SeaWorld
Shark!
Here is an impressive collection of lessons on sharks. In them, pupils undertake a serious study of sharks, their habitats, their social structure, and how humans adversely impact their existence. These lessons effectively integrate...
English Enhanced Scope and Sequence
Research Project Embedded with Media Literacy
Here is a phenomenal language arts instructional activity on media literacy for your middle and high schoolers. In it, learners produce a research product in the form of a public service announcement (PSA). First, they view examples of...
Curated OER
Weather or Not!
Young pupils will be sure to love this series of four lessons which deal with the winter season. These cross-curricular lessons cover visual art, science, math, writing, literature, and movement. Absolutely fantastic! The images of...
Curated OER
My Story and History: Peeking into the Past with Paintings
Consider how you can use a visual source, such as a painting, to learn about a historical time or event. Young learners discuss primary sources and how they differ from secondary sources, then analyze the painting Mother and Child by...
Curated OER
Pen and Ink Drawing
Learners hone their drawing techniques to create a nature-inspired piece of art. They practice hatching, cross hatching, stippling, and shading. They discuss how each method is better suited for creating specific elements in nature such...
Curated OER
Soft Sculpture Birds
Art can mimic life, and animals are always interesting subjects. Learners create large soft sculptures (stuffed) birds using paper, paint, and other basic collage materials. They view images of birds, and discuss bird traits and shapes....
Curated OER
What's Outside the Window
What do your students see when they look outside the window? This project lets their imagination go wild, and lets you see what kind of daydreaming they do best. They each draw, paint, and color an image of what they imagine as they are...
J. Paul Getty Trust
Historical Context: Discovering a Painting
Class members are presented with the image of a painting and asked to record their first impressions and analysis. They then research the time period in which it was painted and discuss how their research impacted their first impression...
EngageNY
Building Background Knowledge: Learning About the Historical and Geographical Setting of Esperanza Rising (Chapter 1: “Aguascalientes, Mexico, 1924”)
Set up your class to read Esperanza Rising, by Pam Muñoz Ryan, through a class read-aloud and exploration of the setting. The detailed instructional activity outlines each step. First, class members read over the first few pages and...
Creative Visions Foundation
Creating Your Own Original Interpretation of the UDHR
How can visual aids enhance understanding of a complex topic? With the third of four lessons from the Introduction to the Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) set, scholars view illustrations online from the book We Are All Born Free and...
Curated OER
Positive/Negative Bugs
Bugs can be creepy - and fun! Kids create a positive and negative design by repeatedly drawing a simple insect overlaid with a geometric shape. The outcome is really neat and will help build spacial reasoning, visual acuteness, and...
Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art
Can Girls Do That?
Why be limited by stereotypes? Young scholars examine a series of works of art, list the different ways boys and girls are represented, and then discuss the common stereotypes found in the works. They then search for art that does not...
National Woman's History Museum
Propaganda and Women's Suffrage
Americans who backed the suffragist movement used posters to gain the support of others for their cause. Class members analyze the visual imagery and propaganda devices used in a variety of these posters. In addition, groups examine how...
Curated OER
Greek Story Vases
There are so many ways to tell a story! Develop visual storytelling skills while facilitating an understanding of Greek art and culture. Learners design Greek style images to tell a story through art. They add their designs to Styrofoam...
Curated OER
Terrific Traveling Tour
Fifth graders discover the career of a museum curator as they assemble mock museum displays and gather information on famous works of art. The lesson is very complete and includes lesson extensions, resource links, and curricular...
Hawaiʻi State Department of Education
Railroad Tracks
Ahhh the vanishing point! Sounds ominous, but it's not. Fifth graders analyze the use of perspective in Renaissance art. They practice using linear perspective to draw railroad tracks that seem to go on forever. Tip: Make this...
Hawaiʻi State Department of Education
Mixed Media Collage
Rhythm, repetition, positive, and negative space is used to create mixed media collages. Let your learners go wild with glue, magazine clippings, and the elements of design. They'll experiment with various types of media, color, and...
Bright Hub Education
Diego Rivera Murals
Explore Mexican culture and art history through active participation in research and painting. The class discusses and researches the life and art of Diego Rivera, then they paint wonderful murals inspired by his representations of...
Curated OER
CREATIVE PRINCIPLES
Jr. high learners review the basic principles of design (balance, unity, movement, rhythm, pattern, contrast and emphasis) by watching a video by Gerald Brommer. Then they provide "aerobic exercise" for the right side of their brains by...
Curated OER
Plaster and Vermiculite Carving
Provide your class with the opportunity to experience the design process and subtractive sculpture. You mix vermiculite and plaster to create a soft variable material. Learners use this material to carve any abstract art form they...
Curated OER
Figuratively Speaking
Young scholars create 8 inch, or bigger, clay sculptures of the human form in this Art lesson introducing clay sculpting techniques. The works of artists studied in preparation include Henry Moore, Michelangelo, Degas, Rodin and John...
Debra J. Herman
The Blue Room by Susanne Valadon
Nearly anything can inspire art. Analyze The Blue Room by Susanne Valadon to help your learners understand that art is everywhere. They'll discuss the line, shape, color, and mood of the piece while attempting to better grasp its...
Curated OER
A Bug's Life
Look at life from a bug's perspective, and create a wonderful image based on what you think it sees. Learners use the crayon resist painting technique to draw and paint and picture of a bug's world from its point of view. Tip: This would...
Curated OER
Under the Sea
Tropical fish are a great subject for any art project, they are colorful, interesting, and can go along with under water themed stories read in class, learner written narratives, or Marine Biology units. This set of instructions will...