Browse lesson plans

Butterfly metamorphosis

This is an integrated lesson which is introduced using the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. Butterfly metamorphosis is explored through art, math, and writing.

Format: lesson plan (grade 1–2 Visual Arts Education, English Language Arts, and Science)

By Laura Byers.

Observing connections: Art, poetry and the environment (Lesson 1)

Students will explore the poem of Pat Lowery Collins, “I Am An Artist” and create their own poem from what they see and experience. They will then illustrate their poems with a visual design. This is the first lesson in a series of three in which students are creating art based on their observations: Observing Connections —Art, Poetry, and the Environment (Lesson 1); Observing Connections—Changing Landscapes (Lesson 2); Observing Connections—North Carolina Pottery and Face Jugs (Lesson 3)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 Visual Arts Education and English Language Arts)

By Lisa Mitchell.

Picturing Vietnam

This lesson plan is intended to introduce students to Vietnam’s geography, climate, culture, history, natural history, arts, economics, and government. Students will view a collection of documentary photographs and use these for making logical observations, drawing conclusions, and as a basis for creative writing.

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 English Language Arts, Information Skills, and Social Studies)

By Edie McDowell.

Resources on the web

Artistic elements: Exploring art through descriptive writing

In this ReadWriteThink lesson, students become engaged in the studies of both art and written language as they create descriptive writing pieces. Using the book Anna's Art Adventure as the basis for discussion, students are led through a scaffolded... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Visual Arts Education and English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Behind the masks: Exploring culture and self through art and poetry

This ReadWriteThink unit engages high school students in a study of the relationship between masks and cultures. Students research mask making from various cultures, draw sketches of the masks, and take notes that highlight the connections between the masks... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 Visual Arts Education, Computer/Technology Skills, English Language Arts, and Information Skills)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Creating comic strips

This lesson from ARTSEDGE looks at the way we communicate information/ideas through various mediums (words, symbols, illustrations, etc). When analyzing comic strips, students notice that each has a different style, point of view, setting, plot, and summary,... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 Visual Arts Education and English Language Arts)

Provided by: ArtsEdge

Creative communication frames: Discovering similarities between writing and art

In this lesson from ReadWritethink, students will build a comparative frame to explore the creative processes of writing and art as communication. Students will use graphic organizers to assist the development of comparative vocabulary and generate discussions... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Visual Arts Education)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Giving voice to history

In this ARTSEDGE lesson, students explore a somber period in American history. During World War II the U.S. government ordered more than 120,000 Japanese Americans to detainment camps. Drawing upon research and analyzing a variety of sources, including... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Provided by: ArtsEdge

Outside in: Finding a character's heart through art

This activity, based on the art of Edward Hopper and fiction by Raymond Carver, allows students to explore the idea of alienation while tapping into their creative talents as they learn to create vivid characters through voice. In the introductory activity,... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 Visual Arts Education, English Language Arts, and Theater Arts Education)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Peace poems and Picasso doves: Literature, art, technology, and poetry

Students learn think-aloud strategies in this lesson that challenges them to think about peace in their communities. After the teacher reads Somewhere Today: A Book of Peace, Peace Begins with You,... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Visual Arts Education and English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Scripting the past: Exploring women's history through film

In this lesson, students employ the screenwriter's craft to gain a fresh perspective on historical research, learning how filmmakers combine scholarship and imagination to bring historical figures to life and how the demands of cinematic storytelling can... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 English Language Arts and Theater Arts Education)

Provided by: EDSITEment

Trees in art and nature

In this ARTSEDGE lesson, students use the art of Vincent van Gogh as a point of reference to learn about trees by comparing those in Van Gogh's paintings to those in nature. After learning about the botany of trees, students create leaf rubbings as a culminating... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3 Visual Arts Education and Science)

Provided by: ArtsEdge