4th Grade Graffiti Name Art Grade 4 Art Project Back to School Art Lesson

In this 4th Grade Graffiti Name Art Project, students turn their own name into a bold graffiti-style artwork. They learn how artists stretch, tilt, overlap, connect, outline, highlight and shade letters so the name becomes the artwork itself, then add a brick or stone background for a colorful finished piece.

It is a natural fit for Back to School, Meet the Teacher, Open House, name art units and classroom community building in Grade 4 art and homeschool art. Every student starts with the same idea, their name, but the finished artworks look completely different depending on their lettering, colors, shadows and design choices.

WHAT'S INCLUDED (NON-EDITABLE PDF AND PPT)

• Grade 4 Graffiti Name Art lesson plan with suggested visual art standards
• Teacher preparation and instruction guide and critical-thinking questions
• Graffiti Name Art anchor chart and practice handout
• Graffiti Alphabet reference page
• Brick and stone background templates and Graffiti Name Artwork page
• Visual step-by-step project tutorial, plus projectable step-by-step PDF and PowerPoint tutorial pages and projectable concept and visual teaching pages
• History of Graffiti student reading page, Read and Respond passage, reading-comprehension questions and answer key
• KWL chart about graffiti
• Extension activities: Explore Line, Gray Scale Exploration, Line Zen Doodle, Shapes and Forms, Graffiti-inspired Mandala Design, Emphasis, Draw and Design, and a fast-finisher graffiti coloring activity
• Writing activities: Graffiti Art creative writing, graffiti artwork "comes alive" writing, community mural writing, and a Joy, Peace and Love graffiti story prompt
• Graffiti Art vs. Traditional Painting compare and contrast activity with answer key
• Reflections: The Message, Elements and Principles artwork analysis, goal-setting page, Look at Mediums, artwork reflection pages, peer feedback, 3 Stars and a Wish, and artist statement pages
• Detailed art rubric (execution, creativity and originality, evidence of process, responsibility)
• Bulletin-board display sign and finished artwork example
• Bonus link to a video demonstration

WHAT STUDENTS LEARN

Students explore how graffiti lettering uses thick outlines, highlights, shadows, layered and overlapping shapes, exaggerated letters, patterns and bright contrasting colors, and how size, placement, spacing and direction shape a composition. The extension activities connect the theme to line, value, shape and form, balance, emphasis, color and composition.

The age-appropriate history of graffiti reading covers writing on walls in ancient Rome and Pompeii, modern graffiti in cities in the 1960s and 1970s, and the difference between graffiti made without permission and legal murals and public art. The lesson hook asks students why artists create graffiti and how it can be created responsibly.

HOW TO USE IT

Project the step-by-step pages, show them under a document camera, or use them as a guide while you demonstrate. Students sketch their letters lightly, exaggerate and overlap them, add thick outlines, a border and graffiti-style drips, then color, highlight and shadow. They cut out the name, shade the brick or stone background and assemble the finished piece. The main project uses templates, felt markers, colored pencils, pencil, scissors and glue.

Use only the pages you need, or expand the project into a larger art and literacy unit with the reading, writing and reflection pages.

FAQ

What grade is it for?

Grade 4. It may also work for nearby elementary grades depending on student ability and support.

Is a graffiti alphabet included?

Yes. A full Graffiti Alphabet reference page helps students develop their lettering.

Are background templates included?

Yes. Students choose between a brick wall and a stone wall background.

Does it discuss legal and illegal graffiti?

Yes. It explains that some graffiti is made without permission while other graffiti is created legally as murals and public art, and asks students to think about creating art responsibly.

Is it editable?

No. It is a non-editable PDF and PPT.

Get free, classroom-ready art lessons and printables in my Free Art Lesson Library.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kathleen McGiveron (Ms Artastic) is an artist who has been featured on NBC LX News and designs art lessons for kids and educational resources for teachers. She is the founder of Ms Artastic and hosts the Ms Artastic YouTube Channel and Podcast.

TERMS OF USE

Images and lessons are copyright products.

YOU MAY: use this in creative ways and have as much fun with it as you like. Any clip art may be used as clip art, website graphics, binder covers or bulletin board decorations. Additional licenses are available for school use.

YOU MAY NOT: use this on OutSchool, put it on your blog, share it with other teachers, administration or districts (admin can buy additional licenses), sell it, give it out for free or photocopy it for others.

Sincerely,

Ms Artastic