Teaching Tolerance
Identity Self-Portraits
What symbols represent you best? Individuals consider how they would draw peers using symbols about their identities with an interview and art activity. After conducting interviews and portraits, the art makes a great centerpiece for...
Advocates for Human Rights
All about Me!
Celebrate the uniqueness of your students with this character building lesson series. In order to learn about and appreciate diversity and individuality, children create All About Me books by cutting out and drawing pictures...
Missouri Department of Elementary
What Color is Your Apple?
Build your classroom community with an activity that uses apples to examine oneself and their classmates. Participants draw four large apples on blank paper then exchange them within a small group. Group members write a character trait...
American Institute of Physics
African American Inventors in History
A two-part activity introduces young historians to the work of famous African American inventors. Groups first research and develop a presentation of an inventor that includes biographical information and information about one of their...
Curated OER
Cows on Parade
Students use assorted drawing materials and sheets from a cow shaped pad to create a unique, bright, colorful cows.
Curated OER
Art Techniques
Third graders create a self portrait using correct proportions and details. After completing their portrait, they exchange their portrait with that of a classmate and offer constructive criticism of the portrait and suggestions for...
Curated OER
Everyone can explore architecture
Young scholars draw like an architect. In this interdisciplinary lesson, students research and draw several examples of different forms of architecture through societies, cultures and times, then present them to the class.
Curated OER
Theorem Painting
Students examine the many types of folk art at a museum. They create their own theorem painting by following the steps given to them.
Curated OER
Look to your Dreams
Students explore the life and Surrealist art of Salvador Dalí identify and discuss imaginative, impossible or unexpected elements in Surrealist artworks.
Curated OER
From Mud to Masterpiece: Individual Clay Mosaic Relief Murals Inspired by Rudy Autio's Public Murals
Learners create clay mosaic relief murals as analysis of Abstract Expressionism. In this clay art lesson plan, students analyze the abstract expressionist art of Rudy Autio and create their own clay mural using fire clay and glazes....
Curated OER
Family Quilts Keep Us Warm
Students discuss and describe the differences and similarities in families. After reciting finger plays about families, they draw pictures of their own families. Next, they incorporate their family pictures into a paper quilt.
Curated OER
Funny Face Self Portraits
Students gain appreciation for the drawings by Leonardo da Vinci. They show human emotion by drawing facial features in correct proportion - studying ratio of eye width to the rest of the facial features. They create values by varying...
Curated OER
Surrealism
Seventh graders research several surrealist artists, e.g. Dali, Magritte, etc., and analyze and compare their styles. They apply their knowledge to their own drawings in pastel of flowers and plants.
Curated OER
Contour Wrapped Animal Portrait
Students will select a high interest animal portrait. After completing an n accurate light line drawing, the portrait will be finished using contours lines constructed of implied wrapping using pencil and pen. The eyes will be completed...
Curated OER
The Peaceable Kingdom
Students examine the life and works of Edward Hicks. Using his "Peaceable Kingdoms, they create what they believe to be their own peaceable kingdom. They compare and contrast the two kingdoms and practice layering colors with colored...
Curated OER
Painting on Foil
Students choose a torn out coloring page and place it on top of the foil. They hold the page in place and retrace the drawing with a pencil pressing down hard enough to etch the drawing into the foil.
Curated OER
Let's Call It Automatic
Students write whatever comes into their minds quickly and extend that strategy to art. They draw whatever ideas come to mind and students create in a stream of consciousness style. They listen to different types of music while drawing.
Curated OER
Playing With the Grid
Young scholars examine works of grid art by the painter Chuck Close. They discuss the process of creating a drawing using a grid, view images of grid art, and create a grid drawing.
Curated OER
Haring Lampshades
Young scholars enter a creative competition where they create a Keith Haring inspired lamp shade. In this lamp shade lesson plan, students discuss functional art.
Curated OER
Paper Bag Pilgrim Dolls
Stuents create paper bag versions of "pilgrim dolls" in this excellent Art lesson for the time just before Thanksgiving break. The plan uses staples or glue to attach dolls and includes a picture diagram and two "cut-out" templates to...
Curated OER
Stone Figurines
Students discuss Keith Haring's style of art. In this drawing and painting lesson, students create a Haring-style drawing that will be later be turned into a placemat after it has been painted.
Curated OER
Descriptive Character Analysis
Students visualize a character or event and personalize it through drawings.
Curated OER
Tempera/chalk painting
Third graders investigate and accurately interpret with cupporting evidence the artwork of Claude Monet. They choose what they will paint. Students draw a rough draft on paper. They produce interseting looking "brush strokes", where...
Curated OER
Halloween Comic Strips
Fourth graders participate in a lesson on the subject of creating comic strips. They create facial expressions in drawings for practice and gradually progress to making their own comic strips based on the holiday of Halloween. The...