Students explore basic shapes in Monet's paintings Wheatstacks, Snow Effect and Morning. They study about light and shadows through reading and experimenting with three-dimensional models and flashlights.

Students examine the evolution of landscape painting in France from the 17th to the 19th century. They study and compare three landscape paintings, emphasizing space, depth, and the concepts of foreground, middle ground, and background.

Students study Chinese jade carvings and then carve an animal from soap in a similar fashion.

High schoolers analyze neoclassical art. In this art history lesson, students listen to their instructor present a lecture regarding the details of the art produced during the Enlightenment.

Students compare and contrast an academic and Impressionist portrait. In this art history lesson, students look at two different styles of painting and write a paragraph as if they are the subject in the painting. They compare and...

Middle schoolers discover propaganda.  In this Greek mythology instructional activity, students discuss meanings of ancient art work with their class.  Middle schoolers investigate the dishonesty behind propaganda.  

Learners examine Rembrandt's "Abduction of Europa." In this Greek art lesson, students discuss how the artist has taken an ancient Greek myth and contemporized it. Learners read origin myths and choose a scene to illustrate in a...

Young scholars explore a portrait and then create their own portrait as a gift.  In this bust art lesson, students use model techniques to create a three dimensional bust portrait.  Young scholars analyze the elements of...

Students discuss persuasive messages in art. In this art history lesson, students research 17th- century European sculptures to find the messages given. They create their own sculptures and write press releases to explain their art. 

Students research the art of John Baldessari. In this art history lesson, students examine Baldessari's drawing of a beetle and discuss the characteristics of these bugs. They write a story from a bug's perspective and create their own...

Students explore stock characters and pantomime. For this comic theater lesson, students examine an ancient Greek statuette depicting a comic actor and an ancient Roman lamp decorated with a comic mask. Students pantomime short scenes...

Students examine the tapestry "Chariot of Triumph." In this symbolism lesson, students analyze the symbols in the tapestry and what they represent. Students create their own design for a tapestry by using various symbols that represent...

Students explore the concept of myths conveyed through art. In this art history lesson, students examine "Three Goddesses" and discuss the state of the world at the time that Nollekens created the sculptures as they analyze the pieces.

How would Jean-Etiénne Liotard paint the characters from "The Little Mermaid?" What would the main character from "The Little Match Girl" look like from Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes' point of view? After examining various paintings...

Students sharpen their creative writing skills by writing dialogues with unfamiliar objects while visiting local museums. They select an object in the museum, such as a painting, and create conversations between the people or animals...

Students create their own fairy tale.  In this book making instructional activity, students write a fairy tale and turn it into a book. They use decorated initials and borders to make it look like an illuminated manuscript.

Sixth graders create and design paper as an exploration of the history in making paper from pulp. Students will work in pairs or alone to create a piece of paper from raw materials.

Students create a project poster displaying photos, drawings, and journal writings that incorporate the major themes of California's missions, and use perspective and point of view both visually and in writing.

Students observe the changes a class tree goes through as the seasons change and record observations in journals. They investigate changes in the weather, changes in the length of the day, and how that affects people. They create...

Students watch the PBS program "In the Mix" about teen immigrants. They discover the number of immigrants in America and their problems moving to this country. They answer questions as the film plays.

Learners explore Native American weaving patterns and dance movements. In this Native Americans instructional activity, students view examples of weaving patterns on the Internet and compare the patterns to a Native American dance....

Students participate in tactile and visual exploration. In this tactile and visual exploration activity, students listen to John Archambault's, Grandmother's Garden, and sing the song, "Friends Are Like Flowers." They participate in ice...

Young scholars examine the use of composition and line as they create original drawings.  In this composition and line lesson plan, students recognize the art vocabulary associated with line and composition.  Young scholars...

Learners create a class alphabet book. In this letter recognition lesson, students use line and color to draw an object whose name begins with a specific letter. Learners use adjectives to create a sentence describing the object or...