Visual and Performing Arts Lesson Plans

This lesson has students identify the characteristics of the Impressionist period. Using art and music, they discover similarities between the two mediums and discuss whether there was a common language present. They use the internet to gather more information on artists from this era.

This lesson has learners examine how art and music can be powerful tools for conveying a political or social message. After considering the issues surrounding rapper Paris, learners design their own album covers that reflect their political and/or social concerns.

Learners design art galleries. In this visual arts lesson, learners create miniature shoebox art galleries as they explore the world of art history.

In this lesson learners create original modern art sculpture. In this visual arts lesson, learners study and discuss "The Profile" sculpture by Martin Puryear. In this lesson learners work in teams to develop a proposal presentation for a large outdoor sculpture in the community. Presentations must include a small model of the proposed sculpture created by learners using found materials.

Students demonstrate their understanding of the connections of elements of art and music by creating their own slit song. In this slit song worksheet, students study the Melanesian Slit Song and then make up their own.

Study history through photographs. In this visual arts and history lesson, students learn to analyze photographs to discover details about life during the Civil War era. Students write journal entries as if they are the African-American individuals pictured in the photographs. Students will then artistically represent a picture of a moment surrounding the Emancipation Proclamation.

Students investigate how art and music define and unify a social movement. They decide how art and music can act as symbols of protest. They view both contemporary and historical examples of art as a tool for protest and design an art project and an opera about a current social issue.

Students explore the World Wide Web for information concerning the period known as "The Harlem Renaissance." They study the contributions made by African Americans in the areas of literature, art, and music during this period in American history.

Students create "Harp" pictures using harp shapes, shoe box lids, paints, old sheet music, and inspiration from Harp music in this inter-disciplinary Art and Music lesson for the elementary classroom. Resource links are included for successful implementation.

Students examine how art and music help to define and unify a social movement and also how they can function as symbols of protest. They watch KQED program "And Then One Night: The Making of Dead Man Walking" and discuss what happens when art takes on a social issue.