I have always been a fan of Critique Cards to help with reflection, discussion, and self-assessment. However, the cards that I have used or have seen online (ahem…Pinterest) seem a bit trite or trivial. So, I have created a set of Critique Cards that have a bit more critical thinking skills than deciding, ‘ Which artwork I would put it in a museum’ or ‘Which artwork I would buy’ (ahem…trivial).
Below are the pdf files for printing sheets of 8 cards in a set. The definition of the cards are labeled left to right corresponding to the names of the files. The meaning of the cards can be changed based on the need or the objective.
Critique Cards_Strong Composition
Critique Cards_Excellent Observational Drawing
After laying out all of the student’s artwork, I gave one set of Critique Cards to each pair of students. Working together encouraged discussion and promoted students to provide reasoning in why they were giving the cards to individual artworks.
I was surprised by the conversations my 1st Graders had thanks to this simple concept. It also enabled me to assess students based on their discussions and the language they used when deciding on which artwork would receive a Critique Card (ahem…winning).