Curated OER
Fats Waller, Handful of Keys
Playing piano is great fun and playing jazz is even better. Kids watch a video of Fats Waller playing the song, "Handful of Keys," they then use either a piano key print out or Orff instruments to practice his signature stride piano...
Curated OER
Dreamcatchers
After reading a Native American legend about dreamcatchers, why not make some. This resource provides several good links that explain the legend of the dreamcatcher and step-by-step instructions for making them with the class. Tip: If...
Curated OER
Graffitti
Here is a fun way to encourage a cooperative classroom, drawing skills, and creative expression. Each child draws a design or shape on his paper, then he rotates to the next child's paper where he adds to the previous design. When the...
Curated OER
Independent Harmonies
Independent harmonies, homophonic music, intervals, and melody are all part of music theory and practice. Prepare your budding musicians for the big time with these activities focused on playing with accompaniment. This instructional...
Curated OER
Crazy Quilt Texture Board
Artists explore textures they can create when working with acrylic modeling paste. In this simple-to-implement art lesson, learners divide a rigid surface into six squares, and use a variety of tools to create different textures within...
Curated OER
Natural Twig Journals
Artists of all ages participate in a very basic bookbinding technique incorporating a dimensional object and simple fastening method. They create their own book to use as a sketchbook, writing surface or scrapbook. The results are...
Curated OER
Seeing Feelings
Learners create pencil drawings of assigned items and then, study painting by Vincent Van Gogh. They discuss how different colors make them feel and are then assigned a mood to express by adding color to their line drawing.
Curated OER
Old Fisherman
Sculpting is a lot of fun and it stimulates multiple senses at once. Learners observe and then create a fisherman (or any person) out of paper clay. They mold and sculpt their clay until they have shaped a person. They then paint and...
Curated OER
Architectural Letters
Have your class construct their own architectural letter. This art project focuses on architecture, or the art of building. You can connect this activity to a biography activity. Your class can decorate their initial to reflect their...
Curated OER
Papier Colle Printmaking
Papier Colle is a printmaking technique used by many famous artists, including Georges Braque and Henri Matisse. Have your class master this art using this fantastic resource. What a fun, new art technique to learn!
Curated OER
Drawing with Thread
After a study of work by Wassily Kandinski, have your aspiring artists recreate "Drawing with Yarn." It was one of his works made in 1913 that demonstrates his abstract style. What a beautiful work of art to make with your class!
Curated OER
Drawing Peace
Students create a drawing representative of what peace looks like and evaluate their thinking process. In this art for peace lesson plan, students use paper to begin their drawing. Students also have the option to use a drawing...
Media Smarts
Teaching TV: Television Techniques
As part of a five-instructional activity unit on how television uses technology and film techniques to communicate meaning, elementary young scholars create their own media productions that demonstrate their understanding of these concepts.
AMCO
Whimsical Figures
Clay is a wonderful and expressive medium for learners of any age. Kids get creative as they make whimsical figures out of clay. A hyperlinked materials list, images of each step in the process, and helpful tips makes this a great art...
Tide Global Learning
Drama Activities: Role Play
Young actors willingly suspend their disbelief as they improvise a scenario in which they are workers at a clothing factory and must decide their attitude toward the actions of co-worker Rosa Parks.
Curated OER
Masking Tape Masterpieces
Students create non-objective art based on the design elements of line, color, balance and movement using tape. This simple lesson plan encourages students to create patterns by overlapping and defining lines on a canvas panel. One of...
Curated OER
Ancient Gold Working
Students create a sculpture inspired by the masks, pendants, or human and animal forms found in ancient Indian art of the Americas. They focus on the techniques of metalworking, especially repousse.
Curated OER
Little Black Book
Young artists construct and create a journal. They develop the book using black construction paper, acrylic paint, glue, and tape. The art lessons from this source are among the best I've seen. The products produced by the students are...
Curated OER
Philippine Banig Weaving
Students create a Philippine banig mat. As part of designing and creating the mat, the class is introduced to the tropical rain forest of the Philippines and how the environment impacts the lives of the people. Individuals also discover...
Curated OER
Bling Bling Metallic Mosaics
Using different types of paper and paint, young artists will create a beautiful mosaic. This is a great variation from the traditional tile and grout mosaics. Use this beautiful art project to discuss different art mediums,...
Curated OER
Light at Night
Portraying accurate light in a chalk drawing can be difficult. This useful PowerPoint provides fantastic guidelines to achieve good lighting perspective in a drawing. Three photo examples are provides on slides six, eight, and ten, to...
Knoxville Art Museum
Lee Walton: Codes in Drawings
Familiar with the systems-based sports drawing of experimental artist Lee Walton? If so, this drawing exercise if for you. Young artists observe an activity over time, develop a coded language for the activity, and then draw a...
Curated OER
City Streets: A Fold-up of a Street Lined with Buildings
After walking in a nearby neighborhood, have your class create this amazing city street pop-up. They study the facades of the buildings they see, focusing on geometric line, shape, and architecture. They then draw, cut, and create a city...
Curated OER
Very, Very, Simple Decorative Papers
Elementary schoolers gather flowers, leaves, fiber, ribbons and newspapers to expand studenT awareness of their environment. They use these to make printmaking papers, cards, book covers, picture frames and photo mats. Beautiful results...