Art detectives

Students will look at a variety of artworks and explain what tool or medium was used to create them.

A lesson plan for grades K–3 Visual Arts Education

By Kathy Greene

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Related topics

• Learn more about art media, arts, and tools.

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Learning outcomes

Based on previous experiences students will be able to determine how a work of art was created by medium, tool and/or technique.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

30 Minutes

Materials/resources

• Packet of cards with pictures of artist tools or medium used in creating art (one set of cards for each child in class)
• Several examples of student and/or professional art work (2-D and 3-D). I prefer to work with originals rather than reproductions if possible.

Pre-activities

During the course of the year provide firsthand experiences using a variety of tools and media in art. Students should have also spent time looking at and discussing how artists over time have created art and the clues that tell one how the art was made.

Activities

1. Discuss with the class what a detective is and how detectives look for clues to solve a problem.
2. Give each child an envelope with clues. These clue cards are pictures for non-readers of different tools or media artists use to create art (example: picture of a paint brush, camera, clay, etc.) I keep it to 5 or 6 pictures. Review with the class what each picture represents. (I made my own cards. You can use clip art found on a variety of computer programs or draw your pictures which I did.)
3. Explain that each student will look at an original art work and decide by themselves how it was made. They then select a card which best represents what the artist used to make the artwork. Have them keep the card hidden until everyone has made their choice.
4. Ask for the students’ response. Each student should hold up the card they selected.
5. The Teacher then holds up the correct card response. Each child is responsible for checking their choice against the teacher’s.
6. After each response have students discuss what clues led them in choosing the correct tool or medium.

Assessment

• Students assess themselves by checking their response against the teachers response when the cards are held up.
• This is a whole group activity where every student actively participates. The instructor can visually check which children may have problems and immediately respond with helpful clues on how the others came to the right conclusion of how the art was created.

Comments

It was important to find if children at an early age not only can use tools and media correctly but also understand how to determine what others use to create art.

I chose to use this activity near the end of the year but it could be used in a variety of other ways. One might use it in the beginning to assess what children already know from previous years’ experiences. Words rather than pictures for tools and media could be used with older students.

One could also use this activity to discover what elements of art the artist used rather than tools or medium.

Rather than a whole group activity it could be done in a cooperative group setting.