Students practice using substitution as a creative way of thinking about writing and try to substitute song lyrics, food items, rhythm movements and more. In this substitution lesson plan, students create a new candy, and create...

Students explore symbols and what they represent. In this visual art lesson, students collect various symbols and discuss what they represent. Students create and discuss personal symbols which represent themselves.

Young scholars create a portrait of themselves with a grandparent.  In this visual art lesson, students read the book entitled The Hello Goodbye Window and discuss the events.  Young scholars then draw a portrait of themselves...

Students consider the relocation of Japanese Americans during World War II. In this Japanese relocation lesson plan, students examine photographs by Dorothea Lange, the "Pledge of Allegiance," and a US government flyer from 1942. They...

Learners explore critical thinking by conducting a reaction time experiment. In this human brain instructional activity, students utilize a timed Internet worksheet activity to research how fast their brain works when answering...

Students create stories using only pictures.  In this visual storytelling lesson, students read Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie de Paola and analyze the wordless story.  Students create new text for the book by writing on...

How do you represent a tragic event? Are stories of tragic events better left untold? After reading chapter two of Maus and studying other representations of the Holocaust (suggestions are included), class members create a representation...

Group members take on roles to create a positive classroom community. Learners perform their role—leader, recorder, presenter, timekeeper, encourager, and collector—in preparation for a formal presentation of their positive thinking...

Positive and negative thinking is the focus of a lesson that boost self-awareness. Beginning with a whole-class discussion, scholars brainstorm what positive thinking looks and sounds like then compares and contrast the two types of...

Students predict and draw what a picture would look like if a camera zoomed out on it. In this visual arts instructional activity, students listen to a reading of Istavan Banyai's, Zoom before looking at an image of "Rhyme" by Terry...

Bugs can be creepy - and fun! Kids create a positive and negative design by repeatedly drawing a simple insect overlaid with a geometric shape. The outcome is really neat and will help build spacial reasoning, visual acuteness,...

Young cartographers in groups hide treasure at school and then create a map to find it using pattern blocks and tiles. They make paintings with clues to create a visual representation of the location of their treasure. Groups present...

Playing pretend with real objects or concepts is a wonderful way for learners to make object-to-action connections, as well as practice daily living skills. Learners with visual and intellectual disabilities use a wide variety of real...

Get that thinking cap on and engage your special ed or autistic learners in a fun sorting activity. This resource includes instructions and all printable materials needed to start sorting. They will sort colors blue and red, numbers 1,...

Think about your favorite place ... now, think about what it looks like at different times during the day. How does the change in lighting affect the colors you see? Young artists explore the tools available in digital art software to...

Here is a fun drawing activity that is sure to develop listening, shape recognition, drawing, skills and eye-hand coordination. The class doodles over an entire page based on the instructions they are given. This resource includes...

Look at life from a bug's perspective, and create a wonderful image based on what you think it sees. Learners use the crayon resist painting technique to draw and paint and picture of a bug's world from its point of view. Tip: This would...

Tropical fish are a great subject for any art project, they are colorful, interesting, and can go along with under water themed stories read in class, learner written narratives, or Marine Biology units. This set of instructions will...

There are many ways to tell a story; Richard Patterson's three-dimensional painting If serves as the inspiration for some creative storytelling for elementary school writers. They watch a clip from Toy Story (you'll need to...

Every artist creates in his own unique way drawing from a variety of inspirational sources. Upper graders work to expand their understanding of the creative process by first analyzing a modern piece and then creating one. They listen to...

Any time kids engage in a design project, they are building problem-solving skills, collaborative learning skills, and creative thinking skills. Upper graders take a nature walk to observe and sketch organic shapes and lines that they...

Students create a drawing representative of what peace looks like and evaluate their thinking process.  In this art for peace lesson plan, students use paper to begin their drawing. Students also have the option to use a drawing...

Use political cartoons to help your class understand the European Debt Crisis and visual symbolism. This analysis handout includes two cartoons depicting the crisis and prompts learners to consider possible symbols and allusions to best...