Explore idioms with a chicken theme! Consider doing these activities prior to Thanksgiving, as there's a section about wishbones! First your youngsters will match a short list of idioms with their meanings. Then, give each learner the...

Youngsters explore visual arts by participating in a geometry identification activity. They read the book The Very Busy Spider and identify the techniques spiders use to create webs. Have you ever noticed that their webs are geometric...

If you could build your own world from the ground up, what would you include? Ask your pupils this question, and have them write about their worlds and share with partners. Then, show the short film, which includes some impressive world...

Using the Note Names and Values SMART notebook file, review the whole, half, quarter and eighth note with students. Students sing "Apple Tree Song." They add body percussion, and then instruments. Students use the SMART apple tree, they...

Bring the sounds of the deep South vocal blues to the classroom with a Smithsonian Folkways lesson. In preparation, scholars listen to and count the 12 bar blues patterns in several works and identify the I, II, IV, and V chords as well...

Learners gather around the three selected paintings. The teacher guide students in looking at different elements of the paintings and help learners make the connections between the visual art and movement skills.

Second graders study the meaning of the term architecture and identify arches and lines in a building in Balimore.

Students create a quilt to represent an important event in their life. For this visual arts lesson, students research Faith Finggold and her quilts. Students use art supplies to create their own quilt and share the symbolic meaning with...

Students examine how visual artists tell stories with their work. In this visual art lesson, students study two of Dorothea Lange's photographs to find elements of art and narrative content, use descriptive language when discussing...

Learners research a butterfly and create butterfly art. In this visual arts lesson, students choose a specific butterfly to research and create a Balsa-Foam butterfly of the same species. Learners use Balsa-Foam, modeling tools, and...

Students discuss and examine the work of artist Cai Guo-Qiang.  In this art instructional activity, students analyze how cultural and historical factors impact the visual arts. 

Students learn about Latin American dance and rhythm in different forms and participate in dancing. In this Latin American lesson plan, students also analyze Latin American paintings.

Students create Japanese side-bound books using traditional bookbinding methods and original Haikus in this Art lesson for the High School classroom. The lesson can be modified for any grade level and can be accomplished in two class...

Students analyze 19th-century paintings that depict celebrations in various ways. In this visual arts lesson, students view samples of paintings during the Industrial Revolution and discuss the effects of that time period on society....

Students analyze the sculpture "Rearing Horse" by Adriaen de Vries. In this visual arts lesson, students examine the sculpture and then draw and sculpt animals from life, trying to capture a moment frozen in time.

Students explore the work of Xu Bing. In this visual arts lesson, students examine the art piece "Monkeys Grasp for the Moon" and compare it to the Buddhist folktale on which it is based. Students create animated flip books based on the...

Students look at historic porcelain objects. In this visual arts lesson plan, students examine how the use of historic objects has changed over time.  Students design their own object from paper cups, bowls, plates, and more. 

Young scholars analyze the art of movement and photographic techniques. For this art analysis lesson, students explore artistic techniques for communicating motion. Young scholars complete image based discussion. Students make two...

Students explore cave art. In this Neolithic Age lesson, students get into groups and research a given topic. Students create a poster with information and visual aids. Students then look a pictures and watch a DVD about artifacts...

Students analyze a photograph and a photo-collage showing the same highway. In this visual arts lesson, students write a descriptive paragraph about both images and identify one-point perspective in art. Students then draw...

Students analyze paintings by using verbs, adjectives, and nouns. In this visual arts instructional activity, students view a painting of a storm and a calm sky. Students use various verbs and adjectives to discuss the characteristics of...

Students help create a colorful bulletin board for classroom art displays in this short lesson for the early elementary classroom. The lesson, which can use a variety of items, includes product ideas and resource links to find very...

Students analyze the art of Joaquin Torres Garcia in 'Composition.' In this art analysis lesson, students read about the artist's work and the artist. Students answer discussion and follow-up questions.

Twelfth graders write a thesis regarding a modern artist of their choice for a 15-20 multi-media presentation. In this lesson plan students create a Power Point, video, or some other visual representation studying an artist or modern...