Metropolitan Museum of Art
Islamic Art and Geometric Design
After an overview of Islamic traditions and art, young artists create their own geometric shapes and patterns using only a straightedge and a compass.
Getting to Know
Shape and Form in Art
Introduce youngsters to the important role shape and form play in art with this extensive collection of activities and projects. From teaching first graders how to create mandalas to engaging third and fourth graders in the design of...
Curated OER
Visual Art: Mola Designs
Students create replicas of mola art , a fabric applique process of the Kuna Indians. After discovering Mola designs include the natural world, dreams, geometric shapes, imaginary monsters, and contemporary images, they design their...
Curated OER
Web Designs: A Story Comes Alive
Middle schoolers work cooperatively to choose a theme, write a story, and produce a web site to display this story in this middle-level activity on the career of a web designer. This excellent activity ends with an organized, web site...
Curated OER
Elements of Art
Third graders discover elements in visual art. In this visual art lesson, 3rd graders explore the use of line, shape, and color in visual art. After reviewing works of art, students create unique art pieces. Technology resources provided.
Dick Blick Art Materials
Start with a Circle...
The Golden Ratio. The Divine Proportion. Yup. It's math and art blended into one colorful activity. Young artists combine colored tissue paper circles and parts of circles to create geometric patterns. As a bonus, kids get to figure out...
Curated OER
Exploring Optical Movement in Art
Students describe, represent and analyze patterns and relationships using shapes. They create simple geometric patterns. They demonstrate increasing technical ability and skill to complete visual arts assignments.
Curated OER
Symmetrical Design: Pennsylvania Barn Signs
Second graders explain and apply the visual arts elements and the design principle of symmetry and apply media, techniques, and processes. In addition, they describe how different materials, techniques, and processes cause different...
Curated OER
Lesson Plan: Patience & Skill: The Craft of Carving
Highly ornate or complex art can only be mastered with patience and skill. Learners explore the skills required to carve complex geometric designs seen on the image of a palace facade. They examine the image, discuss carving techniques,...
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 students 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
Stained Glass for Your Class
Students use a 8 1/2 x 11 piece of white drawing paper, each student creates an original line drawing of a subject that interests them. They can create a geometric design. Students place the completed drawing under an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of...
Sargent Art
Color Value Study
I love geometric art because it applies mathematical reasoning to an artistic endeavor. Creative kids use scale values to highlight their complex, repetitive, geometric designs. Symmetry, angles, and congruence are three concepts that...
Curated OER
Positive/Negative Bugs
Bugs can be creepy - and fun! Kids create a positive and negative design by repeatedly drawing a simple insect overlaid with a geometric shape. The outcome is really neat and will help build spacial reasoning, visual acuteness, and...
Curated OER
Rhythm and Art: Rhythm Collage
Students create a collage in response to musical rhythm. For this visual arts lesson plan, students will better understand the connection between visual arts and musical rhythm. Students will follow the teacher's model of letting the...
Curated OER
Tessellations: Geometric Patterns
Students create tessellation drawings using repeating geometric shapes.
Curated OER
Radial Balance Geometric Shapes
Fifth graders create a radially balanced design using geometric shapes which exhibits their prior knowledge of symmetry. They use a kaleidoscope image to develop a design using markers or colored pencils.
Curated OER
Center for Northwestern Art: Featured Objects
Each of the slides in this presentation provide learners with an image found at a northwestern art museum and a critical analysis of what can be seen in each piece. Learners can view this prior to a museum trip in order to build...
Curated OER
Shapes and Patterns in Art and Oceans
First graders draw, cut out, and design their own fish shapes by cutting out shapes and putting them together. In this shapes and patterns worksheet, 1st graders also construct a stamp and print patterns with stamps to repeat a...
Curated OER
Stop Signs, Musical Notes, Letters & Logos: Designing Symbols
Learners develop an awareness of environmental print, such as signs, logos, brand names, and other print and non-print items that the children see and read in their neighborhood each day. They then engage in active problem solving as...
National Gallery of Canada
My Treehouse
If you could build your own treehouse, what would it look like? Using a piece of contemporary art as inspiration, learners draw their own treehouses and add geometric and organic shapes. The lesson touches on Visual Thinking Strategies...
San Diego Museum of Art
Tapa-Inspired Pattern Painting
Middle schoolers are encourage to try their hand at traditional Oceania tapa art by crafting their own cloth using brown paper bags. Included in the resource is background information about the cultures of Oceania and their art.
Curated OER
Repeat Design Project
Students design an individual rubber stamp and use this design to create a simple repeat pattern. This Art lesson is for the high school level and includes a possible lesson extension.
Curated OER
Playground Design
Students design recreational equipment for a community. In this architecture lesson, students work in pairs to design the equipment. Students select materials and begin designing. Students assess themselves with a pre-made rubric.