Curated OER
Art & Creativity
Students take notes on how to teach art. They determine if they are right or left brained and experience the frustration of teacher-directed art and trying to stay in the lines of a coloring book. They experience different art...
Curated OER
Protesting through Art
Students experience critiquing, analyzing, and comparing different works of art from different eras. They discuss how these works can or can't be considered a form of protest and assess how to evaluate their own judgments and values on...
Curated OER
Flexible Thinking- Squiggle Art
Students complete an art creation where they are given a squiggle and have to design a picture around it. In this squiggle art lesson plan, students use flexible thinking, and draw 6 pictures around 6 different squiggles.
Curated OER
Ellis Wilson: A High School Art Lesson
High schoolers study the principles of design and element of the art of Ellis Wilson. They examine how art can create social commentary.
Curated OER
Celebration and Satire
Young scholars compare and contrast different perspectives of the French Revolution. In this visual arts lesson, students discuss the use of satire and caricature in history and create satirical cartoons based on contemporary issues.
Curated OER
Putting a Spin on Current Events
Students explore the artistic value of propaganda. For this visual arts lesson, students analyze antique artistic pieces for their political agenda perpetuation. Students discuss propaganda techniques of the past to today prior to...
Curated OER
Choosing and evaluating a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas
Art is a great way to convey or express an idea. Learners choose an idiom, draw it, and use transfer paper to create photograms. They discuss how why they chose the phrase they did, and how they expressed that idea through their...
Curated OER
Expression: Masks - Activity 1
Students create art plans for an "installation" after viewing a video of Native American mask making that centers around the Salmon rack idea. Emphasis is placed on collaborative work in this introductory lesson plan.
Curated OER
Shakespeare Stealer: Design a Set
In groups, learners design sets for the play, "Shakespeare Stealer." They sketch a scale model of a set and present it to the teacher, who will choose which group gets to design the entire set.
Curated OER
Digital Portfolio
In need of a good way to asses the work your art class has been working on all quarter? This quick-and-easy idea has young artists take digital photographs of each of their art pieces in order to create a digital portfolio. This is...
Denver Art Museum
Putting Images into Words
Engage your class in art analysis of Indian Look-Alike by Melanie Yazzie. Using this work of art as inspiration, writers compose a poem or short story. After a peer review session, the teacher conveys information about the work of art as...
Curated OER
Portrait Drawing Using a Model - Activity 1
Students create a realistic portrait using a live model and charcoal in this introductory art activity on portrait drawing. A video and resource links are included to aid in instructional strategies.
National Gallery of Canada
My Scene
Acquaint your class with line, color, shape, and texture through a study of artwork and an art activity. The resource includes images and information to share with your class before sending individuals off to sketch and paint...
Austin Independent School District
Social Studies Strategies: Concept of a Definition Map
Model for your class members how to use a definition map to make connections between new words and prior knowledge. Although the strategy is designed for social studies classes, the approach can be use at any grade level and in any...
Curated OER
A Likely and Unlikely Match: Frida and Diego
Delve into the fascinating relationship between Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera using this resource. Learners discuss the lives of these famous artists, and talk about the ways Frida Kahlo incorporated elements of this tumultuous...
Sargent Art
Improvisation: Dada and Surrealism
Images of works by Salvador Dali, Luis Bunuel, and Man Ray launch a study of Dada and Surrealism. After critiquing works by these and other artists, class members gather their own images and arrange them into a cohesive composition.
Curated OER
Ambitious Women Artists at Work
Examine the works of Luisa Roldan and Elisabeth Louise Vigee Le Brun. Learners view various pieces of art from each of the artists and read about their lives. They discuss the information and construct a Venn diagram, comparing the two...
Council for Economic Education
Sand Art Brownies
Which is better, Coke or Pepsi? Pupils analyze the concept of substitute goods as they investigate the choice to purchase alternate products for better prices. Fun and practical, the engaging shopping exercise helps savvy scholars get...
Digital Forsyth
Restoration Project
In need of a neat idea that incorporates technology skills, art, and history? Young art historians will each select an old photograph from a local archive to digitally restore. The primary focus is to add color, clarity, and remake the...
Art Institute of Chicago
Color Combinations
Explore color through an examination of pointillism and light. Class members view Georges Seraut's famous painting on a computer, zooming in and out to see the details and effects of the technique. They then cover how light and color are...
Denver Public Schools
Kung-hsi Fa-ts' ai! – A Chinese New Year Celebration
Looking for ideas for your Lunar New Year celebration? Check out an interdisciplinary unit of study that includes lessons in counting, calligraphy, culture, geography, literature, art, and music. Kung-hsi Fa-ts' ai! (May you...
University of North Carolina
Semi-Colons, Colons, and Dashes
Hey teacher, what's that weird thing with a period on top and a comma on the bottom? If you've ever received a question like this, it may be time to review the handout on semi-colons, colons, and dashes. Part of a larger series of...
Curated OER
Visual Arts Lesson: Writing desk
Sixth graders examine a writing desk. They each make decorative drawers to scale for assembly into a class desk. They use repetitive motifs in their designs.
Curated OER
Lewis and Clark: Artful Recordings
Students examine the nature journals of Lewis and Clark. In this primary source analysis lesson, students research the journals that the members of the Corps of Discovery kept during the expedition and then conduct further research on...