Curated OER
Logos and Commercial Arts
Students identify popular logos and discuss the purpose they serve in advertising. They take a familiar logo and redesign it based on their own experience with the company it represents.
Curated OER
Starfish Project
Students discuss ocean waters, tides, tide pools and the animals which live in the tide pools. They practice the push and pull method with a chink of clay to create a starfish from clay. They apply texture and decorate the starfish...
Curated OER
State Issues: The Native People of Hawaii
Students research issues about their state and community. They work in groups to create a multi-media presentation highlighting the issues.
Mexic-Arte Museum
El Dia de los Muertos
Celebrate the traditional Mexican holiday El Dia de los Muertos! Explore the intricate history behind the traditions, compare other cultural rituals honoring the dead, and create sugar skulls. Learners read informational text on Aztec...
Curated OER
Gateway to the Arts
Students redesign a dead space in the school to create an interesting and stimulating visual environment. In this art design lesson, students look at how to redesign architectural space and research ways to enhance a space. Students then...
Nemours KidsHealth
Eating Disorders: Grades 3-5
Explore the idea of self-esteem through different mediums. Research what is needed for increased self-esteem: list three things one might do well in, take a photo of an activity where each student is performing well, and examine how the...
Georgia Aquarium
The Ocean's Nursery
Linear perspective, estuaries, and water ways converge in a science-inspired art project. The class uses what they've learned about eco-systems, estuaries, and the food chain to create scale models of a local marsh. While the lesson is...
Smithsonian Institution
Latino Expression
How much of your daily life is influenced by Latin American music? Take a listen—the answer may surprise you! High schoolers keep a journal to note any instances they see Latino culture represented, including the media, their school, and...
Curated OER
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Packet
Readers of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are directed to complete two projects as a part of their study of Mark Twain’s novel. Individuals craft an organized notebook containing all their work during the study, and they research...
Curated OER
Native American Clay Pots
Learners explore world culture by conducting an art project in class. In this Native American culture lesson, students identify the types of materials American Indians utilized in their artistic endeavors, specifically clay. Learners...
Curated OER
Follow the Drinking Gourd
Learners create an art project based on "Follow the Drinking Gourd," a song used to guide slaves to freedom during the Civil War. They read a picture book to learn the story of how Harriet Tubman and Peg Leg Joe led slaves to freedom.
Digital Forsyth
Photo Analysis for Visual Impact
A lesson on photo analysis, compare and contrast, and an art project are here for the taking. Fourth graders analyze photographs of gas stations from now and from the past, focusing on how the cars and building designs are a form of art....
Curated OER
Calico Watercolor Cats
A fun art project, this lesson incorporates math and listening skills as young artists play with a new painting technique. First the teacher models how to draw a cat using shapes, an oval for the body, triangles for the ears and so on,...
Curated OER
Papyrus to PDA
What a great project. Graphic arts learners consider the social, political, and economic impact made by a chosen invention. They build an argument to substantiate their reasons for choosing said invention. They create an oral...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Gorongosa: Making Observations Activity
Do you have young scientists wanting to make new discoveries rather than just completing the same experiments? Young scientists use their observational skills to identify animals and patterns in animal behavior. Through tracking...
Curated OER
Great Online Art Sites
Students complete an online study of art websites. In this art and technology lesson, students explore the links and try the activities to learn about art online.
Curated OER
Cyberbullying: Effects on Teens Across the Nation (Segment 3)
Free speech, privacy, and cyberbullying are the focus of a series of activities that prompt class members to engage in discussions about these interrelated topics. They view a segment from PBS’s series on bullying, read articles about...
Knoxville Art Museum
Lee Walton: Codes in Drawings
Familiar with the systems-based sports drawing of experimental artist Lee Walton? If so, this drawing exercise if for you. Young artists observe an activity over time, develop a coded language for the activity, and then draw a...
Curated OER
Immigration Debate
The 2010 immigration bill passed in Arizona provides class members with an opportunity to examine various perspectives of the immigration debate by watching news videos, reading interview, editorials, and viewing images. Discussion...
Curated OER
Magazine Production
Analyze magazines as a class, looking carefully for the target audience, advertisements, and topics presented. Small groups then work as a publication team and receive a magazine that they have to "sell." Each individual has a different...
The New York Times
Big Brother vs. Little Brother: Updating Orwell's 1984
Government surveillance is an enduring conflict that has become increasingly complex with our nation's use of technology. Add to the understanding of Orwell’s 1984 by using the resources here that display the contemporary actions of Big...
Curated OER
Logo Design Basics: Your Name Here
Students become familiar with the fundamentals of graphic design to develop a logo. In this logo design lesson, students generate their own two logos using their own name and a personal hobby as inspiration. Students select their...
Curated OER
Coping With Violence
Students conduct surveys to see how the media influences their lives. In this media lesson plan, students make art projects that reflect their reactions to current conflicts and violence that is spread through the media.
Curated OER
Media Awareness: Helping a Product Cross the Finish Line
Students develop critical thinking skills to understand and create advertisements. In this journalism lesson, students analyze the elements necessary for effective advertisements and work in cooperative groups to create and present...