American Institute of Architects
Architecture: It's Elementary!—First Grade
Build an interest and appreciation for architecture in your young learners with this fun 10-lesson art unit. Engaging children in using their five senses, the class first observes the environment around them, paying special attention to...
Curated OER
Recycling With Art
Students create works of art from recyclable materials. In this visual arts lesson, students investigate works of art created from recyclable materials. Students choose an emotion to convey and then create an art piece from materials...
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Exploring Weather Conditions Through Painting
Your advanced class will paint a picture of a particular weather condition. In this painting lesson students describe elements of art in pieces of artwork. They analyze the weather and seasons in the artwork. The students use paper,...
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Animals in Art
Second graders demonstrate visual awareness by listing seven to nine types of animals shown in the artwork on the tour. They draw three types of textured lines or patterns shown in the tour artwork and model an imaginary animal using clay.
Endangered Species Coalition
Endangered Species Day Art
Albrecht Durer created a highly textured stamp or print of a rhinoceros. To better understand which animals are near extinction, upper graders create similar prints of endangered animals they've researched. The six-day lesson includes...
University of Minnesota
Beautiful Brain: Step Inside the Brain
Before digital microscopes, scientists hired artists to draw the things visible in the microscope. Through training in neuroscience and art, Cajal revolutionized the way we view the beautiful brain. The third lesson in a series of four...
Curated OER
Under Water Scene
Students explore foreground and background colors. In this visual art lesson, students create an underwater collage from varying colors and textures of paper showcasing the color transition between background and foreground colors.
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Plaster Casts of Natural Objects
Fourth graders observe objects in science and create a contour picture of the the object. In this arts and science observation lesson, 4th graders develop a clay sculpture of their object. Students generate a list of texture words to...
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Seeing through Touch
Students explore solid objects using touch. In this art lesson, students are blindfolded and given a 3 dimensional object to explore with their hands. After the object is removed, students draw what they think the object looked like....
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Looking at Owls in Literature, Art, and Science
Fifth graders investigate the characteristics of owls through various science and art activities. They analyze drawings by J.J. Audubon and complete a Venn diagram comparing the similarities and differences of different kinds of owls,...
Curated OER
Ocean Life
Third graders create an ocean fish environment. In this ocean life lesson, 3rd graders create an ocean environment from clay. Students paint their sculptures with realistic colors emphasizing contrast, texture, and patterns.
Curated OER
Start at the Very Beginning
Students explore ocean ecosystems. In this cross curriculum art and oceans lesson, students create a collage featuring three-finger algae using sand paper, tissue paper, and construction paper.
Curated OER
Combating Corrosion
Students perform an experiment to show the chemical reactions that occur when metal corrodes. They apply the results of the experiment to the conservation efforts of art curators trying to restore an ancient Greek bronze. This lesson...
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Looking at French Decorative Arts: The Science of Good Design
Young scholars examine the style of an 18th-century compound microscope and its case. In this scientific design lesson plan, students look at Jacques Caffieri's, "Compound Microscope and Case" before comparing the design to a modern...
Curated OER
Clay Sculpture: Relationships
Students explore art history by conducting an in-class activity. In this sculpting lesson, students examine previously created art sculptures in a textbook. Students utilize clay, sculpting tools and grey paper to create their own...
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Creating your Frog's Environment
Students discuss where frogs can live. After the discussion, they create an environment for a frog using items of their choice. Some may include: construction paper, paint, magazines. The environment could even be 3-D. The key to this...
Curated OER
Sedimentary Structures- An Adventure in Painting and Collage
Students identify and interpret concepts about how the Earth was formed and convey some of these ideas in a painting.
Students experiment with different types of paints and paint applicators to achieve a variety of visual textures....
Curated OER
Prairie Senses
Second graders use their senses to explore a prairie or imaginary prairie. They draw pictures to represent the five senses and discover how an artist describes non-visual sensations in a visual way.
Curated OER
Staghorn Coral
Students recognize that staghorn coral helps reef growth in the Caribbean. In this Coral Reef lesson, students design a habitat model using various art materials to explain how staghorn coral helps the reef grow. Students share their...
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Climate
Students study zoanthids. In this science and art lesson, students use line to create texture and how to use colors to create value. Students share their beautiful mat zoanthids with the rest of the class.
Curated OER
"In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb"
First graders listen to the story "Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs" by Judi Barrett. They discuss weather forecasting and create an art project to go with the saying about March weather: "In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb".
Curated OER
Drawing Fish
Students practice creating art by imitating the camouflage of fish. In this animal characteristic lesson, students identify certain fish and their ability to change colors in order to survive in the wild. Students utilize coloring...
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The Giant Barrel Sponge
Students study barrel sponges. In this science and art lesson, students discuss what sponges are, create their own sponge, and share what they created with the rest of the class.
Curated OER
Fighting Corrosion to Save an Ancient Greek Bronze
Study corrosion on bronze statues with a hands-on lesson. As pupils place a penny in water with salt, they observe the changes in the penny throughout a period of a week. They then analyze the pre-conservation and the post-conservation...