Curated OER
Chinese Folktales: An Illustrating Activity
In need of a really good lesson that incorporates literature, art, and cultural themes? After hearing a traditional Chinese folktale and discussing cultural themes and symbolism, learners create original illustrations for the story. This...
Curated OER
Canvas Folding Screen
Elementary, middle, and high schoolers design canvas folding screens; much like the ones that are so prevalent in Asian homes. Be warned that this art instructional activity requires a lot of materials, so it will be expensive to...
Curated OER
Ellis Wilson: An Elementary School Art Lesson
Students study the life of Ellis Wilson. They examine the use of simple shapes when drawing human figures. They examine how to incorporate pattern into a background setting.
Curated OER
Pop Art Ice Cream Painting
Young scholars develop skills in painting and create a painting of an ice cream cone using Pop Art as in inspiration.
Curated OER
Flexible Thinking- Squiggle Art
Students complete an art creation where they are given a squiggle and have to design a picture around it. In this squiggle art lesson plan, students use flexible thinking, and draw 6 pictures around 6 different squiggles.
Curated OER
Jose Posada - Calaveras Drawings - Line
Students examine and discuss work of Mexican printmaker Jose Posada, and create drawings in the style of Posada that use current subject matter and symbols.
Curated OER
Nature of Chagall - Oil Pastel Drawing - "I and the Village"
By studying the art and style of Marc Chagall, students create a surreal piece of art
representing themselves and their surroundings and illustrating Chagall's quote, "Great art picks up where nature ends".
Curated OER
I Spy (Camouflaged Animals in Art!)
Make connections about animal characteristics and the animal's environment. For this animal characteristics lesson, students use a piece of art as a springboard for a discussion about animals and camouflage. Students choose an animal...
Curated OER
Looking at Human Struggle Through The Language Arts Curriculum: The Faces of Slavery
Sixth graders examine the use of slavery in the United States. Using a map, they draw the route of the Tecora and Amistad voyages. Individually, they write an essay describing their opinions on whether the Africans on the ships should be...
University of Minnesota
Beautiful Brain: Step Inside the Brain
Before digital microscopes, scientists hired artists to draw the things visible in the microscope. Through training in neuroscience and art, Cajal revolutionized the way we view the beautiful brain. The third lesson in a series of four...
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...
Curated OER
Winter Wonderland Painting
The examples of art at the top of this page speak for themselves. Here is a fun and lovely project that gets kids outside to observe how snow falls on trees and how various trees are structured. They use crayons, tempera paint, and...
Curated OER
Discovering Language Arts-Intermediate Fiction
Explore the elements of science fiction. Students investigate the literary elements present in science fiction and write their own science fiction stories.
Curated OER
Techno PC: Computer Lessons for Elementary Students
Students explore computer science by participating in mini activities. In this graphic design lesson, identify the different components on a personal computer and define their purpose. Students utilize Microsoft Paint to create a digital...
Curated OER
Flexible Thinking - Squiggle Art
Students develop their creative abilities. In this creative thinking lesson, students examine different shapes and drawings and discuss what it makes them think of. Students create self confidence by thinking together in groups.
Curated OER
Expressing Emotions Through Art Lesson 2: Everybody Needs Somebody
Students examine works of art that depict two people who care for each other, and analyze how artists use line, shape, color, and space in works of art. They use line, shape, color, and space to create drawings that depict two people...
Curated OER
Pop Art Ice Cream Painting
Students create paintings of ice cream treats using Pop Art as an inspiration while developing skills in painting in this 4th through 6th grade Art instructional activity. Included with the instructional activity are possible extensions...
Curated OER
Pinwheel Modern Art Styles
Students explore artistic design by creating pin wheel models in class. In this modern art instructional activity, students examine historic art work of Van Gogh, O'Keeffe and Mondrian before emulating their work on construction paper....
Curated OER
Labyrinths
Whether studying metaphors or Greek mythology, this labyrinth project is a fantastic lesson plan to add to your unit. It includes two versions of the labyrinth; making it with yarn or stone. If your materials are limited, you can even...
Curated OER
Mixed Breed Fantasy Animals
Ever seen a crockapeep or a giraffule? How about a catmel? Elementary school artists are encouraged to let their imaginations roam and create images of imaginary creatures by combining parts of two or more animals,
Curated OER
Picture This
Elementary writers practice writing descriptive paragraphs by adding adjectives and sensory words to their writing. They use a picture of a monster for their descriptive paragraph. This 12-page lesson should increase your charges...
Mary Pope Osborne, Classroom Adventures Program
Dinosaurs Before Dark
Young readers travel back to the time of the dinosaurs in this literature unit based on the story Dinosaurs Before Dark. Intended for use with upper-elementary special education students, this resource provides reading comprehension,...
Curated OER
Strong Descriptive Writing: James and the Giant Peach
Support your writers! Clear procedures and appropriate support make this a superb resource for elementary writing instruction. Ready your class to compose original descriptive paragraphs inspired by the episode in Roald Dahl's James and...
Missouri Department of Elementary
Celebrate Your Culture
After a class discussion about celebrations and customs, class members draw pictures depicting special events from their family cultures. Next, they draw pictures of an event from a different culture and share their work with classmates.