Today with teacher cutbacks looming, and more integration units, general teachers might be required to teach the visual arts. Therefore, teachers need a clear definition of the discipline of art and personal exposure to aesthetic experiences. Many references are made to classic art education research. When lesson plan formats are generic it trivializes the discipline's content and knowledge structure. Grounded theory research methods are used to develop an art lesson plan format. Using art making as the exemplar, a lesson plan expanding the art knowledge base thereby allowing children to think like artists is presented step-by-step--set the problem, design time, studio space, and display. Preservice teacher results are shared. This paper seeks to address three of the effective curriculum characteristics for middle school education from the National Middle School Association's position paper, "This We Believe: Keys to Educating Young Adolescents" (2010): (1) Students and teachers are engaged in active, purposeful learning. (Active Learning) Instructional practices place students at the center of the learning process. As they develop the ability to hypothesize, to organize information into useful and meaningful constructs, and to grasp long-term cause and effect relationships, students are ready and able to play a major role in their own learning and education; (2) Curriculum is challenging, exploratory, integrative, and relevant. (Challenging Curriculum) Curriculum embraces every planned aspect of a school's educational program. An effective middle level curriculum is distinguished by learning activities that appeal to young adolescents, is exploratory and challenging, and incorporates student-generated questions and concerns; (3) Educators use multiple learning and teaching approaches. (Multiple Learning Approaches) Teaching and learning approaches should accommodate the diverse skills, abilities, and prior knowledge of young adolescents, cultivate multiple intelligences, draw upon students' individual learning styles, and utilize digital tools. When learning experiences capitalize on students' cultural, experiential, and personal backgrounds, new concepts are built on knowledge students already possess.