University of Minnesota
Beautiful Brain: Strangest Dream
Do words change or add meaning or interest to a work of art? The final lesson in a four-part series on the beautiful brain as a work of art focuses on art analysis. Scholars write a story about exploring art from the inside. Reflections...
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Art Basics Scavenger Hunt
Hand out this instructional activity and lead your class on a scavenger hunt. Pupils look for examples of shape, form, balance, pattern, perspective, space, and depth. They draw and write about the examples they've found. A great...
Novelinks
Zach’s Lie: Guided Imagery
Close your eyes and picture a time where you decided to tell the truth to someone. What were you wearing? How did you feel? Such prompts begin a guided imagery activity for Zach's Lie. Directions for creating an environment conducive to...
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Silk Dragons - Activity 1
Students investigate and discuss Japanese art and culture through an online video and a KWL chart. This lesson is an introduction to Japanese art with two supplemental lessons provided for further activities.
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Expressions - Activity 1
Students create wax sculptures of a full body using mathematical calculations and information gathered from a video in this excellent art project. The lesson can be used along or within the unit provided.
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Terrific Tessellations
Students create to pieces of artwork using two primary colors and tessellation techniques. This is an excellent lesson that can be accomplished using standard art techniques or educational software such as Adobe Photoshop or Microsoft...
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Pastel Scratch Portrait
A great cross-curricular project for any art classroom, this activity encourages young artists to consider color, pattern, texture, shape and line in their depiction of a historical figure. After researching a historical figure of their...
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Shaded Bottles
Learners draw, and then paint three-dimensional bottles to practice shading which shows shape and perspective. The step-by-step process for creating dimensional still life art is outlined, which makes teaching art an attainable task. Oil...
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3-D Texture Painting (Impasto)
A neat art project is on the horizon. Your class can experience impasto, or textured painting with this expressive art lesson. They design and then paint using the impasto technique. This is done by mixing toilet paper into the paint....
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Flora and Fauna as Figures of Speech
What a lovely way to incorporate artwork into your language arts lesson. View artwork in illustrated manuscript pages, depicting insects, animals, plants, flowers, and ornate writing in the Getty Museum. Practice using figurative...
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Paper Spiders
The positional words up and down are the focus of a language and visual arts lesson. Learners get a paper plate and eight strips of construction paper. They create a spider out of their paper plate, and cut out a circle out of a piece of...
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Waking Dreams: A Teacher's Guide
A teacher's guide for a seminar held at the Cincinnati Art Museum includes a full description of several Pre-Raphaelite art pieces, artists, and connecting literary works. Excerpts from authors and poets can help you make the connection...
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Art Attraction: Researching the Great Masters and their Works
Students fill out worksheets where they analyze and provide information about different artists, visual art, art techniques, design, and more. For this art lesson plan, students complete 8 worksheets.
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Looking and Learning in the Art Museum
Students practice looking skills as they reflect upon the differences between viewing original works of art and reproductions. In this art viewing lesson, students interpret a work of art using formal analysis and research done for...
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Looking and Learning in the Art Museum
Pupils analyze art in a museum and write an essay about the responsibilities of museum professionals. In this museum and art lesson, students identify the roles of an art museum. Pupils evaluate the ability of a museum to fulfill its own...
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The Art of Nonviolence: Martin Luther King, Jr., Gandhi, and Concepts of Nonviolence in Indian Art
Students make connections between nonviolent ideals and art. In this visual arts lesson, students discuss the successes of the American Civil Rights Movement and discuss Gandhi's influence on the movement. Students then examine images of...
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Looking at French Decorative Arts
Students research the history of trade in porcelain wares from Asia and the quest to re-create true hard-paste porcelain in Europe and art in French society. In this French art lesson, students research and discuss the possible effects...
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Looking at French Decorative Arts
Students compare the role of a marchand-mercier to that of a modern-day business counterpart and write a persuasive letter. In this French art lesson plan, students discuss the role of the marchand-mercier in French design and role-play...
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Connected by Art
Learners inspect visual arts by exploring images on-line. In this art analysis lesson, students discuss the history of art and the its ability to communicate with people through images. Learners utilize pencils and charcoal to create...
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Recycling With Art
Students create works of art from recyclable materials. In this visual arts lesson, students investigate works of art created from recyclable materials. Students choose an emotion to convey and then create an art piece from materials...
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Exploring Photographs, Lesson 2—A Closer Look: Analysis in the Museum
Students explore photographic works of art. In this visual arts instructional activity, students analyze selected photographs by Garcia, Ray, and Eggleston. Students take their own photographs in the style of these photographers.
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Depicting Women and Class in a Global Society
Young scholars explore visual arts that feature women. In this women in art lesson, students analyze "Marquise de Miramon, née Thérèse Feuillant" by Jacques Joseph Tissot and "The Milliners" by Edgar Germain Hilaire Degas. Young scholars...
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An American Scene Painter
Students study the work of American scene painter Charles Burchfield. In this visual arts lesson, students research the nature paintings of Burchfield and then paint their own watercolor scenes in his style.
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Dali & Desnos
Students explore surreal art and poetry. In this visual arts lesson, students examine works by André Breton, Robert Desnos, Salvador Dalí, and Joan Miro. Students then apply the techniques in the works they analyze to their own poetry.