National Gallery of Art
Van Gogh’s Self-Portraits
Scholars get to know famous Dutch painter, Vincent van Gogh, as an artist as well as a person. After reading personal letters and analyzing paintings, participants paint two self-portraits that represent their personality. Then, write a...
Curated OER
Shaping the Color Wheel
When you paint you almost always use color. Budding artists explore the color wheel, color vocabulary, and painting techniques. They discuss and practice mixing colors, then paint a color wheel for personal reference.
Curated OER
How to Draw Caricatures
Caricature drawing is fun, and can help learners explore the principle of design and content specific vocabulary. They view a video and books that use character drawings, discuss vocabulary such as exaggeration, proportion, and symmetry,...
National Gallery of Canada
Home Sweet Home
What are your pupils' homes like? Incorporate their homes into a drawing lesson plan. Using an enlarged photograph, class members draw a grid so they can easily split their drawing in half. The final product should demonstrate cool...
National Gallery of Canada
Picture This!
Introduce your class to Inuit prints and use these artworks as inspiration for a printmaking activity. Pupils make stories to go along with the images and then come up with their own heroic moments to illustrate. They take moments from...
Dick Blick Art Materials
Torn-Paper Collage Journals
Young writers personalize their journals by making their own. Whether they make covers for existing journals or make their own books, the activity encourages kids to express themselves in words and images.
EngageNY
Performance Task: Final Draft of the Newspaper Article
It's time for the grand finale! Scholars complete the final draft of their newspaper articles for the End of Unit 3 Assessment. They share their article with a classmate for peer critique. After considering all feedback and including a...
Curated OER
Bug Village
Create critter crafts! A few safety precautions regarding the glue gun or sharp acorns sticks will not stop your students having fun! Cute pictures help inspire and there are endless ways to create. A class could have a completely open...
Curated OER
Combating Corrosion
Study corrosion on bronze statues with a hands-on lesson. As pupils place a penny in water with salt, they observe the changes in the penny throughout a period of a week. They then analyze the pre-conservation and the...
Curated OER
The Basic Shapes of Everything
Students explore basic shapes in art. In this sketching lesson, students discover that art is created from basic shapes. Students determine the basic shapes in a picture and recreate the image.
Curated OER
Frida Kahlo Art
Students analyze Frida Kahlo as an artist and her artworks. In this art analysis lesson, students review the art of Kahlo and her self-portrait. Students make their own self-portrait.
Curated OER
Using Visual Art to Create Scenes
Pupils review scene structure and the elements beginning, middle and end. They view a piece of art to stimulate an idea for a improvised scene. Students work in small groups, create and then perform their scenes for the rest of the class.
Curated OER
Sing a Song of Indiana
After hearing John Mellencamp's song "Small Town," 4th graders are introduced to a brief biography/history of John Mellencamp. They will perform the entire song at the annual 4th grade program at the school.
Curated OER
Everything in Its Right Place: an Introduction To Composition in Painting
High schoolers complete a variety of activities as they study the basics of artistic composition in the visual arts.
Curated OER
Me, Myself, and I
Learners visually express their personalities using writing and PhotoShop. They manipulate imagery to illustrate their written description of themselves. Students display their creations.
Curated OER
Shaping the View: Composition Basics
Pupils are introduced to the concept of composition in visual art. They examine various compositional structures and practice identifying the focus of various pieces of art.
Curated OER
Diaper-Wipe Diffusion
Explore osmosis through art. Learners use paper towels and markers to create beautiful designs. Although a simple activity, the results are quite remarkable. Your class will love this lesson!
Curated OER
Making a Basic Clay Animal Sculpture In-The-Round
Students create a three dimensional animal sculpture. In this sculpting lesson, students use white art clay, gloss glaze, brushes, and wooden tools to create an animal sculpture.
Curated OER
Drawing Lessons
Middle schoolers recognize and respond to the content of visual art using art vocabulary. They recognize the differences between art materials, techniques, and processes.
Curated OER
Weaving Traditions - Activity 1
Young scholars practice the techniques of weaving and braiding in this introductory lesson on family traditions and visual art. The lesson includes a video and other resource links.
Curated OER
Henri Matisse Collage
First graders explore the work of Henri Matisse. They use shapes to create a collage. Students create texture in their collage by using various types of papers and they study how to use various materials to make one unified piece of art.
Curated OER
Theatre: Exploratory Techniques
Using various exploratory techniques, young actors work as an ensemble company to devise, perform and evaluate a piece of theatre for assessment. This outline provides an objective and a list of games and activities that stimulate skills...
Curated OER
Developing Characterizations by Creating Stereotypes
Students examine past and present cultures through theater. They interpret how theater reflects society. Students engage in the process that constitutes creation and performance in the theater. Students explore the forces that shape...
Curated OER
Using Your Ears
Students analyze performances. They discuss musical interpretation and evaluate differences in interpretation.