Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery" provides middle schoolers with an opportunity to hone their close reading and literary analysis skills. After annotating their copy of the story, writer's craft an essay in which they analyze...

In this third unit of a course on Art Appreciation, students learn how to describe the technical aspects of an artist's work by discussing elements of art and principles of design. They also look at the stylistic qualities of an artist's...

Interactive activity explaining the principle of rhythm as it applies to visual art.

An informative site that explains Value as an element of art using examples of Rembrandt's work. This is a good juxtaposition between the works "Night Watch," and "The Anatomy Lesson," by Rembrandt.

An informative site explaining the attributes of art as well as other art terms.

Definition of shape as it applies to the visual arts with examples by Duchamp and McKnight. Links to definitions of other elements of art.

Lesson plan for students to learn about the principles and elements of design and use them to critique art. (Note: Link to Sanford & A Lifetime of Color: Study Art does not work.)

This site from Artlex is a fantastic description of how movement is used in the creation of art. There are links to works of art in sculpture, painting and photography as well as focused interpretations of how different types of movement...

This tutorial will lead you through the steps on how to view and understand art. Great for all ages.

A site dedicated to providing vocabulary for the elements of visual design. Includes a visual notation system for describing both the elements and attributes of art.

ArtLex provides a complete description of the term, "balance," with various links to show how balance relates to art. A work by Vermeer is provided as an example.

A complete description of the term, "emphasis," with links to show how emphasis relates to art. Includes examples of work by Klimt, Demuth, and Minor.

Christine A. Elmore's curriculum unit designed "to facilitate her third-graders' enjoyment of and response to fine art." This unit can be applied to all age groups and provides an extensive background on art in general.

This site from Artlex provides a brief but effective definition of the Principle of Design known as Harmony. There are links to other terms within the definition as well as quotations by Cezanne, Seurat and Ingres.

In this seventh and final unit of a course on Art Appreciation, students learn about photography and significant photographers. This is followed by a discussion of television and film. Students will learn terminology used, technical...

In this sixth unit of a course on Art Appreciation, students learn about the history of architecture, including ancient Greek and Roman works. They will learn about Frank Lloyd Wright and about Islamic architecture. They will also look...

Basic color theory is discussed in relaton to computer art applications. Illustrated.

The J. Paul Getty Museum shares a few decorative art pieces that include lighting elements, silver trays, and ornate beds.

The Smithsonian profiles the work of master furniture craftsman, Sam Maloof. While not technically sculpture, Maloof's work approaches fine art in its beauty yet has a strong element of function. Videos require QuickTime plug-in.

Article focuses on the birth of hip-hop and the four elements of the movement: graffiti art, break dancing, DJing, and MCing (rapping). Author continues with the history of the movement and the personalities involved.

This site provides an image of M.C. Escher's famous lithograph, "House of Stairs," which can be enlarged by clicking on it. Included is a quote, which briefly explains how this piece of art introduces "[a] playful element" to "the...

An online exhibit of representative art from the Harlem Renaissance.

This resource provides information and sources that discuss the elements of dance.

Learn about the aesthetic elements of architecture and how architects manipulate a building's sensory, formal, technical, and expressive elements to achieve "good design."