Home›Lesson Plans›The Arts›Visual Arts · Grade 8

Art Media

Eighth graders explore the many media artists work in — from painting and photography to sculpture and architecture — and learn to tell two-dimensional (flat) art from three-dimensional (form) art.

Grade 8Materials & Media50 minutes1 class periodArtistic ProcessExplicit teaching4 StandardsNCAS
Start the Lesson
Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Name art media.
  • ✓Tell 2-D from 3-D art.
  • ✓Describe each medium.
  • ✓Choose a medium.
Essential Question

Art isn’t just paintings on a wall — it can be a sculpture, a building, a photograph, or a whole room! What are the different media artists use, and how do we group them?

0
Lesson Phases
0
Vocabulary Terms
0
Standards Aligned
0
Interactive Task
Sort It · Interactive

2-D or 3-D Art?

Project this and sort each art medium into two-dimensional (flat) or three-dimensional (has form).

🖼️ Sort each medium — 2-D (flat) or 3-D (form)?Try it
🖼️ 2-D (Flat Art)
🗿 3-D (Has Form)
Tap a medium, then tap a bucket.
The Lesson · Artistic Process (Look · Explore · Create · Share · Reflect)

50 minutes, five moves

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

1

Look — More Than Paintings

5 min

Art can be a building, a photo, or a whole room — how do we group media?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show varied media.
  • Ask how they differ.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Look.
  • Compare.
  • Predict.
2

Explore — Explore Media

11 min

Students explore.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to 2-D or 3-D Art?
  • Sort each medium.
  • Note the difference.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Sort.
  • Note it.
  • Explain.
3

Create — Create

16 min

Students create.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Try a new medium.
  • Make a small work.
  • Note its qualities.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Try it.
  • Make it.
  • Note it.
4

Share — Share

13 min

Students share.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show their work.
  • Name the medium.
  • Give critique.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Show it.
  • Name it.
  • Critique.
5

Reflect — Reflect

5 min

Students respond.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a 2-D and a 3-D medium.
  • Explain the difference.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name them.
  • Explain 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:Cr2.1.8

Experiment with a variety of art media.

NCAS
VA:Re7.1.8

Perceive and describe different media.

NCAS
VA:Cr1.2.8

Choose media to express ideas.

NCAS
VA:Pr4.1.8

Prepare artwork in various media for presentation.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Medium picture cards.
  • Sentence frame: “___ is ___-D art.”
  • Show real examples.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with painting vs. sculpture.
  • Sort one at a time.
  • Use images.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Add digital and mixed media.
  • Explain a medium’s process.
  • Combine media.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Projector / board
  • 🖼️Media examples
  • 💻2-D or 3-D Art?
  • 🖌️Art supplies
  • 📄Paper
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

mediumthe material or method of an artworkmediamore than one mediumtwo-dimensionalflat art with height and widththree-dimensionalart with height, width, and depthsculpture3-D art carved, molded, or builtprintmakingmaking art from a printed imageceramicsart made from clayinstallationart that fills a space
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
Name a 2-D (flat) art medium.
Sample: painting, drawing, printmaking, or photography.
QUESTION 2
Name a 3-D art medium.
Sample: sculpture, ceramics, architecture, or installation.
QUESTION 3
What makes art three-dimensional?
It has form — height, width, AND depth — not just a flat surface.

Reflect: explore a medium.

Have students pick one art medium they’d like to try and describe what makes it interesting. 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 MediaFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
0

Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

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

📝 Art MediaQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
0%

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 MediaPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: ceramics, installation, media, medium, printmaking, sculpture, three-dimensional, two-dimensional
  1. 3-D art carved, molded, or built
  2. more than one medium
  3. making art from a printed image
  4. art with height, width, and depth
  5. art that fills a space
  6. flat art with height and width
  7. the material or method of an artwork
  8. art made from clay

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. Name a 2-D (flat) art medium.
  2. Name a 3-D art medium.
  3. What makes art three-dimensional?
Answer key — Part A: 1) sculpture · 2) media · 3) printmaking · 4) three-dimensional · 5) installation · 6) two-dimensional · 7) medium · 8) ceramics
Part B: 1) Sample: painting, drawing, printmaking, or photography. 2) Sample: sculpture, ceramics, architecture, or installation. 3) It has form — height, width, AND depth — not just a flat surface.