Curated OER
Composition and Line
Students examine the use of composition and line as they create original drawings. In this composition and line lesson, students recognize the art vocabulary associated with line and composition. Students illustrate the shape...
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Portrait of Nadine Dumas
Students explore a portrait and then create their own portrait as a gift. In this bust art instructional activity, students use model techniques to create a three dimensional bust portrait. Students analyze the elements...
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Looking At Illuminated Manuscripts: Exploring an Illuminated Manuscript Page
Students investigate illuminated manuscript pages from the Medieval period. In this illuminated manuscript lesson, students examine 13th century pages and compare them to modern printed works. They describe the details of an illuminated...
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New Forms From Old
Students examine porcelain objects and see how their original use has been changed to create a new decorative object or an object with a new function. In this porcelain objects lesson plan, students observe the objects and then they will...
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Giants of the Past
Students create a paper sculpture based on ancient Greek statues. In this visual arts activity, students read the book, The Mysterious Giant of Barletta and use cardstock to create their own statue. Students write a narrative story told...
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Analyzing Photographs: From Theory to Practice
Students analyze photographic images and use cameras to document their own life. For this analyzing photography lesson, students apply formal analysis techniques to images, then create a documentary of photographic images with...
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The Photographs of Dorothea Lange
Students examine theme in the photography of Dorothea Lange. In this photography lesson, students analyze photography taken by Dorothea Lange and identify themes that run through each. They design an exhibition that shows how the theme...
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Friendship Portraits
Students explore sculpture. In this lesson about sculpting, students create a portrait bust. Students choose a classmate to make a bust of and apply all of the necessary elements to their bust. Students will have a better understanding...
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Identity Boxes
Students create a "portrait" box that contains symbolic representations of their own identity. In this Lucas Samaras and Joseph Cornell art lesson plan, students discover ways that these two artists used symbols and objects to...
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Food and Languages of the World
Third graders become familiar with the German pickle, part of the Christmas celebration in Germany. In this German pickle lesson plan, 3rd graders listen to the story of the German pickle and its significance to the German Christmas...
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Fiddling Around
Students look at a piece of art to make connections between early Baroque art and Baroque music. In this art and music instructional activity, students focus on the painting The Boy Violinist, by Hendrick Terbrugghen. They listen to the...
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An American Scene Painter
Students study the work of American scene painter Charles Burchfield. In this visual arts lesson, students research the nature paintings of Burchfield and then paint their own watercolor scenes in his style.
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The Great Migration
Students explore how migration to Harlem created a new life for African Americans. In this cross curricular lesson, students illustrate maps showing the migration, paint murals representing African American life in the South and...
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Act 3: New York Introduction 1924-1925, Louis Armstrong
Students listen to and examine jazz recordings and listen for features (breaks and obbligato) that are typical of jazz music. In groups, they make up a short blues song of their own.
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Angling Your Way Through a Picture
Students look at the geometry in an artwork. In this art history/geometry lesson, students research the artist Charles Sheeler and look at his painting Stacks in Celebration. They find the different types of lines, angles, and...
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Percussion Instruments and Pitch
Students play string instruments to discover how the pitch changes on various string instruments. In this pitch lesson plan, students listen to video clips and play an online music game. Students become familiar with music...
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Exploring Force: The Nutcracker
Students explore basic dance element of force, compare and contrast the use of force as it distinguishes the expressive qualities of a given dance, and explore the use of force in several of its many expressions.
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Que Llueva! It's Raining, It's Pouring!
Students learn to sing a song in another language. In this music instructional activity, students learn a song about rain in English and Spanish. Students listen to the song Que Llueva in Spanish and It's Raining, It's...
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Haunting Music
Students discover music that was inspired by the spooky and bizarre. In this music of Hector Berlioz and Camille Saint-Saens lesson, students identify elements of music and listen to the Symphonie Fantastique and Danse Macabre....
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Everyone Has Feelings
These activities promise to provide a day full of fun for young learners as they explore feelings and emotions. Learners participate in two sing-alongs with the songs "Smile" and "If You're Happy", they color emotion masks, and finally...
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Writing Drama-Trying Your Hand at being a Playwright
Fifth graders chart the elements of drama. For this performing arts lesson, 5th graders discuss the role of a playwrite, practice doing some Reader's Theatre scripts, write a paragraph about a problem between two people, and perform...
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Arts Directors
Pupils reflect on a personally meaningful live performance and the circumstances necessary to create art. They study about the current leadership crisis facing the Met, Carnegie Hall, and the Public theater. In groups, students research...
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Singin' Around the Year
Students explore performing arts by singing with their class. In this music appreciation lesson, students collaborate in groups to read and sing songs based on specific holidays such as the Fourth of July or Christmas. Students define...
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Portraits That Capture Character
Students analyze two of Dorothea Lange's portraits and create their own portraits of classmates. In this portrait analysis lesson, students define portrait and discuss two images of Lange's. Students interview a classmate and use Lange's...