Unity and Harmony Teacher Resources

Explore contemporary American Indian art. After viewing a set of images, class members discuss the design elements of techniques present, as well as how these artists represent history and culture. Learners examine the parfleche and...

Learners make connections between music and visual art. In this integrated arts lesson, students design paintings that challenge them to examine the relationship between art elements and principles.

The set for a play combines design elements (style, line, shape, mass, measure, position, color, and texture) and principles of composition (unity, harmony, contrast, variation, balance, proportion, and emphasis) to create a particular...

Connect design elements and principles to identity a culture with a discussion and related art activity. After analyzing artwork in relation to design, class members talk about personal and cultural identity. Using items that...

Learners explore color, shape, line, balance, radial symmetry, unity, repetition, and pattern as they make a peace quilt inspired by those made by Hawaiian women in the 1800s. After learning a bit about the history or peace quilts, the...

Students create book arts based on a visit to the Botanical Garden. They choose their own images to put into their book and answer discussion questions.

How to use the many design elements such as color harmony, percentage of size combinations, and lines of design are described. Composition of an attractive arrangement with a focal point is addressed. Also included, many...

Introduce your class to the beauty found in Muslim mosques by engaging them in a culturally inspired mosaic art project. They view and discuss the nature of the mosaics found in mosques and then they use scraps of colored paper and black...

Students study line direction in art. In this art lesson on lines, students look at art that portrays lines being used in different ways. They will use what they have learned about lines to create a final composition depicting either...

Students create over twelve hundred miles of themed murals for an art project. They discuss what they want their theme to be and practice drawing the pictures before painting the mural.

Students gain appreciation for the work of Eric Carle. They speculate about a work of art, what materials, techniques and skills were used. They study Carle's work to determine how he did it and explore various water color techniques.

Budding artists experiment with balance and movement as they learn about Alex Calder and his kinetic sculptures. They'll view several of Calder's pieces and review biographical information, then they'll work through the artistic process...

Students 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...

What is a paragraph? This question drives the PowerPoint. Viewers discuss important elements of a solid paragraph, transitions between paragraphs, and strategies for editing. Show this presentation and then look at an example...

Students study Kwanzaa. In this art lesson, students compare Kwanzaa with the American holdiay known as Thanksgiving. Students decorate seven cards with the seven lessons of Kwanzaa written on them.

Students review chord progression while listening to tracks of music. They write melodies to fit a given chord progression. They sing their melodies and analyze how it compares to the original melody.

Fifth graders analyze a landscape depicting Yosemite during the time of the Wild West. They compare their perceptions of the West from film and television to this representation. They observe the use of scale and color to depict size and...

Students create their own pinwheels to celebrate World Peace Day. They follow directions carefully and discuss what peace means to them. They share their pinwheel with the class.

Starts with explaining visual elements, goes through design principles, balance, visual effects, and more. Teaching tips included too.

A brief but effective definition of the Principle of Design known as Variety. There are links to other terms within the definition as well as quotations useful to the topic.

A site by watercolor artist John Lovett. He describes the Elements of Art and Principles of Design and gives tips and techniques for watercolor painting and for composition.