You're never too young for a lesson in fine art. Explore the painting Deucalion and Pyrrha, based on the Greek myth of the same name, with your class. You'll look at color, composition, texture, and technique, which are easily outlined...

The blanket being analyzed here seems simple and plain, but it reflects the culture and geography of the people who made it. Learners critically examine the influence geography and culture had on the creation of the blanket and on...

Finally an art lesson that incorporates the act of creating art. After analyzing the abstract emotionally driven piece, Blue Mysteries Near the Sun, No. 4, learners discuss feelings related to an anticipated event or to the unknown....

Comparing two different artistic mediums can be a welcome challenge. Learners compare Monet's The Water Lily Pond to three nature-inspired poems. They consider how each art form is interrelated, descriptive, and expressive. They then...

Can a palace door be art? Can it facilitate an understanding of people and places? It certainly can! Using a palace facade as a lesson catalyst, kids will discuss geometric patterns, the kingdom of Swat, and geopolitical themes. They...

Universal themes found throughout the world in the form of stories is the topic of today's lesson. Upper graders analyze the cultural context of the Mithila piece, Hanuman. They consider the universal themes the image depicts and how the...

The wood sculpture Nkisi Nkondi is said to have been used to aid in conflict resolution. Learners pretend they are journalists reporting on a conflict in which the figure was used to resolve an issue. A creative and interesting use of...

What is a parallel harmony? You and your class can explore musical terminology through song. You define what a parallel harmony is, the class identifies parallel harmony in music they hear, and then you all sing some examples together....

Every artist creates in his own unique way drawing from a variety of inspirational sources. Upper graders work to expand their understanding of the creative process by first analyzing a modern piece and then creating one. They listen to...

When Europeans first came back with tales of China, they provided vivid written accounts and minimal visual imput. This resulted in art rendered mostly from descriptive language. Learners explore this phenomena by listening to...

What is the difference between Hercules and Spiderman? Both are heroes, right? Kids identify the characteristics that make a hero, and analyze the differences between heroes of long ago and today. They write creative stories describing a...

A new way to connect visual art and creative writing is on the horizon. Kids first identify the characters in the painting Rabbit Hunt, then write narrative from the perspective of one of the characters in the painting. They combine...

A woven rug depicting birds and cornstalks becomes the inspiration for a lesson on critical thinking and creative writing. Learners analyze the symbolism found in the rug and then compose a descriptive paragraph or poem that embodies the...

Here's a twist on the old compare-and-contrast lesson plan. Budding art historians compare an Assyrian limestone relief to comic book superheroes. They discuss the similarities and differences in the three-dimensional relief to...

Cross-media analysis takes time and attention to detail. The class analyzes the painting Long Jakes and the poem "Backward Bill." They pay attention to the similarities and differences in each piece, looking for details that describe the...

A game, research, and cross-cultural comparisons are in the works as you open an artistic instructional activity. Upper graders get analytical as they make observations that will help them create a link between abstract and creative...

Students participate in dance choreography. In this choreography lesson, students classify elements of choreography. Students collaborate in small groups and compose choreography.

To the Native American people living on the plains, the buffalo represented culture, art, sustenance, and survival. Explore the history of the buffalo with a social studies instructional activity, in which learners create a buffalo hide...

Students explore communication by participating in a digital journalism activity. In this aboriginal research lesson, students view a sample blog on the Internet and identify the techniques behind blogging and Internet journalism...

Indian art depicts an amazing pantheon of gods and goddesses, each having interesting powers and purposes. Young art historians use the provided images to analyze a carved sculpture of a monkey-god. They then brainstorm the attributes...

A great idea for a fun homework assignment! The class fully and critically analyzes Daniel Sprick's painting, Your Plans. They then generate questions to ask the artist as they attend a mock press conference. They pretend to ask the...

Can you imagine what it's like to be able to carve an animal out of stone? Kids do, as they analyze the techniques used to create the South Indian sculpture, Sacred Bull of Shiva. After a critical look at the piece, they write a...

Students consider the development of different societies. In this environmental building lesson, students consider local resources and how societies choose to use them. Students use their findings to design a 'green' building for use in...

Young scholars research the story of Chanukah and learn the traditional art of paper curling. For this Chanukah card-making lesson, students examine Jewish customs in order to create one-of-a-kind quilling on personalized holiday cards.