Curated OER
Exploring Pottery Techniques
Students examine Native American pottery. In this visual arts instructional activity, students analyze burnished and glazed clay pots. Students study how to create pots from online sources and respond to questions about the process....
Curated OER
Imagining China Through Words
Students create a drawing from a written description to examine images of China in European art. In this art analysis instructional activity, students create a visual image from a written description of an object. Students compare their...
Curated OER
Lesson: Jeremy Deller: Conversing about Conflict
Bridge cultural awareness, community, government, and art with an introspective and thought-provoking lesson. Upper graders become globally and socially aware as they analyze and explore the art of Jeremy Deller. They consider his images...
Curated OER
Clay Wipe Away: Ceramics
Discuss Pre-Colombian South American art with your class, then get out the clay and create some. Pupils practice using the wipe-away technique to create a ceramic tile similar to those made by the Maya. Great web links and a...
Curated OER
Spiritual Space
Students explore Italian Renaissance artwork. In this visual arts lesson, students examine "Madonna, Saint Thomas Aquinas, and Saint Paul'" by Bernardo Daddi. Students investigate the use of space, scale, and proportion in the work prior...
Public Media for Northern California
An Educator’s Guide to Teaching Gun Control Issues | The Lowdown
The topic of gun control is vast, controversial, and difficult to introduce to students. This gem of a resource covers both sides of the issue and provides topic background, various multimedia and print resources, analysis questions, and...
J. Paul Getty Trust
Expressing Emotions through Art Lesson 4—Everybody Celebrates
Learners create a celebratory hat after viewing images of artwork depicting people celebrating an event. In this artistic perception lesson plan, students discover why people celebrate their accomplishments and how to express feelings...
Curated OER
Lesson: Text Messages
Can a neon sign be considered art? Kids consider two different works that use neon text as the basis for conveying artistic social messages. They then analyze a truism from Jenny Holzer's web site that holds meaning to them personally....
Curated OER
Education, Design & Empowerment: Part One
Students consider the connection between poverty and education. In this language arts and social studies lesson plan, students research primary and secondary sources in order to explore the relationship between education and poverty.
Asian Art Museum
Telling Tales with Kamishibai
Kamishibai (paper drama), is a Japanese form of storytelling that uses emakimono (paper picture scrolls), to relay a moral lesson. As part of a series of resources that examine Japanese art and artists, learners watch a video retelling...
Curated OER
Agriculture Awareness Through Poetry
Whether you are viewing a landscape painting of a farm, examining a still-life portrait of a bowl of fruit, or reading a descriptive poem about cultivating food, you can't deny that agriculture plays a major role in visual and language...
Curated OER
Fantasy / Art Maps
Ninth graders analyze a fantasy art map by Jeremy Anderson, paying careful attention to the way the topographic features of the land are represented. They create a similar map of Sacramento that includes topographical features as well as...
Curated OER
Politics and Religion in 17th Century Dutch Art
Seventh graders examine different pieces of Dutch Art. They identify its social and political meanings by using cultural and historical information. They examine maps of the time period as well.
Curated OER
Nataraj Shiva as Lord of the Dance
Young scholars considers the piece of artwork entitled, The Nataraj, Lord Shiva and Lord of the Dance to visualize several of the most important ideas of Hinduism.
Curated OER
Lewis and Clark: Artful Recordings
Young scholars examine the nature journals of Lewis and Clark. In this primary source analysis lesson, students research the journals that the members of the Corps of Discovery kept during the expedition and then conduct further research...
Curated OER
If These Walls Could Talk
Students explore Enlightenment and Neoclassical art. In this visual arts activity, students compare and contrast images of architecture from both styles. Students create visual art designs that feature the ideals of the Enlightenment.
Curated OER
Celebration and Satire
Students compare and contrast different perspectives of the French Revolution. For this visual arts lesson, students discuss the use of satire and caricature in history and create satirical cartoons based on contemporary issues.
Curated OER
Putting a Spin on Current Events
Students explore the artistic value of propaganda. In this visual arts lesson, students analyze antique artistic pieces for their political agenda perpetuation. Students discuss propaganda techniques of the past to today prior to...
Curated OER
Still Life Goes On
Students investigate the Turner Prize. For this visual arts lesson, students visit selected Web sites to research the visual arts award and its recipients. Students compare and contrast pieces of art their instructor shares with them.
Curated OER
Sculpting a Modern Hero
Students examine the sculpture of the Greek hero Herakles. In this visual arts lesson, students choose a modern hero and create a sculpture that features the hero’s identity and attributes.
Curated OER
An Introduction to Inuit Art
Explore Inuit artwork and research Inuit sculpture and printmaking. Present information about the artwork, artists, and art forms researched. Discuss the attributes of Inuit artwork in a group discussion.
Curated OER
Spirit Mask Ashira/Bapunu, Ogowe River, Gabon
Explore the concept of beauty as it has been seen through the eyes of various African tribal groups. Learners create masks of beauty as they see it, taking the African concept of inner beauty into consideration. This lesson is great for...
Asian Art Museum
Create Your Own Samurai (Breastplate) Armor
Your class is going to love this activity. They get out their rulers, cardboard, and paints as they make Samurai breastplates. The simple art lesson lends itself to many different subjects such as, math/measurement, world history, and...
Curated OER
The Art of Protesting
Young scholars view various images to examine different types of protest Americans have used throughout history, and explore ways in which protest can produce change for better or worse.