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Modern Mosaics (Grades 9-12)
High schoolers explore the elements of contrast, emphasis, pattern, and color schemes by identifying how the artist manipulated tesserae in the mosaic. They create original mosaics by manipulating torn paper to depict different textures...
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Follow the Leader: Line in the Visual Arts
Students identify line in the composition of a number of art works.  They explain how the artist's compositional choices guide the viewer's eye to important components of the image.  Students identify sight lines in several paintings and...
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Do You See What I See?
Students identify the characteristics of different painting styles in this instructional activity.  They examine the essential elements that characterize the different styles, and further research one chosen style of artwork.  They then...
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Science Meets Artistry: the Work of Cai Guo-Qiang
High schoolers discuss and examine the work of artist Cai Guo-Qiang.  For this art lesson, students analyze how cultural and historical factors impact the visual arts. 
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Op Art and Contrast
Seventh graders explore the Op art movement and the work of artists Bridget Riley, Victor Vasarely and MC Escher. the principles of contrast and how it can be used to create optical illusions is examined in this lesson.
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Art Criticism for Elementary
Students view various pieces of art and identify their basic elements. Using the art, they present the elements to the class in a presentation. They answer questions and organize them into written form. They also write and reflect on...
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Malambo
Young scholars use appropriate terms to reflect a working knowledge of the musical elements and use terminology from music and dance to analyze and compare structures of musical and other artistic works. They also identify the purpose of...
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Landscapes: Real and Imagined
Students examine three landscapes incorporating images from nature and the unconscious. In this art analysis lesson plan, students explore the artists' perception and impact on a subject. Students complete image based discussion and...
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Surrealism
Seventh graders research several surrealist artists, e.g. Dali, Magritte, etc., and analyze and compare their styles. They apply their knowledge to their own drawings in pastel of flowers and plants.
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Ideal Living
Students examine two artists Vasily Kandinsky and Marcel Breuer. In this artist analysis lesson, students explore the principles of Bauhaus and consider the elements of chair design. Students identify the technique of lithography and may...
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Transforming Everyday Objects
Students consider criteria for art and explore three works of art that challenge their definitions. In this art analysis lesson, students consider their definitions of art and how Dada and Surrealist artists challenged the conventions....
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Everything in its right place: An Introduction to Composition in Painting
Young scholars investigate the meaning of a composition in the realm of the visual arts. The elements of an image are taught in order for students to answer the guiding questions that are presented.
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Angles in Art
Students utilize their handheld and the Angles program to create a non-objective artwork. Images created by famous artists who have utilized angles in their art work are examined.
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Culture in Art
Students explore how cultural aspects of their lives are depicted in society.  They view a video on Frida Kahlo and identify the cultural elements that she referenced in her work.
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Looking and Learning in the Art Museum
Young art historians review the elements of art by studying a reproduction of a work of art from a museum visit. They explain the difference between looking at a reproduction of a work of art and looking at the original...
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Animal skeletal design-reduction relief prints
Sixth graders compare and contrast various forms of artistic expression associated with specific groups of people, geographic regions, or time periods, specifically, art of Australia, and create art works using procedures borrowed from...
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Collaborative Collage - A Lesson in Creative Chaos
Pupils examine the works of abstract and collage artists. They explore alternate methods of paint application that reinforce the elements of rhythm and movement and create collages based on these principles.
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Author Study
Students examine and identify the characteristics of the different genres of literature.  After being read and reading various stories, they identify how different books by the same author carry the same story elements.  They discuss how...
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Design: Line
Middle schoolers employ an analysis and exploration of line use, to understand line in terms of design, style, and functionality. The learners experiment with line design. Understanding dynamic and diverse use of line will broaden...
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A New Approach to Developing Images on Clay
Learners make story telling plates or tiles based on David Stabely's technique. They are shown slides of original work contemporary artists who are using nontraditional approaches to the clay surface. Students are shown work that David...
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About Life: The Photographs of Dorthea Lange - Images of Children in Dorothea Lange's Photographs
Students examine how visual artists tell stories with their work. In this visual art instructional activity, students study two of Dorothea Lange's photographs to find elements of art and narrative content, use descriptive language when...
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Visual Art and Music
Students examine how pop art compliments music. In this arts lesson, students explore the elements of pop art and replicate those elements in their own piece of art. 
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Writing Application: The Canterbury Tales
Students read stories from The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer and create their own tale. In this writing applications lesson plan, students read the tales and analyze the specific details that Chaucer use. Students work in groups...
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Fantasy Allegory of Air
Students analyze the painting Jan Brueghel and design their own book. In this art and book lesson plan, students discuss the elements of fantasy from the painting and create their own book. Students illustrate the book and create a...