Curated OER
"Starry Night"
Give your artistic young scholars a chance to express movement in art found in the fabulous painting, Starry Night. They'll examine the piece and then make their own version using tempera paint, white pencil, crayons, and construction...
Curated OER
"Impressionism Painting"
Help your class build visual literacy and artistic ability by having them create a unique impressionistic painting. They'll review impressionistic techniques, and then they'll set to work with paints and collage as they express...
Curated OER
"Warm and Cool Picasso"
Here is a really neat looking project that explores warm, cool, and neutral colors. First the class talks about color families, then they check out Cubism, and finally they get busy making some chunky art. They trace a shape, draw lines...
Curated OER
"O'Keefe Flowers"
Even the smallest things in nature are big when you paint like Georgia O'Keefe. Master the art of color choice and larger-than-life drawing with a lesson that helps little ones draw a normal object in a larger scale. This is a good art...
Curated OER
Texture Pumpkins
I love art and so do children of all ages. Your very youngest learners explore texture as they examine texture on their person, in their classroom, and then apply it to neat clay pumpkins. They roll clay into balls, flatten them out, and...
Curated OER
Flower Bouquets
Picasso's Posies is the inspiration for a lovely watercolor painting activity. The class explores the use of line, shape, and space in art as they create an image using the traced outline of their hands holding three to five flowers....
Curated OER
Cut Paper Circus
Learning to cut with scissors is a key skill for youngsters to master. They hone their fine motor skills as they cut a variety of shapes to create a paper circus composition. They'll cut and arrange their shapes to create a circus...
Curated OER
Pastel Landscape
A horizon line is one that helps artists establish space and dimension in their pictures. Young artists use pastels (chalks) to draw landscapes that use a horizon line. They draw the image with black chalk fist, color it in, and finally...
Curated OER
A Season for Chapters
Art, music, poetry, and the beauty of the seasons is what you'll find in this very nice unit idea. You can use any of the suggested books and activities to engage your second graders in an exploration of the changes that take place...
California Academy of Science
Fish Forms
I've said it before, and I'll say it again, you can add art to any lesson! While little learners are discovering why fish have specific body parts such as, scales, fins, and gills, they start making three-dimensional fish forms. Children...
Perkins School for the Blind
Handprint Art
Stimulate the senses with a handprint art project! Flake laundry detergent, water, and food coloring are mixed together to create a substance that has a pleasant smell and will dry hard and dimensional. Children with visual disabilities...
Perkins School for the Blind
Tactile Journals
I absolutely love this idea. Children with visual impairments create tactile journals which describe an event from the previous week in an artistic way. They verbally describe one event from the previous week and then use a wide array of...
Brooklyn Museum
Seductive Subversion: Women Pop Artists, 1958–1968
What role did women play in pop art during the 1950s and 1960s? The class researches the role of women in mid-century America and how those roles were portrayed through the pop art of the time. They use an excellent set of guiding...
Brooklyn Museum
Lorna Simpson: Gathered
Lorna Simpson is a photographer who has put together a collection of photos from the 1950s in order to challenge the idea that primary source documents are objective in their portrayal of history. Learners are introduced to Ms. Simpson's...
Brooklyn Museum
Fred Tomaselli
Kids will observe, write, and create as a way to better understand the work of artist Fred Tomaselli. Guided by great critical thinking questions, learners will first analyze the piece Field Guides. Then, they will write a creative...
Brooklyn Museum
Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera
Study the unique storytelling brought to life by Norman Rockwell. Learners will examine some of his pieces and then engage in several activities that will help them see how images can be just like narratives. They'll answer questions...
Brookly Museum
Andy Warhol: The Last Decade
Discuss pop-art, Andy Warhol, and the concept of collaborative painting with your class. Learners won't be analyzing Warhol's work, but they will be engaging in group activities to understand the collaboration in art. They'll make a...
Asian Art Museum
Create Your Own Samurai (Breastplate) Armor
Your class is going to love this activity. They get out their rulers, cardboard, and paints as they make Samurai breastplates. The simple art lesson lends itself to many different subjects such as, math/measurement, world history, and...
Asian Art Museum
Create Your Own Samurai Daily Life Identity
Your class can create their own Samurai identity with craft paper and a little imagination. Learners will discuss what life was like for a Samurai warrior, and then they will make representations of what they would look like as a Samurai.
Curated OER
Garbage or Art?
The three R's are, reduce, reuse, and recycle. Third graders use recycled materials to design and create an environmentally themed piece of art. They discuss and examine major art works that were created using recycled materials, then...
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...
Concordia University Chicago
A Bar at the Folies-Bergere by Édouard Manet
Observation is a key skill any scientist, artist, or writer needs to hone. Learners first discuss Manet's A Bar at the Folies-Bergere, then they set up a place to observe the people in their school. They closely observe and sketch what...
Concordia University Chicago
The Pietá by Michelangelo Buonarroti
Why is arts education so important? It builds critical thinking, analysis and creative problem-solving skills. Learners review the life of Michelangelo Buonarroti, and then analyze his piece, The Pieta. After that, they'll sculpt a human...
Concordia University Chicago
Paris Street; Rainy Day by Gustave Caillebotte
Discuss the balance, color, emotion, and context of the painting Paris Street; Rainy Day by Caillebotte. After a deep discussion, let creativity run free in your class as learners create a dimensional piece that reflects a life change...