Curated OER
Million Dollar Gift
Third graders create a box big enough to hold a million dollars. This is a project fun to do near the winter holidays with inexpensive gifts included in the boxes. This hands-on lesson very effectively demonstrates the concept of volume.
Curated OER
Ellsworth Kelly
Students examine and discuss artwork by the artist Ellsworth Kelly. They create an abstract picture of two-dimensional geometric shapes using Kid Pix software based on a photograph taken by the student.
Curated OER
Texture, Texture, Read All About It
Fourth graders use clay to create a slab vase with a surface design that emphasizes the elements shape and texture. They complete a self-evaluation of their project which is imbedded in this plan.
Curated OER
Geo Jammin By Design: The Important Thing
Students brainstorm what they know about geometric terms and patterns. They identify symmetry, shapes and congruency. They create a book of symmetry.
Curated OER
Manipulative Mania
Learners explore tangram vocabulary and tangram designs, creating an art design that contains various geometric parts. They complete a checklist titled, Important Thing About a Quilt Design.
Curated OER
Mondrian and Matisse: Combining Styles
Fourth graders create artwork using the pure elements of line, shape, and color as the subject matter. The artwork is then cut or torn into organic shapes which are then glued onto a background paper, leaving areas of paper showing in...
Curated OER
Bountiful Butterflies
First graders create a symmetrical butterfly after reading "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle. They fold a piece of fingerpaint paper in half to create a crease and after paint has been added , they refold and open their...
Curated OER
Demon Masks
Students, using a story for inspiration, create their own demon mask. They are to use lots of color, texture and imagination.
Curated OER
Personal Mummy Case
Students create a papier mâché mummy case covered with personal symbols from students' lives.
Curated OER
Investigating Soil
Fourth graders swap local soil samples with another school and examine the differences. They research soil properties, identify organisms that live in soil, create and maintain a biome of soil decomposition and design a poster to present...
Curated OER
Geo-Vistas
Students create a geometric cardboard sculpture covered with personal drawings.
Curated OER
Origami Project
Students create paper objects called origami. They practice shaping different types and colors of paper into objects while practicing patience and concentration.
Curated OER
Blindfolds
Students stand blindfolded and turn clockwise, then counterclockwise and take 3 steps forward and make a half turn clockwise and walk 3 more steps. They discuss where they ended up and how else they could end up in the same place.
Illustrative Mathematics
Overlapping Squares
The objective of this activity is to find the percent of the area of a two squares overlapping. Mathematicians find the ratio of area for the part that overlaps to the rectangle formed. The final answer is a percent as a rate per 100....
Curated OER
Geometry in Tessellations
Students examine tessellations and their geometric properties. Students also develop a better understanding of lines, planes, angles, and polygons.
Chandler Unified School District
Art Masterpiece—Leonardo da Vinci Inventions
After getting to know the inventor, Leonardo da Vinci and his many inventions, scholars think up their own invention. Following a written description and a hand-drawn picture, learners use a method of mirror writing and antiquing to give...
Perkins School for the Blind
Building an Organic Molecule
Glucose is a simple sugar and a molecule that can be illustrated through modeling. Scientific investigators with visual impairments use hands-on models to reconstruct the process of bonding molecules. The tools used in this activity are...
Spring Branch Independent School District
Elementary Art Curriculum Guide
Get crafting with hundreds of pages of art lessons! The plans are organized into topics, which include clay, drawing, composition and design, mixed media, painting, printmaking, and paper.
Curated OER
SuperShapes, Part 1; "Tri"ing Triangles
An outstanding lesson on triangles awaits your math scholars. Learners focus on the triangle, which is the strongest of all polygons. They see the role that triangles play in the design of buildings, and learn about triangle...
Curated OER
Papier Mache Animals Sculptures
Fourth graders construct papier mache sculptures that emphasize texture, form and color. Each student chooses and constructs a unique papier mache sculpture of a farm animal..
Curated OER
Married Math
Students participate in a two-week real-life math unit. In pairs, they calculate salaries, taxes, and a budget, plan a vacation, buy insurance, make a will, and design a room. They conduct Internet research to plan the vacation, and...
Curated OER
A Contouring We Go
High schoolers examine the built environment and infrastructures of their community by constructing contour equipment, using the equipment, and comparing their results to current topographical maps of the same area