Media Smarts
Teaching TV: Television Techniques
As part of a five-lesson unit on how television uses technology and film techniques to communicate meaning, elementary students create their own media productions that demonstrate their understanding of these concepts.
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Tissue Painting
Let's make colors! Your class will participate in a creative art project that introduces them to the concept of color blending and allows them to discover color combinations through exploration, trail, and error. First, the teacher will...
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Very, Very, Simple Decorative Papers
Elementary schoolers gather flowers, leaves, fiber, ribbons and newspapers to expand studenT awareness of their environment. They use these to make printmaking papers, cards, book covers, picture frames and photo mats. Beautiful results...
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Antonyms, synonyms and homophones
Shed light on what antonyms, synonyms, and homophones are. In this lesson, upper elementary schoolers create pairs using an antonym, a homophone, and/or a synonym. Then they play an antonym matching game.
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Pretend Memoirs
Elementary schoolers explore the concept of a memoir. The teacher tells a story from his/her childhood as an example of what a memoir is; a written account of one's past. The kids are asked to pretend that they are now adults, and are...
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Our Dinopals with WordArt
Elementary schoolers use the writing process steps to write a descriptive paragraph about a fictional dinosaur. Using a tech tool lesson, they create a graphic title for the paragraph. A nice blending of technology with "old-fashioned"...
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These Are A Few of My Favorite and Not So Favorite Things
Students identify likes and dislikes at home and school. Then they identify the relationship between training and the world of work. Students also discover and evaluate patterns and relationships in information, ideas and structures....
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Interaction as Analysis: Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson’s “Hope is a thing with feathers” is the focus of a series of activities that model for learners how close reading can lead to understanding. The whole class plays with the metaphor, groups talk about the author’s...
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Dewey Decimal Game
Engage all the upper elementary classes in your school in a game to learn Dewey Decimal Classification. On 5 or 6 consecutive visits to the library, teams from each class learn how the system works, locate books in each category, and...
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Cartoon Stories
All ages love to engage in cartoon writing –- little do they know that they actually learn quite a bit from it! In an instructional session focused on literacy syntax and vocabulary, your pupils work cooperatively to draw six pictures...
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Mozart vs. Beethoven - Real Classical Composers
Elementary schoolers are given an overview of the baroque, classical, romantic, and modern periods of music. They focus on the lives of Beethoven and Mozart; two of the greatest composers of all time. After listening to samples their...
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Dancing Polygons and Non-Polygons with Patterns
Second graders study movements. In this dance lesson, 2nd graders draw patterns selecting one to represent through movement with their body.
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Daydreaming with Marc Chagall
Explore the concepts of surrealism and cubism that Marc Chagall portrayed in his art. Your elementary artists will read articles about the artist and practice the methods used in surrealism and cubism.
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It's All In How You Look At It
Students work collaboratively to create artistic renderings of digital photographs using a color value scale and grid techniques in this late-elementary school lesson based upon Ted Rose's book Discovering Drawing. The lesson includes a...
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Advanced Scribble Pictures
Scribble art allows learners of any age to problem solve in order to express their creative thinking skills. They create a simple scribble, then elaborate on it by adding color and shape. Full instructions and extensions are included.
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Puzzle Trees
Elementary artists use a collage and multi-media technique to create textured trees. They study the fall trees, discussing texture and what bare trees look like. They then use a variety of materials to create a textural piece.
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The Shape of Me and Other Stuff, by Dr. Seuss: A Class Mural
A cut and paste mural activity is a fun activity to complete after reading a Dr. Seuss book. In this shape recognition and art lesson, learners read the book The Shape of Me and Other Stuff and discuss the main idea. A class mural can be...
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Mr. Lincoln's Whiskers
Learn about the events that helped shape the United States of America. Elementary schoolers explore the Civil War with six different activities. Each activity has a different focus: literature connections, primary sources, vocabulary,...
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Heart Mobiles
A variation on classic Valentine's Day lessons that is sure to please, your elementary class construct heart mobiles using construction paper, string or yarn, hole punchers, foil, and pencils.
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The Great Art of Henri Matisse
Students discover the artistic works of Henri Matisse, and examine what his work means. In this art lesson, students observe the different paintings/collages of Henri Matisse, eventually creating works of their own based on his style.
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Outside - Inside Drawings
Young scholars use observational drawing to study the unfamiliar They use oil pastels to mix/blend colors. They be introduced to using drawing as a tool for documenting what we can learn from close observation.
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Art/Ocean Scene
Students draw and color an ocean scene based on the paintings of Wyland. In this ocean art lesson plan, students view slides of seascapes before they complete their project using oil pastels.
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Expressing Emotions Through Art Lesson 1: Everybody Shows They Care
Students examine how artists depict the idea of caring in works of art. They create drawings of themselves that use the principles of design to express their feelings of caring for something.
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Let's Find a Good Time in Art!
Fifth graders make a Hyperstudio presentation based on their study of different time periods in art history. They complete a timeline using a teacher made template to complete the project.