LITERACY LESSON PLANS

Students learn about artists who faced different mental and physical challenges and complete a recycled sculpture by getting their own series of challenges.

"America is Hard to See" challenges American students to explore the complexity of defining the nation's ethos and its people.

In this lesson, students explore how graphic designers use their talents to advocate for critical global water issues like pollution, access, and overuse.

“Heroes Among Us” explores the concept that heroes are raised, rather than born. Through a series of projects, it supports teachers in laying the foundation of ‘heroic habits’.

Students learn about visual poetry, create a poem about a monster helper, draw a self-portrait, and rearrange their poems in a visual way with the self-portrait.

In “Where Do We Go From Here” students collectively create a fictional town. As they work, they learn about climate change and are able to explore and think about how communities adapt and build resilience, as well as explore ideas of environmental justice. They end by applying what they learned to their real-life community.

“The Introspective Artist” offers tools and resources that support students to develop skills that will allow them to understand and process their experiences and emotions through art.

Student artists create a magical setting for a fairy tale; they brainstorm a magical setting, then use paint to create a foreground, middleground, and background.

Students learn about hybrid creatures in mythology, then create their own.

Students depict where their toys go in their imagination.

Students create metaphorical self-portraits.

In this project, students explore the history and creation of Persian Miniatures, known for their intricate, hand-held illustrations of significant texts and the high esteem in which artists were held.

Students choose an animal, draw it realistically from photographs, and then use the background to show what human traits the animal has come to represent.

Students create a superhero, a backstory for their superhero, draw, & watercolor it. 

Students explore how objects can symbolize ideas, focusing on the Renaissance period when artists used symbols to tell stories and convey messages.

Students study the work of Georgia O'Keeffe, focusing on her unique approach to framing and composing images. Students then bring in personal objects (or use those provided) and draw them, thoughtfully considering composition, then finish their artwork with watercolors.

Students learn about the history and creation of a Mexican folk art called Alebrije. Students create their own imaginary creatures. There is an emphasis on color choices and texture.

Students explore Jacob Lawrence's paintings of Harlem and, for older students, the Great Migration. Students then sketch their neighborhoods and create a collage.

Students create artwork inspired by their dream house, beginning with a structure made from Dixie cups (or blocks for younger students) and drawing it using observational skills.

Students build a small sculpture of their choice from recycled materials, then draw it using observation skills on large paper. They finish with paint.