Museum of Modern Art
Modern Art and Ideas
The Museum of Modern Art provides this educators' guide to Dada and Surrealism. Featuring the works of such artists as Jean Arp, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, and Meret Oppenheim among others, the guide is ideal for art history and...
Curated OER
Lesson: After Nature: Visions and Visionaries
Build visual literacy, discussion, and critical thinking skills with an innovative art instructional activity. Young analysts discuss the use of decalcomania, surrealism, and automatism in various contemporary pieces, discuss constructed...
Dick Blick Art Materials
“Decalcomania” Glue Paint Symmetry Prints
Who knew you could paint with glue? After first adding liquid water color paints to bottles of white Elmer's glue and applying them to paper, students of all ages are then challenged to use their imagination and creativity to draw in...
Curated OER
Lesson: Double Album: Pick up the Right Things
Kids consider contemporary art as a forum for modern culture. They engage in a discussion about poetry and art that expresses feelings of surrealism and schizophrenia. They then create a collection of material objects and compose a paper...
Pace University
Surrealism
Introduce studio artists to the elements and principles of surrealism with a lesson that includes models of the works of famous surrealists. Class members then select a project from a menu and create their own film, poem, or...
Curated OER
Escape from Reality: Miro and Surrealism
Students examine the artwork of Joan Miro. In this art appreciation lesson, students research the life and work of Miro as a surreal artist. Students create their own surreal art as they follow Miro's techniques.
Curated OER
The Surreal Deal
Students examine the art-historical contexts used by Salvador Dali and identify examples of them. They explore surrealism by playing the game Exquisite Corpse, automatic writing or drawing, and dream illustration. They tour the Dali Museum.
Curated OER
Lesson: Double Album: Sentence as Thought
The cut-up technique invented by surrealist artist Tristan Tzara is the focus for today. Young artists examine the technique and analyze its use in relation to expressing and viewing the world. They then use a newspaper to create a...
Curated OER
Art in Nazi Germany When Art and Politics Didn't Agree
Five lessons display the art created by Germans under the Weimar Republic. The focus of these lessons is to help learners understand the role of art in politics, government censorship, and Nazi tactics. Web links are included.
Curated OER
Oh My Gosh, It's a Bosch
Students explore the art of Hieronymous Bosch. In this surreal art lesson, students look at paintings by the Dutch painter and then follow the provided steps to create their own surreal piece inspired by his works.
Curated OER
The Surreal World
High schoolers explore the concept of Surrealism and how it can be expressed in various art forms. They next create a Surrealist collage, and engage in a Surrealist process to invent a title for their work. They critique a class...
Curated OER
Rhythm and Improv, Jazz and Poetry
Connect the ideas of jazz improvisation and art to writing poetry. Learners collaborate and write different lines of poetry, imitating the jazz styles of improvisation and freewriting. Take a close look at the poems "Tenebrae" by Yusef...
Curated OER
Dali & Desnos
High schoolers explore surreal art and poetry. In this visual arts instructional activity, students examine works by André Breton, Robert Desnos, Salvador Dalí, and Joan Miro. High schoolers then apply the techniques in the works they...
Curated OER
Daydreaming with Marc Chagall
Explore the concepts of surrealism and cubism that Marc Chagall portrayed in his art. Your elementary artists will read articles about the artist and practice the methods used in surrealism and cubism.
Curated OER
Give It All You’ve Got Heroes and Visual Art
Sure, your young artists probably know Van Gogh and Picasso, but are they equally as familiar with Frida Kahlo and Andy Warhol? Small groups examine the work of famous artists. Then, they create their own hero portraits in Cubist style...
Curated OER
Wide Awake Dreaming
Students examine and discuss works of art by Juan Miro and other surrealist artists. They discuss paintings of Juan Miro, create a drawing of a dream-like creature, and write a description of their creature.
Curated OER
Dali & Desnos: Surrealism in Poetry and Art
High schoolers research the surrealism movement and its primary artists. Language is also analyzed, and students will create their own original poem utilizing surrealistic techniques.
Curated OER
Stephen Crane - Surrealism and the Antihero
Students analyze the work of Stephen Crane as a lesson on surrealism and an antihero. In this surrealism lesson, students complete discuss activities for the topic. Students then analyze Crane's poetry, his use of surrealism, and the...
Curated OER
Beginning with Bosch
Students become familiar with surrealism through the artwork of Hieronymus Bosch. In this Bosch activity, students explore symmetry and surrealism. Students create step by drawings on the computer in the style of Hieronymus Bosch....
Curated OER
Surrealism
A study of the Surrealist Movement can lead students on an exploration of art, philosophy, and culture.
Curated OER
Students Get Animated: Make Existing Lessons Move and Motivate Students
Students study the chemical elements in a computer generated cartoon format. In this computer animation and chemistry lesson, students learn how to animate using computer programs. Students use animation to learn about the Periodic Table...
Curated OER
Get Surreal
Students analyze and write text for audio guides about particular pieces of art from the Surrealism movement.
Curated OER
Surreal Hands
Pupils compare and contrast various forms of artistic expression. They examine the similarities and differences of how various artists worked.
University of Arizona
Found News Poems
Combine informational text and creative writing with one fun activity! Middle and high schoolers write found poems based on newspaper headlines that they find. The resource includes a thorough lesson plan and many links to articles that...