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
Road Trip: Line, Pattern, and Movement
Students examine and explore various line, color, and movement elements in artwork. They view and discuss examples of abstract artwork, and create their own original abstract design that tells the story of a road trip.
Curated OER
Shape & Form
Students analyze the difference between shape and form. They identify, explain and use the basic elements of design and determine that forms are three-dimensional and shapes are two-dimensional. They sketch it on their paper and then...
Curated OER
Radial Design Mandala
Students design original radial art designs.In this radial design lesson, students use compasses and a nature inspired idea to create radial art. Students understand the use of symmetry, balance and design shapes in continual patterns....
Creative Educator
Dream Room Design
Junior designers brainstorm the elements that a bedroom might have, such as a bed, television, and dresser. They identify which items are needs and which are desires. They practice measurement skills in the classroom by determining its...
J. Paul Getty Trust
Shaping Ideas: Symbolism in Sculpture—Lesson 3
The final session in a sequential, three-lesson sculpture study designed by the education staff of the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles has class members using the criterial they developed to critique each others' symbolic sculptures.
Museum of Tolerance
Music Evokes Memories and Emotions
Dim the lights, take a deep breath, and press play to explore the emotions and memories that music elicits. Class members begin using relaxation techniques designed to create a positive listening experience. As music plays, learners...
Curated OER
Flat Shapes in Three Dimensions
Students examine the 20th-century sculpture "Gandydancer's Dream" by Mark di Suvero. For this visual arts lesson, students examine the sculpture and then use flat shapes and wire to create their own sculpture. The students are...
Curated OER
Geo Jammin' By DeSign - Day 3, Lesson 16: The ABC of Symmetry
Pupils follow directions in the ABC of Symmetry to make a butterfly which shows a line of symmetry.
Curated OER
Keeping Us in Stitches Activity: Crazy-Quilt Collage Design
Students create collages using the irregular-shaped and sized pieces, decorative stitching, and applied or painted motifs that reflect the Crazy-Quilt style, and explain how and why their design fits into that style.
Curated OER
Figure Analysis
Students identify the importance of the Principles and Elements of design through self-analysis and sketching clothing appropriate for their body type. They write the actual color name on a line of the included sheet, then describe why...
Curated OER
Discovering Details: Shoebox Designs
Students investigate architectural art by creating an interior design for a box. In this art design lesson, students analyze modern artifacts such as doorknobs, brackets and mailboxes by using a Venn diagram to identify...
Curated OER
Listening to Poetry: Sounds of the Sonnet
Students experience and enjoy the sounds of poetry. They erform sound experiments with sonnets and closely read and analyze a sonnet by Shakespeare. Students write an analysis of how sound affects meaning in a sonnet chosen from the...
Curated OER
Creature Design
Fifth graders create mathematical creatures. In this geometry lesson plan, 5th graders create a creature from regular and irregular geometric shapes. Students review vocabulary and construct an original creature based on a rubric.
Curated OER
Figure Analysis
Students review the elements of design and how they relate to fashion. Individually, the perform a self-analysis on their body type and identify the appropriate clothing type. To end the lesson, they sketch their own clothing ideas...
Curated OER
Best Design of a Floor Plan
Pupils participate in this continuation of the Design Your Space instructional activity. Using their completed classroom floor plans, students discuss the pros and cons of each floor plan and select the plan which has the best use of...
Curated OER
Cut Outs: Shapes and Symbols
Students create collages based on Juan Quick-to-See Smith's "Ode to Chief Seattle." In this shapes, symbols and Native American instructional activity, students examine the "Ode to Chief Seattle" and Henri Matisse's cutout work. Students...
Curated OER
Battle of the X-Planes
Learners view a video about cost of materials. They work together to develop their own backpack taking note of the cost of materials. They create an advertisement to accompany their creation. They share their ideas with the class.
Curated OER
Understanding Stage Design: Using Visual Elements to Provide Information to an Audience
Students study about theatrical design by developing environments for improvised and scripted scenes. They develop focused ideas for an environment using visual elements.
Curated OER
Mosaic Masks
Students discover the history of mosaics through teacher-lead lectures and discussions. Individuals spend 3-4 weeks creatively constructing mosaic masks using step-by-step design instructions.
Curated OER
My Family Crest
Students design a detailed drawing of their family crest. They incorporate imagery that's relevant to their family's life. Students consider the variety os shapes for the family crest- circles, ellipses, and triangles. They represent...
Curated OER
Artsy Insects
Students identify and describe the elements of art and principles of design by creating several different butterfly pictures that represent color, shape, texture, pattern or symmetry.
Curated OER
Ancient Aztecs
Is it a calendar? A religious symbol? A political statement? One thing for certain is that Aztec sun stone designs remain an important symbol in Mexican cultural art. Young artists craft their own Aztec Sun design incorporating ideas...