National Gallery of Canada
Social Realism
Examine social strife in art. Class members first observe some pieces, and then find an image to inspire their own art. They outline the picture, analyze the composition, make alterations, and color their work.
Smithsonian Institution
Solomon G. Brown: Letter Writing
Personal correspondence in the form of letters is not as common as it once was. This resource presents an opportunity for you to introduce your class to letter writing and cover topics in social studies. Learners read a letter written in...
US Holocaust Museum
The Art and Politics of Arthur Szyk
Have you ever listened to a song that had a deeper political meaning to it? Every examined a work of art with layers of meaning? Pupils analyze the drawings of Arthur Szyk. They research the deeper meaning of several artistic cartoons...
Curated OER
Onionseed Dream I and II
Students, after assessing visual arts, composition, rhythm, repetition and growing up in Bermuda, analyze two pieces of artwork. They look at the two pieces of artwork, Onion seed Dream I and II, and simply describe what they see. In...
Curated OER
How To Read A Portrait
Learners examine a system of critical analysis for describing, interpreting, and evaluating portraits which focuses their attention and yields information about the artwork.
Curated OER
A Bug's Journey
Students examine the artwork of John Baldessari that was inspired by a 16th century drawing of a beetle. They analyze a drawing of a beetle, discuss the insect's characteristics, and write a story from the perspective of a bug. Also,...
Curated OER
Tomb Interiors
Students explore tomb artwork, its placement, and its function in the afterlife.
Curated OER
Art Analysis and Creative Writing
Students write an acrostic poem and analyze a work of art. In this art lesson plan, students look at a picture and answer questions about it, write a poem, write about the setting in the painting they saw, and answer short questions...
Curated OER
Using Art to Study the Past: Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation - 1863
Fifth graders analyze artwork as historical artifact and recognize that the Emancipation Proclamation was a major turning point in the Civil War.
Curated OER
Landscape Painting
Students create landscape art using five specific techniques. For this Landscape Painting lesson, students read the biographies of famous landscape artists. Students analyze artwork to determine which techniques were successfully...
Curated OER
Conceptual Art
Students explore the different ways language is used in conceptual art. In this conceptual art lesson, students analyze artworks that emphasize ideas over form and the methods used in conceptual art. Students work in pairs to read and...
Curated OER
Everyday Objects As Artwork
Middle schoolers examine everyday Chinese objects and analyze why they are
considered artwork today in this multi-subject lesson for Middle School. Small group colaboration is emphasized.
Curated OER
Visual Arts: Portraits
Second graders examine a portrait of George Washington, and analyze the historical record and likeness in portraits of the period. They create their own portraits from snapshots brought to school.
Curated OER
Let's Meet Famours Painters!
Students demonstrate an understanding of art terms and concepts by analyzing and interpreting visual art forms that are paintings from world cultures. They practice art criticism after working on vocabulary.
Curated OER
Art as Storyteller
Students examine how paintings tell stories. They read biographies about artists, analyze paintings, research and write the art history of a painting, write a creative story based on the painting, and create a painting in the artist's...
Curated OER
A Haring Event
Students research visual arts by creating a presentation in their classroom. For this art history lesson, students identify the work of Keith Haring by researching the web and library. Students analyze images of Haring and create hallway...
Curated OER
Stone Figurines
Students analyze visual arts by examining images on the Internet. In this figurine lesson, students research Keith Haring's artwork on the web and identify his body movement artistic style. Students utilize soft stones, carving tools and...
Curated OER
Power of Color on Emotion
Fifth graders utilize resources to select, analyze, and journal about a particular artist's expression of mood and feelings. They produce paintings that demonstrate the use of color mixing and schemes that show a variety of emotions.
Curated OER
Once Upon a Time
Young artists view pieces of artwork by Robert Harris, then have class discussions, write collaborative stories, make a painting or drawing, and analyze and create their own advertisements. This series of lessons should lead to some...
Curated OER
Signs and Symbols
Sixth graders carefully analyze a triptych of the nativity, paying close attention to the lines, shapes and symbols included in the artwork. They explore the role of the Catholic church in society at the time the piece was created and...
Curated OER
Shaping the View: Composition Basics
Students examine the elements of composition in various artworks. They analyze and discuss paintings, explore "The National Gallery of Art" website, identify the shape of compositions in paintings, and draw a diagram.
Curated OER
Journey to America
Fifth graders carefully analyze the artwork, Les Emigrants, and explore the reasons that people emigrated to the United States, and what life was like for new arrivals. They discuss what things immigrants were able to bring with them and...
Denver Art Museum
Communicating with Symbols
Before kids analyze a Chinese dish filled with amazing images, they research the meanings of various plant and animal symbols. They use their research to decode the meaning of the expressive artwork on the dish and then use symbolism to...
Curated OER
Artists Teach Us to See the World through Visual Symbols
Tenth graders analyze a biographical piece of art by Raymond Saunders. They identify shapes, symbols, and lines that are used, and how the piece relates to the artist's life and modern society. They design and create an original piece of...