Giving and Receiving FeedbackActivities & Teaching Strategies
Active learning works for teaching feedback because second graders learn social skills best by doing, not just listening. When students practice giving and receiving feedback in structured activities, they move from vague praise to specific observations, which builds both art and communication skills.
Learning Objectives
- 1Identify specific visual elements in a peer's artwork, such as color choice, line quality, or composition.
- 2Describe the observed elements in a peer's artwork using neutral, descriptive language, avoiding evaluative terms.
- 3Formulate one open-ended question about a peer's artwork that encourages further explanation of their artistic choices.
- 4Explain how a specific observation from a peer's feedback influenced their own understanding or revision of their artwork.
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Think-Pair-Share: 'I Notice, I Wonder'
Show a projected student artwork (with permission) or a print reproduction. Students use the sentence starters 'I notice...' and 'I wonder...' to generate two observations each. They share with a partner before contributing to a whole-class list, practicing separating description from question from judgment.
Prepare & details
How can you describe what you see in someone's artwork without saying whether it is good or bad?
Facilitation Tip: During 'Think-Pair-Share: I Notice, I Wonder,' model the sentence starters so students hear how to phrase observations and questions with neutral, descriptive language.
Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor
Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs
Gallery Walk: Sticky Note Critique
Students display their finished artworks on desks. Classmates walk around with two colors of sticky notes: one color for 'I notice...' observations and one for 'I wonder...' questions. Each student must leave at least one note on three classmates' work before returning to read the notes on their own.
Prepare & details
What is the most interesting part of this artwork to you, and why does it catch your eye?
Facilitation Tip: For the Gallery Walk: Sticky Note Critique, post clear examples of both 'I notice...' and 'I like...' comments so students can compare the difference in real time.
Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter
Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback
Pairs: Structured Feedback Exchange
Partners trade sketchbooks or artworks. Each student spends two minutes writing two 'I notice' statements and one 'I wonder' question before reading it aloud to their partner. The partner then responds to one of the observations, explaining their artistic choice or what they were trying to do.
Prepare & details
How can hearing what others think about an artwork change the way you see it?
Facilitation Tip: When facilitating Pairs: Structured Feedback Exchange, circulate with a checklist to note which students are using descriptive language and which still default to evaluative statements.
Setup: Inner circle of 4-6 chairs, outer circle surrounding them
Materials: Discussion prompt or essential question, Observation notes template
Teaching This Topic
Teach feedback as a skill with clear protocols, not just a nice-to-do activity. Start with separating observation from judgment to build trust, then gradually introduce evaluation. Research shows that young students benefit from sentence stems and modeling before they can generate feedback independently. Avoid jumping straight to evaluating artwork, as this can shut down creativity and make students defensive.
What to Expect
Successful learning looks like students using clear, specific language to describe what they see in artwork and asking questions that help peers see their work differently. They should move beyond 'I like it' to noticing elements like color, shape, or line and explaining why those elements matter.
These activities are a starting point. A full mission is the experience.
- Complete facilitation script with teacher dialogue
- Printable student materials, ready for class
- Differentiation strategies for every learner
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Common MisconceptionDuring Think-Pair-Share: 'I Notice, I Wonder,' watch for students who default to evaluative comments like 'That's cool' instead of descriptive observations.
What to Teach Instead
Redirect by asking them to rephrase their statement using 'I notice...' and to explain what element made it 'cool,' such as color, texture, or line.
Common MisconceptionDuring Gallery Walk: Sticky Note Critique, watch for students who write only compliments like 'Nice!' without explaining why the artwork is nice.
What to Teach Instead
Remind them to focus on specific elements by pointing to examples of descriptive feedback posted nearby, such as 'I notice the bright blue makes the sky look real'.
Assessment Ideas
During Think-Pair-Share: 'I Notice, I Wonder,' listen for students who use descriptive language and ask genuine questions. Note which students still rely on vague praise or judgment-only statements.
After the Pairs: Structured Feedback Exchange, collect the sticky notes or written feedback to check for use of 'I notice...' and 'I wonder...' sentence starters versus evaluative comments.
After Gallery Walk: Sticky Note Critique, ask students to share one piece of feedback they received that changed how they see their own artwork. Record responses to assess understanding of feedback's purpose.
Extensions & Scaffolding
- Challenge students who finish early to give feedback on a peer's second artwork, focusing on how their feedback changed from the first to the second piece.
- Scaffolding: Provide sentence starters on cards for students who struggle, such as 'I notice the way you used...' or 'I wonder what would happen if...'.
- Deeper exploration: Have students compare two pieces of artwork and write a paragraph explaining how the feedback they received might have influenced the artist's choices.
Key Vocabulary
| Observation | Noticing and describing specific things you see in an artwork, like colors, shapes, or textures, without saying if it is good or bad. |
| Description | Using words to tell about what you see in an artwork, focusing on details rather than opinions. |
| Question | Asking something to learn more about the artwork or the artist's choices, like 'Why did you choose that color?' |
| Curiosity | A strong desire to know or learn something new, like wanting to understand why an artist made certain decisions. |
Suggested Methodologies
More in Looking Back: Art History and Criticism
Art from Ancient Civilizations
Students explore art from ancient cultures (e.g., Egyptian, Greek), identifying common themes and purposes.
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Famous Artists and Their Styles
Studying influential artists (e.g., Van Gogh, Frida Kahlo) and how their culture influenced their creative output.
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Art as Storytelling
Students analyze how artworks from different periods tell stories or convey messages without words.
2 methodologies
Vocabulary for Art Critique
Learning the vocabulary needed to describe and discuss artistic works constructively.
2 methodologies
Art in Public Spaces
Identifying and appreciating public art (murals, sculptures) and cultural performances in the local neighborhood.
2 methodologies
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