K12 Reader
The Art of M.C. Escher
Show your class one way in which art and math are related by teaching them about M.C. Escher. Class members read a brief passage and then respond to five related questions.
Curated OER
Build Your Dream Science Lab
Would your ideal science lab be filled with bubbling beakers and zapping Tesla coils? Or would it contain state-of-the-art computer technology and data analysis? Dream big with an innovative lesson that connects math and language arts...
American Institute of Architects
Architecture: It's Elementary!—First Grade
Build an interest and appreciation for architecture in your young learners with this fun 10-lesson art unit. Engaging children in using their five senses, the class first observes the environment around them, paying special attention to...
Curated OER
Tour + Workshop = DESIGN: Shape
Ask elementary learners to explore shapes in everyday objects. They will discuss the elements of design and describe the shapes they see in visual images. Students will then design and "build" a new 3D shape. Finally they will show and...
Curated OER
I Can Build It.....Yes I Can!
Kindergartners listen to a story read by their teacher, then use magnetic shape pieces to construct simple designes. They "build" their own house using pre-cut paper shapes. This age-appropriate lesson would be an excellent choice for...
Curated OER
The Math in the Design and Building of Bridges
Research various types of bridge designs. Your class will be asked to consider what it would be like without bridges while learning about how they work. They will construct a model bridge based on given parameters. They then calculate...
Lincoln Public Schools
Cereal Box Project
Challenge your class with this fun and engaging engineering design project. The goal, to create a brand new cereal complete with a list of ingredients, a name and logo, and a box to hold it in. Starting with a survey to determine the...
Orange Public Schools
Stagecraft
The house lights dim, the curtain parts, lights slowly come up, revealing the stage. Before the actors appear, before a word is spoken, the audience is drawn in by the lighting, by the colors, by lines of the set, by the props, and...
Curated OER
Ancient American Art and Geometry
Students explore the relationship between geometry and ancient American art. They see how to recognize geometric properties in specific works and explain how these properties contribute to their meaning and artistic merit.
Curated OER
Math: The Cathedral Project
Second graders take a field trip to a nearby church or other historical building and examine it from a mathematical perspective. In groups, they calculate the seating capacity, describe the window patterns, differentiate types of...
Curated OER
Paper Maché Mancala Game Boards
Seventh graders create three dimensional works of art from two dimensional plans, develop skills in papier-mach?? technique, utilize elements and principles of design to create 3-D form, and develop math/strategy skills in playing the...
Curated OER
Making/Building Kites
Learners explore kite making. In this cross curriculum fine arts and ancient Chinese history lesson, students activate prior knowledge about how kites were used in ancient Chinese culture. Learners sketch an original kite design, then...
Curated OER
The "Art" of Baseball
Students investigate the art of baseball. In this sports lesson, students discuss their thoughts about the sport of baseball and create a baseball word list. Students use pattern blocks and drawing paper to create a simulated baseball...
Curated OER
Imaginary Spaces: Designing a Play Space
Students apply their enthusiasm for imaginary play to create their own imaginary play space. In this novice architectural design lesson, students arrange and glue pre-cut foam shapes to a cardboard base to set up their play space. In...
Curated OER
Frieze Design in Indigenous Art
Students describe Frieze designs using the work of indigenous people. In this math lesson, students create 7 frieze designs using different patterns. They create one row of repeated art and repeat this 7 times over to show examples of...
Curated OER
Designing Future Houses
Students discuss the changes we face and what kind of future house designs students can imagine. They create a floor plan, make an architectural drawing, and write a short description about their future house.
Teach Engineering
Balsa Glider Competition
Change one variable and try again. Teams build basic balsa gliders and collect data on their flight distances and times. Through collaboration, the team decides on two modifications to make to the basic design and collect data for the...
Curated OER
Scaling Up Art
Students measure a sculpture of a human and measure other students. They determine the average size of humans and create a life size image of the sculpture. They work with percentages as they create the images.
Curated OER
Techno-shapes
Explore the concept of shapes by using tools in Kid Pix Deluxe 4 computer program. This techno-shapes lesson has pupils watching a video about shapes, and using the Kid Deluxe 4 computer program to draw shapes. They get to design their...
Captain Planet Foundation
Shape Shifters in the Math Garden
Combines mathematical measurement with gardening skills. Third graders hunt for worms in the garden and try to find the longest one. They also measure and weigh vegetables that they harvest from the garden, measure rainfall amounts, and...
Curated OER
Parallel and Perpendicular Lines
Fourth graders create a dance with a partner that shows parallel and perpendicular lines. In this lines lesson plan, 4th graders create symmetrical designs and line pairs with their partner.
Curated OER
Design a House
Students explore the basics of house design and compare examples of architecture from different times and places. The influence of site, materials, function, form and style are probed as their own floor plans are created.
Curated OER
Candy Land
In this activity students pretend that they have been hired by a candy manufacturer to design a box for a new product they are beginning to market. The manufacturer has pre-determined the volume of the candy box. It is the students' job...
Curated OER
The Golden Ratio
Seventh graders investigate a ratio found in nature and in numerous pieces of artwork throughout history. The lesson is cross-curricular and builds a sense of appreciation of design for students.