In our increasingly visual society, it is often difficult for some readers to create a mental picture of a picture created only with words. An image-rich text like F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby can therefore, present a real...

Seeing is believing! Or is it? With this simple experiment, young scientists can explore the concept of visual perception. Attach Benham's disk to a rotating appliance such as a hand drill; As it spins, the black lines appear to be...

In this visual perception and fine motor skills learning exercise, students "help the dragon get to the castle," completing a maze activity.

High schoolers identify ways in which the artist uses color to draw the view's attention to points within the composition and creates a sense of depth. They discuss the effect of color on the tone and mood of an artwork.

Students use common and unusual objects to make observations of details, design, and functionality. They describe and draw each object while working in small groups. The differences between observation and perception is covered as part...

Help your young learners learn their left from their right and develop visual discrimination and fine motor skills with this fun, interactive, educational game.

How do painters use and manipulate light in their artwork to give emphasis and establish mood and emotion? Pupils will analyze a few examples of landscape and portrait painting in order to explore the how light is used in art,...

Students explore visual perception and how objects change as distance changes. In this distance and vision lesson, students practice their scientific inquiry skills. Students practice drawing objects from different points of view in...

Pupils put together their own stroboscopes so that they can observe how cyclically moving images appear to merge into a singular object. This, and several other activities published by the same source, illuminate the way the brain...

Analysis consists of an understanding and interpretation of evidence and elements found in any number of expressive mediums. Upper graders critique the work of American Realist Wayne Thiebaud through a series of excellent guided...

A small card with a dot and an X is held at arm's length and used to show youngsters where their blind spot is. This illuminating little activity is a compact addition to your lesson on the structure of the eye as it explains the part of...

Young scholars examine the principles of visual acuity and how it pertains to sight.  In this measuring lesson plan students complete several activities on vision. 

Students participate in a teacher-guided activity to teach about protein synthesis. Student roles include one person as the DNA molecule, another is a single stranded sequence of complementary mRNA.

Students examine how artists use color to create a sense of depth in a two-dimensional space. They view and analyze prints, complete worksheets, and write a paragraph on how color is used to draw the viewer's eye to a central figure.

Our bodies have some amazing capabilities, but there are some limitations. Explore the limitations of the human eye through the eighth lab activity in a series of 12 biology lessons. Individuals measure their own peripheral vision...

You will need an electric drill and some Velcro™ in order to have this activity available for your class. It is, however, an intriguing display of optical illusion. After watching a spinning disk (provided), viewers look at one of...

Put a new twist on your collection of optical illusion activities. Affix the linked printable spiral to a drill, record player, or some other rotating tool. Have learners stare at the spinning disk for only 15 seconds and then look away....

Learners use their teeth for more than just eating. The activity shows class members how to send sound through their teeth by using an electric motor connected to a radio to generate vibrations. Biting on the motor...

Students describe, represent and analyze patterns and relationships using shapes. They create simple geometric patterns. They demonstrate increasing technical ability and skill to complete visual arts assignments.

Students explore cultural history by participating in an arts and crafts activity. In this weaving lesson, students identify the many cultures that used weaving methods and local plant life to create baskets and other useful tools....

Students view various images designed to create a sense of disequilibrium in visual perception. They view the images, decide what they see in each, record their ideas, and write stories based upon their observations.

Middle schoolers examine how depth perception works through a class experiment. They design and perform their own experiment that investigates visual illusions.

Students examine inkblot images. In this visual arts lesson, students consider perception as an element of art as they partipate in activity that requires them create and analyze inkblot art. Students analyze several pieces of art...

Students take digital pictures of themselves before using a stylus pen on to trace their facial features on a graphic pad. Using an Internet gallery of body drawings they complete a caricature of themselves. In two other activities, they...