Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Calder Mobile

For Teachers K
Students investigate the sculptures of Alexander Calder. They view and analyze pictures of various types of sculptures, discuss how mobiles are a type of sculpture, listen to the book "Roarr: Calder's Circus," and create a class mobile...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wired with Alexander Calder

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Kids consider how the body functions and moves, how each structure has a specific movement and purpose. They apply that idea as they construct a sculptural piece that moves. For inspiration they look to the work of Alexander Calder,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Alexander Calder: Animal Mobiles

For Teachers K - 6th
Students are introduced to the life and art of Alexander Calder. Students define the vocabulary related to this work and then design and construct an abstract paper animal mobile.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Create a Butterfly Mobile

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Learners construct a butterfly mobile. In this visual arts lesson, students use rice paper, watercolors, a coat hanger, and wax paper to create a unique butterfly mobile. Learners use photographs of butterflies to construct a realistic...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mobile Forces

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Young scholars design and build original mobiles and consider how the forces of gravity and convection air currents affect the finished piece. They explore how an understanding of balancing forces is important in both art and engineering...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Art and Technology - Design - Alexander Calder

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars gain an awareness for the work of Alexander Calder, study a variety of utilitarian objects and discuss their purposes, and create graphic of a utilitarian piece using computer graphic software.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wire Circus

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders examine the life and work of Alexander Calder. They create a wire sculpture on a cirucs theme of their choice. They work on these projects in groups. They utilize telephone wire, or any thin wire cut to manageable lengths.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sculpture: Statues, Monuments, and More

For Teachers K
Students explore some of the components of sculpture through a variety of artists and their artwork. The six lessons of this unit utilize the sculptures experienced when students were studying American history and the Native Americans.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Planets in Balance

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students study the solar system by researching the planets.  In this exploratory lesson students divide into teams and create mobiles.