Students will explore the contemporary technique of Pixel Art- using exaggerated pixel size to emulate the low-resolution aesthetic of Late 80’s/early 90’s video games. Using a free image-editing and animation application, student can create their own pixelized version of an everyday inanimate object and then animate their image.
Material Type: Lesson Plan
Students will learn about new media and “Electronic Superhighway: Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii” by Nam June Paik. Students will create an animation depicting an aspect of an assigned region of Virginia, then add it to a collaborative class map.
Material Type: Activity/Lab
Students will examine portraits of diverse artists to inspire unique self-portraits. Using proportions and mirrors to draw self-portraits, students will enhance photocopies of their pencil drawings by adding visual representations of their likes, backgrounds, hopes, and dreams, as well as color. The first pencil portrait will be glued on the outside of an envelope, while the second colorful portrait can be slipped out from inside to reveal a deeper look at the student’s identities.
Material Type: Activity/Lab
Fifth grade students will learn that artist’s books are a medium that artists can use to express ideas. Students will first practice paper folding/ building techniques and the concept of foreground, middle ground, and background. Then, students will create tunnel books to showcase an original fantasy landscape.
Material Type: Activity/Lab
This resource demonstrates the 2020 Visual Arts Standards of Learning for elementary visual arts education in a chart format that shows the progression of the standards from grades kindergarten through fifth.
Material Type: Teaching/Learning Strategy
Students will identify that creating a product, packaging, or place is the job of an artist using a creative design process to develop the very best solution. Students will use the iterative design process to develop ideas and create a new and innovative product, package, or place design.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson, Lesson Plan, Teaching/Learning Strategy
Students will learn that artists honor their heroes by creating portraits of them. Students will first brainstorm who is a hero in their life (answers can be specific names, jobs, or even animals). Then students will create a work of art that memorializes the heroic qualities of this important person.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson, Lesson Plan, Teaching/Learning Strategy
Students will learn that a mistake is an opportunity to be an artist. Students will first close their eyes and make an unwanted mark on their paper, then use a variety of art supplies to turn that “mistake” into a work of art. By problem-solving, students will explore solutions that may take the form of animals, objects, places, or non-representative art.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson, Lesson Plan, Teaching/Learning Strategy
Students will learn about artists who create assemblages using found objects. After learning about colors and spatial relationships in composition, students will create an assemblage using found household objects in the color of their choice.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson, Lesson Plan, Teaching/Learning Strategy
Students will research and plan for creating art while learning to visualize landscapes three-dimensionally. Students will explore and experiment with three-dimensional paper techniques and depict elements in foreground, middle ground and background.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson, Lesson Plan, Teaching/Learning Strategy
Students will understand that information passes from generation to generation through the ancient tradition of storytelling. Students will recognize that puppetry is a visual expression of storytelling used by many cultures for entertainment, community gatherings, to convey information and to encourage understanding and/or empathy. Students will create a shadow puppet and perform a short puppet show based on a folk tale, tall tale, or poem.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson, Lesson Plan, Teaching/Learning Strategy
Students will learn about contemporary artist Beatriz Milhazes. Inspired by her work, students will first practice using line, shape, and color by creating an abstract drawing using household items. Then, students will use digital drawing tools to explore those concepts and unexpected outcomes to create a final work of art.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson, Lesson Plan, Teaching/Learning Strategy
Students will explore with watercolor techniques and collage to design their own character for a book cover. Through an artist study on artist Eric Carle, students will observe and identify shapes in animals and use their painted papers for a collage.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson, Lesson Plan, Teaching/Learning Strategy
Students will look at the difference between abstract, non-representational, and representational work before creating their own piece of art. The work of art they create will be a depiction of their own emotions while listening to different types (genres) of music. Students will choose from available media and create a work based on their own emotional response to the musical selections.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson, Lesson Plan, Teaching/Learning Strategy
During this lesson, students will work in teams to plan, construct, and test a functional miniature golf sculpture while they explore topics related to collaboration, design thinking, and peer critique. A focus on specific art production skills such as armature building and rendering objects using paper mâché will be explored. The finished artwork will be peer reviewed for creativity, craftsmanship, and challenge.
Material Type: Lesson Plan
During this lesson, students will explore concepts related to animation while creating a moving image using ideas, subject matter, and materials of their choice by designing a functional thaumatrope.
Material Type: Lesson Plan
Students will experiment with various light blocking materials and how they affect creation of shadows. Using this knowledge, student will participate in a series of activities manipulating and capturing shadows to inform their own work creating a 3D sculpture that casts a unique shadow.
Material Type: Lesson Plan
This unit of study allows for students to gain understanding and confidence in figure drawing over a series of 3 separate lessons that result in a collaborative mural. These lessons can be used to facilitate an assessment of student growth and skills development, while still encouraging expression through different types of art explorations and working both individually and collaboratively.
Material Type: Activity/Lab
Students will explore both historical and contemporary purposes of masks in various cultures. Students will analyze visual principles and properties of masks construction. Students will communicate personal stories and identity through the creation of masks using contemporary materials.
Material Type: Activity/Lab
Students will compare Ancient Greek architecture with the innovative and abstract contemporary architecture of renowned famous female Iraqi architect, Zaha Hadid. Students will respond to a design challenge and create a small-scale 3-D building model employing vision and originality to showcase their most creative idea of form and function.
Material Type: Activity/Lab
