|
ART
O'KEEFFE'S ABSTRACT FLOWERS:
With this step-by-step art lesson plan, students will not only gain
experience in composing abstract pieces in the style of Georgia O'Keeffe,
they will also consider the influences of using all cool or all warm colors.
Older students may wish to design their own flowers rather than following
the directions here, as long as they pursue the idea of the flower flowing
off the paper, and an abstracted sense of design rather than a realistic
rendering.
ELEMENTS OF ART & PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL:
[Link2]
[Link3]
[Link4]
[Link5]
Find a curriculum overview here for students in middle school, with each art
element that should be covered at each grade level. Use the 3rd link above
for a mini-unit on traditions and innovations, and how they influence art
and culture. The 4th link above offers another integrated art module,
exploring Visual Images and Daily Life. The 5th link above provides a visual
art glossary.
GORGEOUS GOURDS:
How cute are these? Use this wonderful art project with your classes
for pursuing either a Halloween or a Thanksgiving theme. Also, note
that generally you can pick up the bagged and lacquered gourds most
places right now for less cost than the individual pumpkins and
gourds, and with their quirky varieties and textures, they would
make perfect single layer components for this project.
SPIDER & PUMPKIN BOTTLE CAPS:
For a bit of extra pizzazz, try adding an outline of glitter on
these painted bottle caps. Follow instructions here to add legs for
the spider or pumpkin faces for the pumpkin caps. You can also glue
on magnets to the back of these bottle caps, for easy fridge
magnets.
MAKE A WIZARD WAND:
Very cool idea here, with good instructions to follow to make these
great looking wands. You'll either need help with the glue guns
however, or complete this activity with older students who can
handle the glue guns.
PAINT STICK SCARECROWS:
Build a scarecrow for a Halloween, a Thanksgiving, or a fall art
project, using a paint stick base. A wooden spoon would probably
work equally as well, but you should be able to get some free paint
sticks from your local hardware store. Try using natural straws and
fibers for the scarecrow's hair instead of raffia, and visit a
thrift store for old (cleaned) jeans and shirts that your class can
cut up for the clothing on this scarecrow.
HALLOWEEN TEMPLATES:
You can use these templates for any number of art projects this
Halloween - even simply for decorating brown paper treat bags.
MAKE AN ARTRAGEOUS HAT:
Why not choose a different - and highly artistic - Halloween costume
this year, by having your students make their own unique artrageous
hats. Find further directions here.
GLOW IN THE DARK MURALS:
Middle and high school students will really go for this Halloween
idea, where they use fluorescent paints on black paper to create a
themed design. If you don't want to do a whole mural as suggested
here, but instead want something students can take home with them,
suggest making glow-in-the-dark signs instead.
MONSTER JUGHEADS:
These plastic jug heads are really inventive - you'll need to
collect some empty milk jugs though, so ask your students to clean
theirs and bring them in from home as well. From there it's a bit of
duct tape, aluminum foil, push pins, and acrylic paints. Students
should plan their paintings or project before beginning to build
their pieces. |
ART APPRECIATION QUEST:
http://gardenofpraise.com/art.htm
Students will select from a wide collection of famous paintings and artists,
reading background information before studying the paintings, and then
following instructions to print out study sheets and questions.
EMOTION PAINTING:
http://kinderart.com/painting/emotion.shtml
Let your students explore color and design as it portrays emotion. Appropriate
vocabulary is introduced, as well as the accompanying artistic elements of
texture, line, color, and shape. Students will warm up to this lesson by
listening to different genres of music, mixing colors, and deciding on one
emotion to portray in their painting project.
ELEMENTS OF ART & PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL:
http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/artsed/g7arts_ed/g7vaaae.html
Concepts and principles of art and design are assigned to each grade level, from
six to eight, with suggested learning goals and outcomes.
INCREDIBLE ART DEPARTMENT
http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/middle/middlelessons.html
Many different types of art lessons for Middle School students.
PERSPECTIVE WITH GEORGIA O'KEEFE:
http://www.artic.edu/artaccess/AA_Modern/pages/MOD_FamAct3.shtml
Discussion questions will guide upper elementary students through a critique of
Georgia O'Keefe's "Sky Above Clouds IV", a painting with immense dimensions and
overhead perspective. Students will create their own bird's eye view sketches,
paying attention to pattern, shapes, lines, and repeated color.
LOOKING AT VASILY KANDINSKY:
http://www.guggenheim.org/artscurriculum/lessons/collections_kandinsky.php
Students will be invited to carefully explore the themes and objectives in the
Kandinsky Composition 8. Paying particular attention to color, students will
discuss the "inner character" of things as compared to outer appearances, with
mention of non-objective composition, emotion, essence, shape, and line. They
will then create their own non-objective paintings, given the criteria they have
discussed in class.
EXPERIMENTING WITH PICASSO:
http://www.guggenheim.org/artscurriculum/lessons/collections_picasso.php
Pablo Picasso was certainly one of the most inventive artists of all time.
Students will study Picasso's work, in particular his "Woman with the Yellow
Hair", and create their own continuous line profile drawing of a class member.
They will then create a cut-up collage after exploring Picasso's cubism
techniques.
GROWING A STORY OUT OF A PAINTING:
http://www.brucevanpatter.com/growing_out_of_paintings.html
This site offers a series of guided questions to demonstrate how you can use an
interesting work of art to elicit responses and create stories.
EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY:
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/content/2471/
If a picture is truly worth a thousand words, what are the words that it
conveys? Students will learn to "read" illustrations, identify informative
symbols, and create their own illustrations to text. In the second lesson plan,
"Creating a Wall Story", students will be creating their own illustrations to
better understand character, setting, plot, and theme, and portray them in a
unique quilt story board on a class wall.
ARTSPEAK 101:
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/art2/artspeak/artspeak.html
How well do your students understand the elements of art, including color, line,
value, texture, balance, contrast, and theme? They can test their knowledge in
this interactive art exercise, selecting a painting and talking about all the
elements they can locate. A quiz and teacher's guide is also available
JACKSON POLLACK SHIRTS:
http://familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts/drawpaint/feature/famf78paint/famf78paint5.html
These shirts make a great painting project, and even better, they can be used
throughout the school year as art class cover-ups. Students will need to bring a
t-shirt to class.
MY FAVORITE THINGS SELF-PORTRAIT:
http://www.lessonplanspage.com/ArtLABeginSchoolFavoriteThingsSelfPortrait312.htm
Students will design a self-portrait collage based upon the images and events
and ideas they think best defines who they are. They will then write a few
sentences explaining their self-portraits, a great idea for Open House exhibits.
ELEMENTS OF DESIGN:
http://www.johnlovett.com/test.htm
http://www.johnlovett.com/exercise.htm
Find an overview here, with illustrations, on the basic principles and tenets of
design. Use the 2nd URL above for each student to fill out their own design
principles table.
A UNIQUE DRAWING EXPERIENCE:
http://www.kinderart.com/drawing/drawex.shtml
Your class can create unique works of abstract art, with each student's work
being very much an individual production even though they all follow the same
directions.
CREATIVE DESIGN PRINCIPLES:
http://www.kinderart.com/drawing/creative.shtml
Discuss the basic principles of design with your students, and then put them
into practice through a series of design exercises, as outlined here. All work
must focus on abstract representation of the design principles; no recognizable
objects can be drawn in.
SHADOW PICTURES:
http://www.kinderart.com/drawing/shadow.shtml
Here is an excellent art exercise to introduce your students to the principles
of shading, light, and shadow. It makes a perfect lesson plan for either the
beginning or the end of the school year, where students can partner up for
making silhouettes and putting principles of light into practice.
MIXED MEDIA DRAWING AND PAINTING:
http://www.kinderart.com/painting/mixed.shtml
Shish kebob sticks for art? You bet. Watercolor, water itself, shish kebob
sticks, pencil outlines, ink, chalk pastel, and blackboard chalk will all be
used in these fabulous and funky mixed media designs.
COLLAGE HAND DRAWING:
http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/middle/Lessons/7hands.htm
A student hand holding a ribbon forms the center piece of this art exercise,
with the ribbon flowing through the center and the fingers, to the other side of
the picture. Visual texture is added next with crosshatching, stippling, and
textiles. Several examples are included with this art lesson, focusing on shape,
texture, value, space, line, and color.
ROMAN MOSAICS:
http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/middle/Lessons/6mosaic.htm
http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/middle/Lessons/6frame.htm
This particular art lesson combines daily life in Ancient Rome with a unit on
rainforest animals, to create various wonderful mosaics to resemble those of
ancient civilizations. Use the 2nd URL above to create ceramic frames for the
student mosaic projects; the results are stunning.
ANCIENT GREEK ARCHITECTURE:
http://www.kinderart.com/architecture/archiselem.shtml
Upper elementary students will learn about the four different kinds of
architecture in Ancient Greece, and then work together in groups, using
geometric shapes, to create their own structures in a similar style.
ANCIENT GREECE ART LESSON:
http://www.historylink101.com/lessons/art_history_lessons/greek_art.htm
Classical Greek buildings from Ancient Greece are still copied in modern
architecture. Students will view examples of Greek influence and art following a
guided set of questions in this art history lesson plan.
EGYPTIAN CRAFTS:
http://www.daniellesplace.com/html/egyptian_crafts.html
If you are planning an Ancient Egyptian fair or project day with your classes,
try the numerous related crafts offered here to emulate Ancient Egypt. Find
patterns and templates for amulets, bracelets, headbands, and more.
PICTURING MUSIC:
http://www.sanford-artedventures.com/create/try_this_music.html
How would songs look if you could see them? That's entirely up to your students
in this art and music lesson plan, where students paint abstract visual color
patterns while listening to music. Experiment with various types of music for
different results.
USING PATTERN:
http://home.att.net/~tisone/lesson16pattern.htm
Upper elementary students will be able to understand the artistic possibilities
of pattern with this lesson plan, first previewing lines and shapes, then going
on to draw and fill in those shapes with patterns.
ELEMENTS OF ART:
http://www.brigantine.atlnet.org/GigapaletteGALLERY/websites/ARTiculationFinal/MainPages/ElementsMain.htm
Middle and high school students will learn the basic definitions of the elements
of art, and then test their knowledge with printable and online interactive
quizzes.
The Year was 1475 . . .
and one of our world's greatest artists, Michelangelo
Buonarroti, was born today in Caprese, Italy. Learn
more about his life and his amazing body of works at:
http://www.michelangelo.com/buonarroti.html
INVESTIGATING KITES:
http://www.riverdeep.net/current/2002/04/040802_kites.jhtml
It's a bird, it's a plane, it's... It's almost spring,
and in honor of the season you can visit this site to
explore the time-honored tradition of flying a kite.
Students are invited to investigate the origin and history of kites, and learn
about Benjamin Franklin's classic kite and lightning experiment. Follow up with
the
links to create your own kites, or learn more about the
actual dynamics behind kite flying.
ALL ABOUT COLOR:
http://riverdeep.net/current/2002/01/010702_color.jhtml
Hues, tints, shades, primary colors, complementary colors...explore all aspects
of the phenomena of color in this Currents installation from Riverdeep. Students
will also be able to investigate the physics of color as it relates to light,
with exercises in the science behind rainbows, or the visible spectrum of light.
GREEK STORY VASES:
http://www.kinderart.com/arthistory/greekvase.shtml
Take a look at Greek culture by viewing images of its artwork and vases first,
and then have your students create their own story line on a clay pot, following
the directions here.
SUBJECT AREA: ONLINE PROJECT
Title: Virtual Field Trips
URL:
http://www.field-trips.org/vft/index.htm
Let's face it. Students love field trips. They just can't get enough of them!
Unfortunately, schools don't always have the resources to provide them. But with
this site, you can take your students around the world and back without spending
a cent or oversleeping from jet lag. Virtual Field Trips for every subject and
standard will whisk your class away with a click of a button, via TourMaker
software, which you can download with a free trial and create your own field
trips. You can even print Virtual Permission Slips for parents to sign.
THE ART OF CRIME DETECTION:
http://www.sanford-artedventures.com/play/crimedetection/index.html
Have your middle school students pay close attention while completing this
intriguing online investigation. They will be honing their powers of observation
to see how art functions in criminal cases. Exercises lead students through
careful attention to clues and details as they attempt to identify the mystery
suspect.
STRAW STARS:
http://www.imagitek.com/xmas/crafts/straw.html
The straw used in this holiday project is the kind you use to feed livestock;
you could similarly use twigs, connecting them at their points with a hot glue
gun (the teacher should do this part with younger students). Create either a
Star of David or a Christmas star, following the directions here.
CHANUKAH CRAFTS:
http://www.amazingmoms.com/htm/holiday_hanukkah_crafts.htm
Make some window sparklers with old crayons and a cheese grater, a candle puppet
with popsicle sticks and construction paper, a milk carton dreidel, or how about
a playdough menorah?
WINTER SNOWFLAKES:
http://www.imagitek.com/xmas/crafts/flake.html
Find a template here to lay underneath a piece of waxed paper. Your students
will then dip crochet cotton, twine, or cotton yarn into white glue and lay
their strings along the pattern lines. While still damp, they will use glitter
to decorate their snowflakes, and then let them dry following the instructions
here.
FAMOUS ARTISTS:
http://library.thinkquest.org/J001159/famart.htm
http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/
Learn all about the lives and accomplishments of your favorite artists with this
online Thinkquest exhibition. Find art and bios of Picasso, Matisse, Monet,
Pissaro, Renoir, Kandinsky, Chagall... An online quiz accompanies this resource.
Use the 2nd URL above for older students to learn even more at the Web Museum
Paris.
INSIDE ART:
http://www.eduweb.com/insideart/index.html
If your students like to take an interactive online approach to art history,
have them try this art game. They will be exploring paintings from the
"inside"--and you can only escape by answering questions on your paintings. A
study worksheet and teacher's key accompany this creatively-designed art
exercise.
THE ARTIST'S TOOLKIT -- VISUAL ELEMENTS:
http://www.artsconnected.org/toolkit/
Try this wonderful online art exploration for a great introduction to artistic
elements and principles. An animated demonstration leads your students through
shape, balance, edge, outline, movement, rhythm, line, space, and the various
sub-topics of color. Next, students will be exposed to great artists' work,
where they must apply the principles they have just learned. Finally, students
will be able to use those principles and elements in creating art work of their
own. An illustrated dictionary of terms is included.
MAKE YOUR OWN COMIC BOOK:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/books/comicbook/
Select your cast of characters--don't forget those super-heroes--and then write
up a short story. Use the templates here to create a student comic book,
complete with up to eight panels on a page.
THE VALUES OF COLOR:
http://www.sanford-artedventures.com/create/tech_value.html
Students will be experimenting with colored pencils to create tints and shades,
and be able to distinguish between the two values.
COLOR THEORY ADVENTURE:
http://www.sanford-artedventures.com/play/color2/a1.html
This online educational adventure explores all aspects of color theory, through
an interactive storyline that appeals to upper elementary students. They will
need to restore color to various artworks, learning along the way how artists
use color to express meaning, mood, emotion, or to create depth.
EXPLORING IMPRESSIONISM AND ITS MASTERS:
http://www.impressionism.org/
Monet, Degas, Morisot, and Cezanne are among the artists your class will be
exploring with this set of eight lesson plans on Impressionism and Impressionist
artists. Students are also able to take an online tour through the story of
Impressionism.
EXPLORING MOOD IN ART:
http://humanityquest.com/topic/art_activities/index.asp?theme1=mood
Create a mood collage, draw the feeling of your mood, design a mask on how a
mood feels... Find numerous suggestions here on how to explore the idea of mood
in art.
MOODY COLOR:
http://www.sanford-artedventures.com/create/try_this_moody.html
Students will explore the uses of line, color, and shape to artistically define
different moods and emotions in this introductory art exercise.
EXPRESS YOURSELF:
http://www.kinderart.com/arthistory/express.shtml
Expressionist artists understood how to use mood in a painting. Students will
review the uses of color and distortion in painting emotion, and then use
pastels to create their own expressionist mood paintings.
HOW TO LOOK AT A WORK OF ART:
http://www.kinderart.com/artspeak/artart3.shtml
It may help students express themselves artistically to be offered a few
guidelines on how to approach paintings. Find several questions here which
students can use in assessing and interpreting a piece of art, from the feelings
the piece evokes, to particular elements that may stand out in the design.
http://www.mos.org/leonardo/
Biographical information about Leonardo da Vinci. Includes lessons for teachers.
There are also video and audio pieces available using the Quicktime plug-in.
http://www.vangoghgallery.com/
"The site currently contains information about all of Van Gogh's paintings." It
has "grown to more than 2,330 pages and 2,345 graphics." Besides viewing the
paintings online, you can download databases listing the paintings, Van Gogh
stamps, or Van Gogh's Correspondence for free. There's also a biography and
chronology of Van Gogh's life.
THE ART OF MOVIE MAGIC:
http://www.riverdeep.net/current/2002/03/031802_movies.jhtml
Explore the realms of Lord of the Rings, Monsters Inc., Wallace and Gromit, and
blue screen movie magic. Students will make their own flip books to see how
animation works, learn how Flubber was made, and rediscover the inventive mind
of one Thomas Alva Edison.
GARDEN PARTY ART LESSON PLANS:
http://www.sansimon.k12.az.us/art/artlesson.html
Artists, insects, and flowers are the topics for these creative lesson plans,
with individual projects for kindergarten through sixth grade. Different mediums
are utilized by the different grade levels to create a class flower painting,
patterned after artists Eric Carle, Van Gogh, and Monet.
VISUAL PUSHUPS:
http://www.artjunction.org/
It's not easy for all students to switch on their artistic brain. Try these
visual exercises for reluctant artists, and then create your own lists of visual
pushups together for future warmup exercises.
THE ALPHABET OF ART:
http://www.guidancecom.com/alphabet/
This site provides an interactive visual encyclopedia for understanding all of
the elements of art and design. Click on a principle such as Texture or Value,
and find the type, its contrast, and resulting attributes, along with an example
or two--a great aid in teaching art to children.
JUNIOR TIMELINE OF ART:
http://www.sanford-artedventures.com/study/timeline.html
With an interactive format and examples of the art for each time period, this
timeline provides a nice primer for art history classes.
A PICTURE'S WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS:
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=116
Artwork becomes the inspiration for brainstorming sessions, where your students
will collectively create a word and idea bank based on a chosen image. They will
then individually create a narrative around the work of art, extending past the
borders of the image to create a whole story. Think of creating a class book to
collect and publish your class stories, with the art work as the cover and
displaying your book at Open House night.
SELF-PORTRAIT SHIELDS:
http://www.artic.edu/cleo/Teachfolder/WarriorHTML/FINAL/Warrior.Art.1.html
What are the main events your students would identify in their own lives? Have
them create a meaningful and symbolic shield at the beginning of the school
year, sharing who they are and what makes them unique and proud individuals.
MAKE AN EDIBLE COLOR WHEEL:
http://www.art-rageous.net/EdibleColorwheel-LP.html
Yum yum... your students will truly relate to this lesson plan, where they get
to eat the product of their labors and define the relationship of colors at the
same time.
MAKE A SPLASH WITH COLOR:
http://www.thetech.org/exhibits_events/online/color/
Use this online exhibit to explore the properties of color, as well as
understand how we perceive color. The relationship of light to color is
investigated, along with hues, brightness, and saturation. Student activities
are included.
top of page |
