Curated OER
Back To The Drawing Board
Students recognize and imitate Leonardo da Vinci's unique artistic style. Through observation and practice, students capture the look of real things from many angles in actual space. They attempt their own still life drawing.
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Rotating Table Art
Students use a variety of art media to create a picture. In this mixed media lesson, students choose media as they move from one table to another. At each table they add to their picture from the media at that table. Students have a...
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Portraits, Pears, and Perfect Landscapes: Investigating Genre in the Visual Arts
Young scholars define genre in the visual arts, particularly in Western painting and explain the differences between subject and genre. The genre of a variety of works of art is identified.
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Mixed Media Painting
Students create mixed media still life paintings in this "Happy Accident" art lesson introducing the concepts of using pen and ink, watercolors, and pastels. The lesson can be adapted for various grade levels and abilities ranging from...
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The Great Art of Henri Matisse
Students discover the artistic works of Henri Matisse, and examine what his work means. In this art instructional activity, students observe the different paintings/collages of Henri Matisse, eventually creating works of their own based...
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Talk The Talk
Students create their own "talking sticks" that reflect personas they have invented in this Art lesson designed to introduce the Yoruba peoples from Nigeria. Emphasis is placed on personal reflection after completing the "sticks".
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Visual Arts: Portraits
Second graders examine a portrait of George Washington, and analyze the historical record and likeness in portraits of the period. They create their own portraits from snapshots brought to school.
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Terrific Traveling Tour
Fifth graders discover the career of a museum curator as they assemble mock museum displays and gather information on famous works of art. The lesson is very complete and includes lesson extensions, resource links, and curricular...
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City Wildlife in a Vase
Students examine a still-life painting. They discuss the observation of nature by scientists and artists and explore the symbolism of biological life cycles depicted in a painting.
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Paradox Worlds
Students view and analyze "Still Life," by Cornelis de Heem. They answer discussion questions about the painting, write similes, discuss symbolism, create a still life sketch, and create a paint box poem.
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Still Life Predictions
Third graders read part of the story "Balto, the Dog Who Saved Nome". They make predictions about the story ending and identify the picture clues and textual information they used to form their predictions. They discuss the story's ending.
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Clearly Classified
Young scholars review the classification system for living organisms and apply it the classification of insects and flowers in the still life by Ambrosius Bosschaert. They create a chart classifying the animals and plants in the painting...
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One Moment in Time
Students discuss the Mimetic theory and design a still life design in linoleum block. In this Mimetic theory activity, students discuss the importance of realism in art and research Greek and Roman art forms from which the Mimetic...
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Create, Design, and Invent with Plastic
Students explore creative ways to reuse materials. In this ecology/art lesson, students create artwork using trash. Students view examples of folk art from around the world that used waste products as a main component.
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Art Through the Eyes of Youth
Learners take a field trip to an art gallery reflecting on the paintings they like the most. Individually, they use magazines to find pictures related to their personality. In pairs, they make a mask to represent their ethnic group and...
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Artist Research
Students research an artist of their choice on the internet. They are provided with questions (worksheets included with the lesson) as a guide for their research. Students choose an artwork by their artist to critique.
Lerner Publishing
Meet the Dinosaurs
Take your class of youngsters on a prehistoric adventure with this four-lesson series on dinosaurs. Accompanying the Meet the Dinosaurs books by Don Lessem, these lessons engage children in writing their own dinosaur books, making...
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Cultural "Art"-ifacts
Seventh graders explore how culture is reflected through art. After researching the art of a specific culture, 7th graders create replicas of art objects that reflect the ideals, values, and history of the culture.
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Shaping Ideas: Symbolism in Sculpture
Young scholars critique the symbolic structures created by other students. In this visual arts lesson, young scholars display completed sculptures and drawings. Students analyze the symbolic elements in each others work, relate their art...
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Modern Art Styles of Matisse
Students study the history of Matisse as an artist and focus upon his influences upon the style of art that he was famous for. The learners perform research about the life and works. Then they create a work of art that is similar to the...
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Abraham Lincoln and the Arts
Students engage in a study of history and how the figure of Abraham Lincoln has evolved into a national cultural icon. They discuss the importance of his life and how he influenced the political landscape of America in the past and present.
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It's All In How You Look At It
Students work collaboratively to create artistic renderings of digital photographs using a color value scale and grid techniques in this late-elementary school lesson based upon Ted Rose's book Discovering Drawing. The lesson includes a...
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The Poetry of Chinoiserie
High schoolers study Asian works of art and Japanese haiku. They then take this knowledge and create an original haiku in response to other works of art.
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Values and Composition
Students examine and analyze the values of gray and the composition in photographs by Ansel Adams. They discuss elements of art, draw shapes and lines, complete a tone rectangle, and create a still life drawing.