National Endowment for the Humanities
“House by the Railroad”: A Painting and a Poem for the Common Core
Introduce your class to ekphrastic poetry with an exercise that asks them to examine Edward Hooper's painting House by the Railroad and Edward Hirsch's poem "Edward Hopper and the House By the Railroad." After a close reading...
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Spice Container
Sixth graders examine and identify classic Greek and Roman motifs on spice containers. They analyze the process of casting and chiseling silver, and design and create a spice container using classic Greek and Roman design elements.
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"Kookie Kitties" - Paul Klee: Finger Puppets
Pupils examine and discuss the painting, Cat and Bird, by Paul Klee. They identify the various types of lines, shapes, and colors in the painting, and design and create finger puppet versions of the animals from the painting.
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Buildings, Buildings Everywhere
Students gain awareness of shapes in architecture by creating a painting of their school and writing a reflective summary of their study of architecture.
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Anything I Can Do You Can Do Better
Middle schoolers complete a two-week unit involving design and construction concepts. They watch a PowerPoint presentation about geometric shapes, draw the fourteen shapes incorporated in bridge construction, and in small groups design,...
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A Matter of Pattern
Young scholars explore how shapes can make patterns then make connections as to how elements in a pattern relate to one another. In this matter of pattern lesson, students create a multi-folded paper snowflake. Young scholars engage...
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Geometrically Artistic/Artistically Geomtric
Students identify the two-dimensional geometric shapes Lowrey utilized in the painting Untitled. Students compare the two-dimensional shapes in terms of equivalent fractions, congruency, symmetry and asymmetry. Students create their own...
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Beautiful Butterfly Tiles
Third graders create a butterfly drawing that includes the elements of art and principles of design. They create artwork that can be made into ceramic tiles to be installed around the classroom doorways in our new addition.
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An Introduction to the Relationship Between Composition and Content in the Visual Arts
High schoolers identify different kinds of narratives used in a number of art works, discuss artist's use of compositional elements to further the story and/or convey a message within a work of art, and explain relationship between...
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Gesture Drawing
Students investigate the use of proportion using gesture drawing as the subject matter. They create a painting using the elements of art and principles of design.
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Me And My Shadow
Students investigate the concept of a shadow. They design a tool to create shadows for an experiment. They make observations and record the size and shape of shadows. The lesson contains background information for the teacher to deliver...
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Creating Musical Notation
In this creative music activity from Scientific American, young scholars learn about musical notation and then design their own notations. Great web resource links are alsp provided
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Color Mixing Cookie Exercise
Sixth graders explore how primary colors create secondary colors. They incorporate their knowledge of primary and secondary colors by creating various colors of frosting. Given the cookie shape, they complete a decoration plan for...
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Footprints
Students explore patterns. In this patterns geometry lesson plan, students identify and extend patterns including body parts, movement, geometric shapes, noises, and footprints. Students create and share an original pattern.
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A World of Money
Young scholars explore the traditions related to the creation of national currencies. The role currency plays in shaping a national or regional identity and the influences that the designers of world currency exert are examined in this...
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The United States Flag
Learners discover the meaning and symbolism behind the American flag. In this lesson on National symbols, students design a flag for their school, explain the symbolism they used, and distinguish the elements that constitute the US Flag....
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Symmetry and Symbols
Students identify symmetrical and congruent elements in folk art. For this art and geometry lesson, students examine pictures of Masonic Plaque in the Form of a Royal Arch Tracing Board for evidence of congruent and symmetrical elements....
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Our Illuminated Alphabet
Students examine artwork and create their own. In this writing and illustrating lesson, students view illuminated letters from the Getty Museum's collection and discuss art vocabulary. Students examine the visual elements in...
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Staghorn Coral
Students recognize that staghorn coral helps reef growth in the Caribbean. In this Coral Reef lesson, students design a habitat model using various art materials to explain how staghorn coral helps the reef grow. Students share...
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Modern Mosaics (Grades 6-8)
Students explore the elements of contrast, emphasis, pattern, and color schemes by identifying how the artist manipulated tesserae in the mosaic. They create original mosaics by manipulating torn paper to depict different textures and...
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Artist Trading Cards: Sharing Unique Perspectives
Students examine inkblot images. In this visual arts activity, students consider perception as an element of art as they partipate in activity that requires them create and analyze inkblot art. Students analyze several pieces of art...
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Haring Inspired CD Covers
Students create CD covers from their music-inspired drawing sessions. They compare what they drew while listening to classical, punk and rap music. They scan their drawings into Adobe Photoshop and design their cover.
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Wetland in a Pan
Seventh graders build a watershed from various materials. In this life science lesson plan, the students will be able to change the design of their watershed to see the changes in the way the water will drain. Each group will be able to...
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Georgia O'Keeffe Watercolor
Learners demonstrate three different watercolor techniques using flower pictures and flowers as the inspiration. They work with organic shapes.