Symmetry in Nature - Art/Science/Math Lesson Plan

 

STEAM Lesson with BUGS

Kids and bugs. What's not to love. Students love them or feel squeamish around them, but they do find them fascinating.

Here's an art lesson that incorporates math (symmetry), science (insects), and art history.

This lesson, from Cool Classroom Stuff, also includes examples of finished student work and templates to help get students started on their designs.

This lesson plan is fully scripted and can be taught by anyone and uses simple materials. 

The finished art would make for beautiful bulletin board displays.

You can find this lesson at the TPT Shop: Cool Classroom Stuff.

Kindergarten Art Sub Plan on Figure Drawing

Art Sub Lesson - People in the Style of Romero Britto

Early in the school year I like to teach kindergarten and first grade, "how to draw a person." They learn the basic shapes you need to use, and then turn it into a self portrait.

I have learned, though, that many times students in all grades will fall back into drawing stick people. ....Sigh..... So a review of at least giving their humans a full body shape, is never a bad thing.

Statue by Romero Britto. Photo by Phillip Pessar https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Art Sub Lesson for Drawing a Human Figure

 When I contemplated what I would do for a new art sub lesson, I stumbled across some Romero Britto paintings of people. He used those basic shapes that primary kids learn how to draw, and that, coupled with the bright colors and simple patterns, would make a perfect lesson for an art sub to teach. As with all of my art sub plans, teachers will often use them in their regular classes.

So, this new art sub lesson that I created teaches a basic definition of Pop Art. It shows Romero Britto's bright and happy paintings; connects the work of Picasso to Britto; and leads students on how to draw a person using simple shapes.

It can be printed out and handed to a substitute teacher; emailed to your school office for them to hand to the sub; projected in your classroom; or shown to your students for distance learning in a Zoom type meeting online. (Not Outschool, please.)

Where You can Check out all the Details

Check out the lesson preview over in my TpT shop.  Art Sub Lesson - People in the Style of Romero Britto

Kindergarten Art Sub Plan - Klee’s “Cat and Bird”

Kindergarten Art Sub Plan - “Cat and Bird"

When creating a sub plan that needs only simple instructions and materials, Klee's painting, "Cat and Bird," might be just the foundation upon which to build.  

Paul Klee Idea Emphasizing  Shape, Pattern, and Warm and Cool Colors 

The teachers at Jamestown Elementary, Ms. Worden and Ms. Teitsma have written a blog post that suggests rich resources from which to teach this lesson. 

Since my older students would often ask if they could do a lesson that the little kids did, I know that sometimes they like the simple lessons too. The perfect time to let them do one of those simple lessons is when they have a substitute teacher in art.

Check out this lesson at Jamestown Elementary Art Blog.

Paul Klee Idea Emphazing Color and Shape

Another take on this lesson can be found at the blog, Art at Miquon.  Ms. Batchelor, at The Miquon School, taught a unit on Klee for multiple grades and this blog post shares the inspirations for that in this blog post. Again, this is a lesson that could be easy enough for anyone to teach with the right resources. This is no cookie-cutter lesson and each drawing is unique.

15 Art Sub Plan Ideas for Black History Month

Elementary and Middle School Art Lessons about Black Artists

In my search for art sub plans that could be taught for Black History Month, I found 15 that I think would work really well. Some are written out as lesson plans; some are art lessons via video, and some are biographies that would be great starting points for a lesson.

Black History Drawing Ideas

 

"Caldecott winning author and illustrator, Javaka Steptoe, reads his book, "Radiant Child: Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat."  Click here to see this video:  Jean-Michel Basquiat

Check out this video by clicking  here:  Becoming an Artist: Yinka Shonibare by Tate KidsYinka Shonibare @Tate Kids

Black History Icons - Group Drawing Project @WCPO9. Click here:  Group Drawing Project

Art Bytes for Kids: Kehinde Wiley @Detroit Institute of Arts. Click here to see this video:  Kehinde Wiley

Meet Hip Hop's Favorite Artist: Kehinde Wiley @ CNN.  Click here to see this video:

Hip Hop's Favorite Artist: Kehinde Wiley

Black History Month Art Projects - Art by Black Artists

I always like teaching art history as a part of my regular art lessons, so teaching black artists during Black History Month is a no brainer. Here are some fully prepared lesson plans in my TPT shop. They were created with an art sub in mind but could be taught by anyone.
Nick Cave - Art Sub Lesson @TPT Shop: Art Sub Lessons






This lesson includes many photos of Nick Caves's wonderful "soundsuits"; sample student drawings; a sample pattern sheet; templates for those who need it; a teacher script including directions, questions, and information about each slide. This could be taught by anyone.


Reggie Laurent - Art Sub Lesson @TPT Shop: Art Sub Lessons




This no-prep lesson was written so that it could be taught by art subs, but it could also be taught by art teachers, classroom teachers, and homeschool parents. Key topics include abstract art, organic, shapes, geometric shapes, and the art of Reggie Laurent. The materials needed are simple: paper and either crayon or marker. All directions for teachers and students are included.


Faith Ringgold - Art Lesson @TPT Shop: Art Sub Lessons







This kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd-grade art lesson is based on Faith Ringgold's, Tar Beach, which is a great read for Black History Month. (The book is not included.) This lesson uses simple materials; pencil, paper, and crayons. It can be taught by anyone, as it is fully scripted. It includes questions and directions too. This is aimed at primary-aged students.


Click here if you want to look at my whole shop: Art Sub Lessons



Black History Month Art Lessons from Museums
Aaron Douglas @The Blowing Rock Art and History Museum

The museum has two lessons based on the silhouette art of Aaron Douglas. They have a lesson for elementary students plus included one for preschoolers! (That's a rarity!) Also, they provide a video on the artist. You will find all three things here: Aaron Douglas Inspired Silhouette

Jacob Lawrence, Romare Bearden, and Alma Thomas @The National Gallery of Art

This is a nice resource from the National Gallery of Art. It has lesson plans for all ages as well as downloadable materials. It includes lessons on Jacob Lawrence, Romare Bearden, and Alma Thomas. (Some of the lessons are presented as painting lessons but could be adapted for drawing. If you are leaving a lesson for a sub, you RARELY would want to leave a painting lesson!!!)





Here is a link to

Art Tales - Pre-K resource which is a pdf with visuals and detailed lesson plans.

Click here to see this video: 

 
Alma Woodsey Thomas @The Magnificient Paintbrush

Click here to see this video:

Video - Black History Month Art Lessons
African Art Patterns for Kids @Traveling Art Room

Faith Ringgold - Art Sub Plans for Elementary

Art Sub Plans for Elementary School - Tar Beach

Kids love when they get to use their imaginations and we need to give them more of an opportunity to do just that. Reading Faith Ringgold's book, Tar Beach, is a great entry point for a creative drawing activity.

Video - Tar Beach - Art Lesson Plan

I created this this video to use with a 1st and 2nd-grade art project and specifically for use by a substitute teacher. If your sub (or YOU!!!) have access to YouTube videos, this video will do most of the work for you. Some days you need to take a break and let someone else teach, so why not let me do it?

Art Lesson Plan - No Prep, Scripted, with Simple Materials

If you want a fully formed, no prep, and quality version of this lesson that you can hand to your sub (or the office secretary), Click here to see this lesson.

It costs less than a cup of Starbucks!

Birdcages - Art Sub Lessons

Art Sub Plans for Elementary and Middle School 

This is a preview of a lesson I created for my TPT shop, Art Sub Lessons. While it was written with a sub in mind, it can be taught by anyone.

Go here to take a look:  Art Lesson: Birdcages

This elementary and middle school art lesson may be used for distance learning or in person. Also perfect for sick leave, maternity leave, and homeschooling. It is fully scripted, with visuals, so that it may be taught by subs, teachers, or parents. Students are shown many examples of fancy birdcages from history to the present. They then create imaginative drawings of their own, though if distance-learning or homeschooling, teachers may choose to let their students create the birdcage using media they have available. This might include crayons, pencils, markers, collages, digital media, or 3D materials.

What you get: 

15 slides featuring birdcages by artists throughout history

27 slides that are a fully scripted art lesson

7 pages of directed drawing

5 images of student examples

7 full pages of  images of birds and student samples that may be printed out and hung up

1-page birdcage template of the birdcage in case you want to skip drawing the shape of the birdcage

1 page of directions for how to teach the lesson

1 page of how to finish the lesson

This PowerPoint is non-editable, however, you may change the text by adding text boxes and text over what is provided.

More Open-Ended Art Sub Plans

Fully Written Art Sub Plans for Purple People Eater

Beyond the Gingerbread Man

Chinese New Year - Dragon Dance

Elementary Art Sub Plans - Kooky Cars

Elementary and Middle School Art Sub Lesson 

One of the lessons I love teaching the most is one I call, "Kooky Cars." It is both an art history lesson and a creative drawing lesson about art cars. It includes the work of Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Keith Haring. The students imagine their own crazy art cars and draw one of their own.

Here is a review that I got this week about this lesson:

"My students absolutely loved this project! In fact, it is their favorite one to do, and they ask to repeat it quite often. It kept them engaged in creating and wanting to learn more about the artists that were represented in the slides. They learned to think out of the box and to use their voice through their art. Thank you so much for sharing your lesson. We all love it!"

Yay! My students have always loved it too!

If you want to take a closer look, click here: ArtLesson: Kooky Cars

Explorers and Sea Monsters - Middle School Art

Art Sub Lessons: Sea Monsters 

Who wouldn't love learning about sea monsters! If your students are learning about the "age of exploration" or "European explorers," they will enjoy this art lesson plan. Students will learn about maps created by ancient navigators and the sea monsters that often appear on those maps. Then they will create a drawing of their own imaginary sea monsters. 

It was written with substitute teachers in mind, so it is written with a full script and tons of visuals.  It can be taught successfully by anyone. It is no prep and uses the most simple materials.  Paper and pencil. Crayons, pens, and markers could be added. It is presented as a PowerPoint but can be converted to Google slides if you want to use it in that manner.  Make your life a little bit easier with this already prepared activity.

Here’s Where You Can Find This Lesson

This is where you can find the middle school lesson:  Sea Monsters.

If you are interested in an elementary lesson about early explorers, click here:  Art Sub Lesson - There Be Monsters! It is another fully ready; easy to teach; no prep art lesson that will be fun for your kids.

 

Captivating Castles | Art Sub Plans

Art Sub Plan - Captivating Castles

"I was so happy to find this. I needed a sub on our Art day during our fairy tale unit. The sub loved following the slides, and the students loved the ability to put their original touches to their castles. Would recommend."    .....feedback from the purchaser of this lesson on TpT

If you are looking for a no-prep art sub lesson, this might be the plan you are looking for. This lesson includes art history, castle history, and directions for drawing a castle. It is an easy and fun lesson for second grade through fifth. You can find it here: Captivating Castles

Kindergarten Art Sub Plans | Shape and Mondrian

Kindergarten Art Sub Lessons Idea on Shape and Mondrian

***This original post was based on a blog named This Mama Makes Stuff, but that blog no longer exists.***

This art lesson, in the blog, This Mama Makes Stuff, teaches shape, Mondrian, and oil pastels to kindergarten, but it could convert well to an elementary art sub lesson. Regular crayons would easily replace oil crayons. (I would not leave oil crayons for a sub.)

In this lesson, Carrie is teaching kids about shape; tracing a shape; and the art of Mondrian.  If you like including art history references, this is a good choice.  

Photo used under Creative Commons https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/

If you are interested in kindergarten art lessons that utilize shape, you might be interested in this one at my TPT Shop: Art Sub Lessons.  It is a directed drawing of a bird with patterns and flowers, in which students draw a variety of simple shapes to create the picture.  Easy to teach with beautiful outcomes.

Teaching European Explorers in Elementary Art

Teaching European Explorers in Elementary Art Class 

"There Be Monsters!" is a fun and open-ended elementary art sub lesson that integrates the study of early explorers with mapmaking and sea monsters.  

There are 21 slides that include many from maps from the age of Columbus.  There are lots of strange sea creatures on these maps!  The students will talk about what they see in the slides and then create a map of an imaginary place with their own unique sea monsters.

It was written with an art sub in mind, but can be taught by classroom teachers and art teachers as well. 

You can find this lesson in my Teachers Pay Teachers store:  Art Sub Lessons.

This particular lesson was written for 3rd through 5th grade, but if you are interested in an early explorers art lesson for middle school, check out this lesson:  Explorers and Sea Monsters