Use of Expression in Art Teacher Resources

Research the use of sand paintings in the Navajo tribe. Your students work together to design their own sand painting. They share their creation with the class describing what the symbols mean.

A person can see a lot of different things when he looks at the amorphous clouds. The same is true when you let your watercolor paints do as they please. Little artists create haphazard art with watercolors, then use ink or marker to...

To the Native American people living on the plains, the buffalo represented culture, art, sustenance, and survival. Explore the history of the buffalo with a social studies lesson, in which learners create a buffalo hide painting in the...

Young artists of many ages apply yarn painting techniques in combining their ideas and their art. After viewing actual examples of yarn paintings created by the Huichol people, learners choose an important scene from their own lives...

Students compare and contrast various forms of artistic expression associated with specific groups of people, geographic regions, or time periods, specifically art of Andean cultures, and create art works using procedures borrowed from...

Class members are presented with the image of a painting and asked to record their first impressions and analysis. They then research the time period in which it was painted and discuss how their research impacted their first impression...

Use art museum paintings as inspiration for your class's creative writing works. Observing the paintings closely, middle and high schoolers list details and write descriptions. Their completed stories are displayed on bulletin boards...

In this visual arts worksheet, learners select paintings to analyze. Students then respond to 3 short answer questions and complete a graphic organizer based on their evaluation of the art.

Sixth graders compare and contrast various forms of artistic expression. They create an abstract painting.

Who's who in World History? Help your historians keep track of major figures with this World History People Review, where students match 96 world figures to the appropriate descriptions. The matching questions are grouped by historical...

Students explore lodge construction as a representation of culture. In this cultural diversity and Native American history lesson, students listen to a narrative explaining the origin of Native American painted lodges. Students design...

Ever think about combining the art forms of painting and embroidery? Then this art lesson plan is right up your alley! Given a piece of white cloth, young artists first create a grayscale painting and then highlight...

Can beautiful words change the world? Literary scholars discover how to paint their visions of change using poetry in a series of three workshops. Each independent topic gives participants a chance to examine their feelings about...

Travel back in American history to the era of slavery and abolition. After reading about the Underground Railroad, young historians examine a painting depicting the event, and write a narrative from the point of view of a person in the...

Young explorers investigate Australian Aboriginal culture by listening to traditional Dreamtime stories and examining dot paintings created by Aboriginal artists. In addition, they locate the country on maps, discuss the geography of...

Sand has been used as an artistic medium for centuries and can be found in cultures across the globe. The class examines sand art created by the Navajo people. They mix tempera paint and sand to create their colors, and then fill jars,...

Learners research art history by creating an illustration in class. In this popular art instructional activity, students identify Keith Haring by researching information on the web. Learners draw people in different athletic poses and...

Students become familiar with Australian "dot paintings." In this Australian Aboriginal Lizard painting lesson plan, students make illustration of three types of lizards and complete pictures using "dot painting." Students recognize the...

Third graders design and create classroom sand painting mural which is comprised of individually designed pieces.

Students explore the history of bark paintings in South America and produce their own version of these paintings.

Kids create leaf people out of sticks, glue, and leaves. They use their imagination to construct leaf people and then glue them onto construction paper. Tip: Extend this craft by incorporating writing. Have learners write a short story...

Students use a grid-like method to create a life-size self-portrait from a 3X5 black and white photo. They explore the different customs and rituals surrounding face painting from ancient through modern civilizations. Students create a...

First graders become familiar with the artist Winslow Homer. They create a seascape scene combining Homer images and their own imagination. They use warm and cool colors. # utilize the wet and dry method of painting

What a great instructional activity! Learners read a story called Painters of the Caves by Patricia Lauber which discusses Stone Age wall paintings in Avignon, France. There is a series of discussion questions, comprehension questions,...