an image by gluing together paper, photos, and materials.
QUESTION 3
What is printmaking?
Making multiple copies of an image using carved blocks or screens.

Reflect: pick a medium.

Have students name one art medium they’d like to try and what materials it uses. A printable media sheet is in the Arts library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Art Media & TechniquesFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Art Media & TechniquesQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Art Media & TechniquesPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: collage, drawing, media, medium, painting, printmaking, sculpture, technique
  1. a type of art material
  2. a way of making art
  3. art with pencil or pen
  4. art from glued pieces
  5. 3D art
  6. art with paint
  7. making copies of an image
  8. more than one medium

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What materials does drawing use?
  2. What is collage?
  3. What is printmaking?
Answer key — Part A: 1) medium · 2) technique · 3) drawing · 4) collage · 5) sculpture · 6) painting · 7) printmaking · 8) media
Part B: 1) Pencil, charcoal, pen, or marker. 2) Building an image by gluing together paper, photos, and materials. 3) Making multiple copies of an image using carved blocks or screens.