Curated OER
African Ceramic Mask Making
Students investigate a variety of African mask types, design several masks, and create an example of an African ceramic mask in this 5th grade through High School Art lesson. The lesson can take anywhere from 6 lessons to 16 lessons.
National Endowment for the Humanities
“House by the Railroad”: A Painting and a Poem for the Common Core
Introduce your class to ekphrastic poetry with an exercise that asks them to examine Edward Hooper's painting House by the Railroad and Edward Hirsch's poem "Edward Hopper and the House By the Railroad." After a close reading...
Curated OER
Molded Clay Faces
Artists create clay masks using pre-formed molds, clay, glitter, feathers, gems, and paint. The expressive qualities of clay are perfect for creating many different types of face masks, from Mardi Gras glitter to Japanese Kabuki to...
Museum of Tolerance
Immigration Journeys
Through the journey of four stories of immigration, scholars complete graphic organizers and apply knowledge to create a visual representation of their findings on a large poster. Third and fourth readers write a letter to their...
Curated OER
Sarcophagus
Here is another in a series of fantastic art lessons from this source. This one has young artists create a sarcophagus-style clay box! This instructional activity would be ideal to utilzie during a study of the ancient Egyptians. One...
Dick Blick Art Materials
Ball Point Engravings
Turn simple pencil sketches into colorful engravings. After first creating hand-drawn pictures, young artists then trace over them will ball point pens, etching the images into cold press illustration boards, before rubbing...
Poetry4kids
How to Write a Diamante Poem
A lesson begins with a description of a diamante poem and the rules to follow while writing one. Scholars examine the ins and outs of synonym and antonym diamantes, then compose an original poem using their newfound knowledge.
University of Minnesota
Beautiful Brain: Brain Inspiration
"Neuroscientists consider Cajal as important to their discipline as Einstein is to physics." The first of four lessons has scholars view Santiago Ramon y Cajal's drawings of neurons. They reflect and respond to the art through writing...
K12 Reader
Using Prior Knowledge
Sometimes it's hard to relate to a new text. Teach kids to use their prior knowledge when reading something new with a comprehension exercise. A short passage tells them how to think of their brains like filing systems, and provides five...
Curated OER
Literary Lingo
Students make connections between reading and writing. In this language arts lesson, students explore literary elements as they examine a number of texts and practice implementing figurative language into their writing.
Curated OER
Shaving Cream Snow!
Students spray shaving cream on a table and then play with it. In this art lesson, students make lines with their fingers and can even use other objects as well. Students attempt to make a snowman, snowflake or anything related to...
Curated OER
Winter Ice Candles
Students make ice candles. In this art lesson, students fill a balloon with water, add a drop of food coloring, and blow into the balloon and tie a knot in the balloon. Students then put the balloon in the margarine tub and put...
Curated OER
Torn Paper Collage Books
An excellent lesson on bookmaking awaits your students! This simple, and easy-to-implement plan should provide you with some excellent student-made products that you'll be proud to send home with them. The instructions are clear, and the...
Curated OER
Acrylic "Shingles"
Young artists of all ages create texture using dried slabs of pourable acrylic paint. They experiment with texture by turning a liquid into a solid and finally into a 3-D work of art. This lesson uses easy-to-find materials, and the...
Curated OER
Nureyev: After Petipa
Incorporating the arts into regular classroom practices isn't an easy task. Learners will research background information regarding Russian culture, history, and conflict then see how those things have applied to the rigors of Russian...
Perkins School for the Blind
Personal Information
"Hi, how are you? My name is___." Seems simple enough but it's not always that easy to recall and relate factual information about yourself. Learners with multiple disabilities practice memorizing and relaying personal information about...
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
Minimal Animals
Have fun creating imaginary creatures with this symmetry lesson plan! Your class will paint one half of their imaginary creature, fold their paper in half, which will result in a symmetrical figure. What a great art project to combine...
Curated OER
Bas Relief Paintings
Budding artists are introduced to a new medium for Bas Relief sculpture: block printing linoleum. They design and sculpt a dimensional piece of artwork, creating a variety of textures, lines and depths. This engaging lesson should excite...
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
Isadore Duncan
Who is Isadore Duncan? If you're a teacher of dance, you might be interested in this informative presentation. Biographical, philosophical, and personal information on the life and contributions of this famed dancer are given in an easy...
Curated OER
Woven Felt Wall Hanging
Artists of many ages use steel, plastic, tree branches and other natural materials to weave a wall hanging. The materials needed for this fine plan are easy to procure, and the process is clearly-described. The results are beautiful, and...
Curated OER
Reverse Pastel Paintings
Create a unique spin on reverse painting with oil pastels and acetate. The combination results in a beautiful and vibrant art piece. This is a great project to introduce your class to oil pastels.
Curated OER
Colored Pencil Repoussé
Artists employ a basic metalworking technique by embossing lines and textures into a soft metal. They look for examples of embossed metals in historical and contemporary examples. This fascinating process has been used by many cultures...