These units come at the end of grading periods. They are an opportunity for you as an amazing art teacher to share some of your passion projects with your students. These are projects you love because the students love them. Some of my passion projects are ceramic slab building, tabletop game design, art toys, and using a laser cutter. 

These lessons are not mandatory and should include minimal assessment because they are designed as an extension for students who are on track with their work while also allowing those that need more time to complete the mandatory work and catch up. I have been tempted to not have lessons during this time at all, but without some form of assessment students don't typically document their work in their digital journal. 

Students who are finished with the mandatory units for the six weeks should still be expected to work each day. If they choose to work on something other than the passion project, that's great. They're coming to class with ideas for personal exploration and artmaking. They may also want to experiment or play to seek new ideas. That's what we want, so don't be too discouraged when students would rather do their own thing than your project. 

The lesson below is more of a template. You can adapt it to fit your lesson or leave it generic. During these times, I typically put in an appropriate number of generic studio days to get to the end of the grading period, so that whatever a student is working on, they understand the expectations. 

If I have a project with specific steps, I can provide them to students who want them, or I can teach it in small groups each day as they finish the mandatory work. 

You can decide how to transfer these into the official gradebook. They could be used as extra credit or to earn rewards. It's up to you. They should not hurt a student's grade, as not everyone is expected to complete them. If students are refusing to work during this time, it should be handled as a behavior issue, not an academic one.