Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: Tomma Abts: Abstract Painting

For Teachers 9th - 12th
One must first learn how to analyze art before they can properly respond to it. Here, young analysts examine six abstract pieces in a systematic and formal way. They then respond to one of the pieces in either a poem or an essay. An...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson Plan: Carving Through History

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Peek into the art and history of ancient Mexico by analyzing the artifact Stone Serpent Heads. Learners examine images of the piece, discuss its origin, history, and significance. They experience the carving process by creating similar...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson Plan: A Bird's Tale

For Teachers K - 5th
Who wouldn't love to get a letter from a blue bird? Elementary art enthusiasts analyze the social and historical context of Ason Yellowhair's Navajo piece, Bird and Cornstalk Rug. They examine the construction and images on the rug...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: Communication, What's Valued, and the Written Word

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Upper graders compare their cell phones to a lacquer box from the Japanese Edo Period. They consider how each is a form of communication and how the very nature of each object communicates social norms, ideology, and beliefs. A...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: I Am the Wall

For Teachers 6th - 12th
The Maya created amazing stone carvings and sculptures, but what were they for? Kids analyze the significance and purpose of a Maya stela and then write a creative piece. They imagine they are the stela, and write a story about what life...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: A Fitting Situation

For Teachers 6th - 12th
In the Enemy's Country is a painting that depicts several Native Americans dressed and ready for war. Youngsters analyze the artistic and storytelling elements the artist used to convey his idea. They then write a creative piece from the...
Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Lesson: Impressions

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Here, Autumn Poplars is the painting upper graders will analyze. They look at techniques, time period, and the use of impressionism to convey a natural theme. They go outside to make observations of nature and use what they see to write...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: Animal Journeys

For Teachers K - 5th
Here is a great way to get the brain going. Children look at an image of the sculpture, Jar and then imagine what an animal would look like as it moved inside the sculpture. They then use clay and cookie cutters to create a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Art Criticism: Understanding Wayne Thiebaud's Salads, Sandwiches, and Desserts

For Teachers 9th - 12th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Seeing Art in Historical Context: An Activity to Promote Visual Literacy

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students consider works of art in their historical context. In this art in historical context lesson, students are encouraged to think about and record their prior knowledge of the historical period and to make inferences about the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Disability in the Media Lesson Plan: Braille

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students determine the workings of the Braille alphabet and how people with visual impairments learn how to use it. In this Braille lesson, students study the associated vocabulary, read about Helen Keller, and complete associated...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: Urs Fischer: Your Choice: Reality or Illusion?

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Young analysts write a comparative essay, but about what? They compose a paper based on several critical discussion about reality and illusion, and how both are blurred in art. They analyze several theatre pieces that exemplify Brechtian...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: Ahoy! A Painting!

For Teachers K - 12th
Kids listen to the story, How I Became a Pirate and analyze the painting, Our Lady of the Victory of Malaga. So, what do these to things have in common? The art depicts the time period and style. And, the story sets their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: That Long Jakes

For Teachers 1st - 6th
Cross-media analysis takes time and attention to detail. The class analyzes the painting Long Jakes and the poem "Backward Bill." They pay attention to the similarities and differences in each piece, looking for details that describe the...
Unit Plan
MDE k-12

Lesson 5: The Journey Becomes Larger Than Life!

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Many muralists throughout history have focused on using their art to represent aspects of their culture or community. After thoroughly researching several muralists, budding artists will create a larger than life mural that contains...
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Curated OER

Seeing the Image in Imagery: A Lesson Plan Using Film

For Students 11th - 12th Standards
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: Mad Lib Leigh!

For Teachers K - 5th
A fun and quirky painting is analyzed for details in an art/literacy lesson plan. Youngsters look for colors, shadows, and details and then describe them using vivid language. They use the words from discussion to complete a fun Mad...
Lesson Plan
J. Paul Getty Trust

Exhibiting Common Threads

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Artists working in different media often explore the same themes—to model how these same themes weave their way through different forms of artistic expression, scholars analyze images by Dorothea Lange, identifying key themes in her...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dorothea Lange and the Relocation of Japanese Americans

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students consider the relocation of Japanese Americans during World War II. In this Japanese relocation lesson, students examine photographs by Dorothea Lange, the "Pledge of Allegiance," and a US government flyer from 1942. They use...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Through Many Lenses: How are Countries Depicted by the Media?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
If you plan to utilize the ABC miniseries, "The Path to 9/11" in your classroom, consider incorporating media literacy and research skills. After (or while) learners view the series, they discuss ways information can differ from source...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Visual Thesaurus and the SAT

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Demonstrate strategies for tackling unfamiliar vocabulary words in preparation for the SAT. Using Visual Thesaurus computer software, middle and high schoolers interpret contextual clues, solve sample sentence completion questions, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How are People Portrayed by Different Media?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Your 9th - 12th graders can hone their analysis and critical thinking skills by studying the way a subject is portrayed across media types. They examine how various print, visual, and online sources have portrayed key players in the 9/11...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Shaking the Movers: Youth Rights and Media

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Children have rights! Exploring those rights and using media to express those rights is the focus of this Media Awareness Network lesson. Although some of the law links reflect the Canadian Articles of The Convention, the majority of the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Media Awareness: the Basics of Advertising

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students explore marketing techniques. In this media awareness lesson, students watch instructor-selected advertising and identify the marketing techniques used in each of them. Students then create advertisements for products.