Art Sub Lesson Plan - Quirky Novelty Architecture

 Novelty Architecture - aka Duck Architecture

As art teachers, we're always on the lookout for for unique and engaging lessons that spark our students' creativity and curiosity. One such fascinating topic is "duck architecture." But what exactly is it?

The Big Duck Building in Flanders, NY. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia. CC-BY-SA-4.0.  Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net).

What is Duck Architecture?

The term "duck architecture" was coined in 1968 by architects Rober Venturi and Denise Scott Brown. It refers to buildings that are shaped like the products they sell or represent. Imagine a giant ice cream cone for an ice cream sop or a massive duck for a farm stand selling duck eggs.  These buildings ae not just functional, they are also whimsical and eye-catching, making them perfect subjects for an art lesson.

Teapot Dome Service Station in Zillah Washington. Photo is courtesy of Wikipedia and is in the public domain.

Kids love the opportunity to let their imaginations run wild. They can be so creative drawing their imaginary duck building. 

I have written up a drawing lesson about duck architecture that is suitable to hand to a sub. 

With this lesson, your sub will read the script, pose questions, and show visuals to introduce students to this fun concept. Then, the kids will get to design their own "duck architecture" masterpiece. No cookie-cutter designs here—every child's drawing will be one-of-a-kind!

I tried really hard to create a lesson with lots of visuals and examples to inspire your students.  Here are thumbnails to give you an idea of what your students will see.

There are also instructions for you sub to let them know how to set up and end the lesson.

The materials needed are simple: paper, pencil, and crayon (or marker, if you prefer)

Whether you project it as a PowerPoint or print it out for a close-up look, all the sub or teacher has to do is follow the simple directions. Get ready for a fun and unique learning experience!

I don't want you spending hours writing a lesson plan for your sub, when you likely are in a hurry. So, check out this sub plan here in my TPT shop:  Quirky, Big Duck Architecture.

 If are interested in other art lessons related to architecture, you might like these:

A Home with an Onion Dome

A Tree House for Me 

A Tree House for Me! Elementary Art Sub Plan

"A Treehouse for Me!"  Elementary Art Sub Lesson Plans

Kids love the idea of secret and special places that are reserved for just them. I never had a treehouse as a kid but I always loved seeing them in movies and reading about them in books. Knowing that kids would love imagining them, I created this art project for drawing tree houses.

"A Treehouse for Me!" as a Sub Lesson 

This lesson has always been a big hit with my own students, so I wrote it up as an art sub-plan. Why leave the sub lessons that you wouldn't love to teach? 

I write the lessons for my TPT shop in a way that anyone can teach them.  This one is chock full of images of real tree houses and student drawings of them. All anyone would need to do to teach this would be to show each page/slide; read the script on them; ask the questions, and pass out the supplies.  

Enjoyed by Kids in K-8th Grade

Originally, I taught this as a 5th-grade art project, but in the reviews for this lesson, teachers say they have taught it in K-8th grade with great success. Here are some reviews left by teachers who have used this:

So, if you want an art lesson or a sub-plan this is a sure thing, click here to go check it out at my TeachersPayTeachers shop: Art Sub Lessons. (It costs less than a cup of coffee, so you can't go wrong!)

DreamHouse - Art Sub Plans Elementary

This is an easy lesson that I would adapt to middle school art lessons as well as elementary ones. Mrs. Filmore has an idea for a first-grade architecture drawing lesson. I like open ended lessons as sub lessons, especially for subs who are not confident enough to draw.  Check out her lesson called "Dream House with Patterns."

If you have time to plan ahead of time, I would leave drawings or photos of a variety of types of houses to go along with this lesson. Also, I would have a sheet or poster board depicting a variety of patterns that the students may be inspired by; and a few student examples. 

Her blog is named, "Art with Mrs. Filmore." This lesson idea is near the bottom of a blog post called, "1st Grade Art."

More Lessons that Integrate with the Study of Architecture

A Home with an Onion Dome

This lesson focuses on the beauty and uniqueness of this architectural element and shows how architects from the past and present have used this element in a variety of ways.

Captivating Castles

In this lesson, students will learn about castles from medieval Europe, including the exterior architecture and the reasons for their design. Students will draw a castle of their own design utilizing architectural elements they have learned.

Halloween Art Sub Plan

Halloween Art Sub Plan for Elementary and Middle School

I always hated creating art sub lessons. It was always so much work.  Whenever I planned to take a day off from work, I wondered if it was worth the hassle. When I retired from full time teaching and decided to sub in art, I found that some teachers left good lesson plans, but many were too bare boned to be very helpful. That's why I decided to create my own shop to sell art sub plans.  All of my lessons are affordable and are full and rich for a sub to teach. They will save you HOURS!!!

This Halloween art lesson is fun for students and easy to teach. The prep for this is minimal. Students will need paper; one black crayon per student; and assorted other crayon colors.

 These are provided to help your sub teach with confidence:
-3 1/2 pages of script so all your sub has to do is read and follow the directions
-5 pages of visuals that accompany the script
-5 pages of supplemental visuals that your students can refer to for details

Here is a preview of what you would get.

 This is a Print and Go lesson so you do not need a projector. However, since it was created with PowerPoint, you could project it if you turn the slides in a different direction first. There is also a .pdf version in this file.

Art Sub Plan - Fairy Houses and Gnome Homes

Art Lesson Plan about Fairies and Gnomes

This art sub lesson could be used as an end-of-the-year lesson. At this time of year, your kiddos will need some lessons that are engaging.

Here's a lesson that I taught to over 800 students this winter as I was subbing for art teacher friends.  It talks about fairies and gnomes and where they might live. We looked at illustrations from fairy tales and also at photographs of fairy houses and gnome homes that people have built for fun. We also looked at student illustrations and talked about the fun houses that the kids dreamed up.

I taught it to kindergarteners all the way up to fifth graders.  They were engaged and having fun as I taught it.  I wrote it as a sub lesson, but it can be taught by an art teacher or classroom teacher as well.



It is over at my TeachersPayTeachers Shop: Art Sub Lessons.

If you like this lesson, you might also like this worksheet for early finishers.  Your sub would reallyappreciate having something for your students to do if they finish their art work before the end of class!

Art Sub Plan - A Home with an Onion Dome

Art Sub Plan with Architecture Theme

This art sub-plan is one that I created and taught recently.

This art lesson focuses on the architecture of onion domes. It talks about the beauty and uniqueness of this architectural element and shows how architects from the past and present have used this element in a variety of ways. It includes such classical structures as the Taj Mahal and St. Basil's Cathedral as well as an avante guarde creation of Hundertwasser. Many other buildings that have onion domes are featured as well.

This lesson was created with an art sub in mind but could be taught by a classroom teacher or art teacher. As a retired art teacher who subs now for my friends, I want to be able to teach good lessons that engage the students. The lessons that I use when I sub are the ones that I sell here. They are proven to engage students and help them create a work of art that is satisfying and original.

This lesson may be shown in two ways. It may be projected or it may be printed out and shown up close. All the teacher needs to do to teach this lesson is to read the script and ask the questions. All instructions are included.

The materials needed for the student artwork are simple: paper, pen or pencil, ruler, and crayons or markers.

Art Sub Lesson - James Rizzi

This art history/visual art lesson is a perfect plan for those days you need an art sub lesson plan.   It is a PowerPoint based on the artwork of James Rizzi. It is written to inspire students to create their own pop art building, not to just copy Rizzi's work. Substitute teachers will love this because everything they need to teach the lesson is here, and your students will love it because it is fun.

The lesson is fully formed so that all you have to do is project it as a PowerPoint lesson or print it out and show it up close with the students seated nearby.  It can be taught by a sub, an art teacher or a classroom teacher.  No art skills are required in order to teach this.  All of the visuals and demonstrations are already in the PowerPoint. The teacher needs to read the script; ask the questions given; and monitor students. I have included all of the information that I use when I teach the lesson myself.

As a retired art teacher who subs for my friends, I have taught this in kindergarten through grade 5. The students have been enthusiastic and engaged for the entire class period. Everyone has left feeling successful with their work.

Kindergarten Rizzi House

The supplies are simple.  Paper, pencil and crayons.

Check it out at my TPT Shop: Art Sub Lessons: James Rizzi Lesson Plan

Playful Playgrounds as a Sub Lesson

Kindergarten Art Lesson, “Playful Playgrounds”

Here's a Mondrian related sub lesson that Katie Weymouth came up with.  Here's the blog entry:  Briargrove Elementary Art Page

If you like lessons in which students use their imaginations to create wondrous and mysterious places, you might like this one of mine. Created as a sub lesson, it can be taught by teachers and parents too.  It is no prep and completely ready to teach.

Check it out here:  Art Sub Lesson: Secret Rooms and Hidden Passageways

Art Sub Plans - Imaginary Treehouse

This afternoon I was searching for a ready-made art sub lesson about imaginary treehouses. I just could not find one. Tonight, as I was searching for something for my bulletin board blog, I found the treehouse lesson!

I've left a similar lesson with a sub before and it turned out just fine.

This is from the blog, Blue Moon Pallette.





I also sell a PowerPoint lesson for substitute teaching called "A Treehouse for Me". If you would like the lesson plan all ready to hand over to a sub, you can visit my TeachersPayTeachers shop here: Art Sub Lessons




I designed this lesson to be no prep; fully scripted; and ready to print and go. All a sub needs to do is to read each slide and respond to the students' comments. The materials needed are the most simple: crayons and paper.

This lesson may be taught as a PowerPoint projection or printed out and each page shown, one-by-one.

The students are introduced to unique treehouse designs, that will encourage the student to let their imaginations lead their own designs.

I have tested this on my own art subs and have gotten positive feedback. My students also expressed to me that they were excited to create their own drawings.

If you are interested in other of my lessons that connect with architecture, you might like these:

Captivating Castles

A Home with an Onion Dome

James Rizzi's Happiest Houses on Earth

Fairy Houses and Gnome Homes