Activity 01
Formal Debate: The Art Jury
Show two different versions of a similar subject (e.g., a realistic tree and an abstract tree). Divide the class into two 'teams' who must find three 'good things' about their assigned tree using art vocabulary, then 'persuade' the jury which one is more interesting.
What do you like best about your friend's artwork? Can you tell them one thing?
Facilitation TipDuring The Art Jury, circulate and model how to phrase observations as questions to keep the debate constructive and focused on the work rather than the artist.
What to look forAfter students complete a piece of art, have them pair up. Each student points to one element they like in their partner's work and states it clearly. Then, they offer one simple, kind suggestion for improvement. Teacher observes and notes use of vocabulary.
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Activity 02
Think-Pair-Share: Two Stars and a Wish
Students swap their latest artwork with a partner. They must find 'two stars' (two things they really like, using art words) and 'one wish' (one thing the artist could try next time). They then discuss the 'wish' together.
How would you feel if someone said something unkind about your artwork? How can you give kind feedback instead?
Facilitation TipIn Two Stars and a Wish, provide sentence stems on the board so students practice the structure before pairing up.
What to look forPresent a piece of student artwork (anonymously). Ask: 'What is one thing you really like about this artwork? What is one kind suggestion we could make to the artist?' Record student responses on the board, emphasizing positive phrasing.
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Activity 03
Role Play: The Helpful Art Critic
In pairs, one student plays a 'grumpy critic' who says 'I don't like it'. The other student must 'coach' them on how to say the same thing but in a 'kind and helpful' way using specific art words (e.g., 'I think the colors are a bit too dark here').
Can you tell your partner one thing they did really well and one thing they could try next time?
Facilitation TipFor The Helpful Art Critic, give students a card with sentence starters like ‘I notice…’ and ‘Maybe try…’ to support their role-play conversations.
What to look forProvide students with a simple worksheet showing two different artworks. Ask them to write one sentence about what they like best in the first artwork and one sentence suggesting a change for the second artwork, using the vocabulary learned.
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Generate Complete Lesson→A few notes on teaching this unit
Teach this topic through guided practice rather than lecture. Use repeated sentence frames so students internalize the language of critique. Avoid praising effort alone; instead, connect feedback directly to artistic choices. Research shows that structured peer talk builds both confidence and vocabulary faster than whole-class sharing alone.
Successful learning looks like students using specific art terms to describe what they see, asking kind questions, and responding thoughtfully to feedback. They move from simple praise to noticing composition, line, and color choices.
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
During Two Stars and a Wish, watch for students who give vague feedback like ‘It’s cool’ or ‘I don’t like it.’
Redirect by asking them to point to a specific part of the artwork and name what they see, such as ‘I like the swirly lines in the background’ before suggesting a kind improvement.
During The Art Jury, students may say an artwork is ‘bad’ without explaining why.
Prompt them with ‘What do you see that makes you say that?’ to shift their focus from judgment to observation and reasoning.
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