Browse lesson plans

Pottery traditions

In Intrigue of the Past, page 4.5

Students will learn how Indian people of North Carolina made and used coiled pottery, summarize why archaeologists study pottery, and make and decorate a replica of a North Carolina coiled pot.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 and 8 Visual Arts Education and Social Studies)

Resources on the web

Adjective monster

In this ARTSEDGE lesson, students explore the connections between visual art and language arts, and how both are used to creatively tell stories and express emotions. Students read the book Go Away Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley. They are... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ArtsEdge

Analyzing symbolism, plot, and theme in Death and the Miser

Students analyze Hieronymous Bosch's Death and the Miser in this activity that explores the literary elements in a painting. The goal of this lesson is to state an original interpretation of a painting and explain how individual... (Learn more)

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

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

Egyptian symbols and figures: Hieroglyphs

This lesson plan from EDSITEment introduces students to the writing, art, and religious beliefs of ancient Egypt through hieroglyphs, one of the oldest writing systems in the world. The lesson plan is in two parts. In this first lesson, the class creates... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 Visual Arts Education, English Language Arts, and Social Studies)

Provided by: EDSITEment

Egyptian symbols and figures: Scroll painting

This lesson plan from EDSITEment introduces students to the writing, art, and religious beliefs of ancient Egypt through hieroglyphs, one of the oldest writing systems in the world, and through tomb paintings. The lesson plan is in two parts. In this second... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 Visual Arts Education, English Language Arts, and Social Studies)

Provided by: EDSITEment

Judging a book by its cover: The art and imagery of The Great Gatsby

In post–and pre–reading activities, students evaluate the significance, theme, tone, symbolism, and color used in art to make predictions about plot and imagery in The Great Gatsby. Students are introduced to the... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

A lens into the past

This ARTSEDGE lesson uses photographs to describe the transition from old world to New World experienced by immigrants to the United States. Students gain an understanding of the new life of immigrants in this country, and learn how the medium of photography... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 2–3 Visual Arts Education, English Language Arts, and Social Studies)

Provided by: ArtsEdge

Monsters

In this ARTSEDGE lesson, students investigate the idea of “monsters” in society and how they have been viewed, what purpose they serve, why they are necessary. Students will: demonstrate an understanding of the concept of... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–10 English Language Arts and Music Education)

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

Pictures in words: Poems of Tennyson and Noyes

In this lesson from EDSITEment, students will explore how poets Tennyson and Noyes use words to paint vivid and memorable pictures and describe how “word pictures” emphasize or qualify the meanings of their poems. (Learn more)

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

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

The world of Haiku

In this lesson, students explore the traditions and conventions of haiku, comparing this classic form of Japanese poetry to a related genre of Japanese visual art and composing haiku of their own. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: EDSITEment

A world of myths

In this lesson from ARTSEDGE, students explore how myths help to explain nature and science. Students read, discuss, and respond in writing to a variety of myths. They then create a graphic representation of one of those myths. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ArtsEdge