High School Art 1 Curriculum Map & Pacing Guide | Grades 9–12

Planning a High School Art 1 course can feel overwhelming when you are trying to organize projects, skills, supplies, pacing, assessments, and different schedule lengths all at once. This 24-page High School Art 1 Curriculum Map & Pacing Guide gives teachers a practical framework for organizing an introductory high school art course without having to start from scratch. The resource includes flexible planning options for a full-year course, semester, 9-week rotation, or 6-week mini-course, along with unit sequencing, skill progression, lesson timing, supply planning, assessment guidance, and reusable teacher planning templates. The suggested course structure helps teachers organize foundational work in drawing, design, color, perspective, still life, surrealism, critique, reflection, and final project development. Use the guide as written or adapt the sequence to fit your students, schedule, available materials, and teaching style. Why Teachers Will Love It - Gives High School Art 1 teachers a clear place to start - Includes several pacing options for different schedules - Helps organize foundational skills in a logical progression - Supports both short rotations and full-year courses - Includes supply and assessment planning - Provides alternate course pathways - Includes reusable weekly, monthly, and unit planning templates - Especially helpful for new or beginning art teachers - Flexible enough to customize rather than follow as a rigid script - Can be reused and adjusted from year to year Perfect For - High School Art 1 - Intro to Art - Grades 9–12 - Beginning high school art teachers - New art teachers - Yearlong art courses - Semester art courses - 9-week rotations - 6-week mini-courses - Curriculum mapping - Art department planning - Long-term substitute teachers - Teacher planning binders Skills & Concepts This planning guide helps teachers organize instruction around: - Drawing - Design - Color - Perspective - Still life - Surrealism - Composition - Creative problem-solving - Critique - Reflection - Project planning - Skill progression - Assessment - Supply planning - Standards alignment - Curriculum pacing Materials Needed This is a teacher-planning resource. You may choose to use: - Printed curriculum guide - Binder or planning folder - Calendar or teacher planner - Pencil or pen - Digital planning tools Estimated Time Designed for year-round planning and reference. Teachers can use the course maps during initial curriculum planning and return to the weekly, monthly, and unit-planning templates throughout the school year. Teacher Tip Choose the pacing model that most closely matches your schedule first, then adjust project length based on class time, student experience, interruptions, and available materials. This resource is intended to give you a strong framework without locking you into one exact sequence.