National Gallery of Canada
Who Are You?
What can a self-portrait reveal about an artist? Discuss various self-portraits before tasking your pupils with creating their own. Learners research artists, develop an idea of their own individuality, and create photo collages with...
National Portrait Gallery (UK)
Explore Elizabeth I
Keen observation skills are an essential trait for good artists. Discuss the elements of a portrait with your class using terminology such as, full-face, profile, quarter-length, full-length. After that, they can use the included...
Digital Wish
Illustration: Self Portrait in a Masterpiece
Technology and art combine in a creative lesson. Kids discuss portrait art and they search online and save a portrait created by one of their favorite artists. They have their picture taken exactly like their chosen portrait, then use...
New Class Museum
Lesson: Elizabeth Peyton: Portraits: Androgyny in Contemporary Culture
Portraiture, artistic expression, romanticism, and androgyny are discussed in a thought-provoking lesson. Upper graders first discuss and examine the history of portraiture and the elements common to the Romantic style. Then they turn...
Curated OER
About Faces and Fractions
Third graders review concepts of fractions, and one-half. They discuss self portraits and the relationships of eyes, nose and mouth to the whole face. Students create base-line self-portraits. On the second day, 3rd graders observe and...
Curated OER
Pastel Scratch Portrait
A great cross-curricular project for any art classroom, this activity encourages young artists to consider color, pattern, texture, shape and line in their depiction of a historical figure. After researching a historical figure of their...
Curated OER
Presidential Sweepstakes
Fifth graders visit the National Gallery of Art and are introduced to portraiture as well as politics and presidents. They use these themes to form political parties and carry out their own "election".
Curated OER
Becoming Part of the Action
Young scholars improve visualization skills through role play, texture identification, and storytelling. They discuss connections between a painting and their own lives.
Curated OER
Art Self-Assessment
Reflection is a wonderful way to understand yourself as a learner or as an artist. Kids write a one-paragraph analysis of their own self-portrait. They focus on style, character traits, and self characterization.
Curated OER
Reflections Of Me!
Young scholars create a 2-D and 3-D work of art depicting qualities and experiences from their own lives. This innovative activity uses hollowed out, recycled books as the "art canvas" for the project.
Curated OER
People, Places, and Things
Students review art history in the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. In this art history lesson, students discuss art vocabulary emphasizing landscape, portrait, and still life. They visit the museum and create their own pictures.
Curated OER
Celebrate Abe Lincoln: A Primary Timeline Activity
Young scholars explore the qualities possessed by Abraham Lincoln. In this Abraham Lincoln lesson, students create a timeline of events that shows why Abraham Lincoln could overcome obstacles to be come President. Young scholars create a...
Curated OER
Self-Portrait Unit - Lesson #1
Fourth graders create self-portraits using artistic elements found in Hispanic culture and, specifically, the art of Frida Kahlo. The lesson can be adapted for any culture/country and requires an outside person with cultural knowledge.
Curated OER
Indian PowWow
Students identify three different American Indian regions and tribes, their food, clothing, shelter, recreation, and transportation. Students create artifacts that can be placed in a museum. Students sing songs, chants, and dance. ...
Curated OER
Miriam Schapiro Action Figures Collage
Students create a background with a marbling technique. They plan and create a figure from assorted papers, mixing solids and patterns. Students glue the figure to the background, and embellish negative space with glitter.
Curated OER
Mother's Day Activities
Students create portraits, short stories, hugging hands, and more crafts for Mother's Day. In this Mother's Day lesson plan, students also create flower pots and answer short answer questions.
Curated OER
Draw Johann Sebastian Bach
Students sketch a portrait of Johann Sebastian Bach. In this portrait lesson plan, students discover the elements of drawing a face. Students manipulate curved lines and shading to create an original piece of art.
Curated OER
In your Science! - Merging Art and Science
Ninth graders reflect on what they have learned throughout the unit. In this Science lesson, 9th graders demonstrate how working together can produce an informative useful project.
Curated OER
Leonardo the Genius
In this artists history worksheet, students read an excerpt about Leonardo Da Vinci. They suggest what natural abilities, attitudes, and personal characteristics he would have needed to do all the famous works that he painted. Students...
Curated OER
Find–a-word
In this word search instructional activity about Australia, students respond to each of 25 questions that are hints to locate the vocabulary terms in the puzzle. The list of words is not given.
Curated OER
Sculptural Heads
Learners create sculptures of a human head with Sculptamold. They comprehend and apprecitate portraits and sculptures of the human face as art forms and the opportunity to incorporate human feelings and emotions in their own art....
Curated OER
Monochromatic Self Portraits
Pupils use a photograph of themselves and the photoshop computer program to create a posterized portrait showing mood and feelings through color. Students then paint their portrait using a mix of warm and cool colors.
Curated OER
Modern Day Mona Lisa
Students create a portrait of a woman from our current era. They discuss what they would include in a portrait for our era in the U.S., list current trends and styles, and create a modern-day "Mona Lisa" portrait.
Curated OER
Visual Arts - Portraits and Paintings
First graders examine portraits and paintings. They create their own self-portrait.