Upper Elementary & Middle School Christmas Art Lesson-Doodle Monsters

Emergency Art Sub Lesson Plan: Doodle Monsters with a Winter/Christmas Theme

This art sub plan is a lifesaver for those unexpected days when you need to take emergency leave or sick days from school. Keep it in your emergency sub binder and have peace of mind knowing you’re prepared.

Check out the in-depth preview here: Middle School Christmas Art Lesson: Doodle Monsters and add it to your WISH LIST.  TPT Cyber Sale is Dec. 2 and 3!!!

The lesson is fully scripted and comes with plenty of visuals to guide students through each step. It's perfect for keeping students engaged and learning, even when you can’t be there in person.

It can be taught as a projected lesson or printed out and shown up close.

Students will learn about overlapping and shading while drawing something fun.

This Lesson Contains:

• 15 Pages of Scripted Lesson Content: Full of engaging visuals. The teacher just reads the script and shows the pictures.
• Instructions for the Teacher: How to begin and end the lesson.
• 3 Student Examples: Print and hang these up for inspiration if you like. 
• 2 Black and White Line Drawings: Print as coloring pages for students who need extra help or differentiation if you like. Pages 23 and 24.
• 1 Page of Details to Add: Includes a variety of eyes, mouths, hats, candies, and doodle monsters. Print them out and display or place a copy on each table if you like

Valentine Radial Symmetry Lesson

Valentine Radial Symmetry Lesson

Creating a design using radial symmetry can feel very satisfying. Radial symmetry is a great crossover concept for the math, art, STEAM, or general classroom.

"Cool Classroom Stuff" has created a lesson on radial symmetry that ties into Valentines Day.

Four drawing templates are provided. Three have heart designs and spacing guidelines to assist the students in starting their designs. One template has spacing guidelines only. This is in case you want the students to create the entire design themselves. There are also two slides with sample drawings.

The lesson requires a simple set up and students may use crayons, markers, pens, or colored pencils.

If you'd like to check out this lesson, visit Cool Classroom Stuff's shop at TpT. The lesson is only $3.00 right now.

Native American Art Project for Elementary Students - Native American Shields

Art Sub Plan - Native American Shields

Here’s an art sub plan the kids and teachers love. 


Native American Shields This elementary art lesson would work well as a Thanksgiving or fall art project. It presents art history information on Native American Indian shields as well as on the artist, George Catlin. The students are led, step by step, how to draw the shape of a shield. They then take that basic shield and embellish it with their own symbols and decorations.

As a retired art teacher turned art sub, I can attest to the fact that this is one of those lessons where every child can leave feeling successful about their work. I have found that my students stay fully engaged throughout the entire class period.  

Supplies Needed

The supplies needed for this lesson are simple: 12"x18" white paper; pencils; markers or crayons; circles, both large and small, for tracing the shape of the shield. (I had students trace around paper plates and paper bowls.)

Reviews of This Lesson

Here is feedback left by teachers who have used this lesson.

"On July 11, 2018, Jennifer L. said, "This is my favorite lesson I did this entire year! Thank you! So much fun to include with my Native Americans unit.”

“On March 6, 2018, Artsy Ivie (TpT Seller) said: "This was wonderful for my 5th graders!!!!! Our school mascot is the Indian and they loved doing this project! Thank you for the editable powerpoint and for covering EVERYTHING in this.“

Something for Early Finishers

Here's another fun Thanksgiving idea. This worksheet is great for those early finishers. Kids draw a disguise for the poor turkey who is trying to escape a Thanksgiving dinner. Yikes! Create a Turkey in Disguise

For a time saving and quality art sub plan, click here to visit my TeachersPayTeachers shop:  Art Sub Lessons @ TPT

Art Sub Plans - Silly Sundae Preview

Art Sub Lessons "Silly Sundae"

Find relief when you have an emergency absence. Writing lesson plans for a sub when you are in a rush, feels horrible. Don't stress out when you don't need to.  I have complete no-prep lesson plans already fully formed for you.

This is a preview of my art sub lesson called "Silly Sundae." I thought you would get more information from a preview of this lesson than just from one or two images. Find this fun elementary lesson at my TpT Shop: Art Sub Lessons. 














This lesson is no prep and can be taught by anyone.  All someone needs to do is to show each page; read the script, and follow the directions. Subs love my lessons because there is a lot of content and they will keep the students engaged for the entire class period.  

Landscape with Patterns - Art Sub Plans

Patterned Landscapes for Elementary Art Sub Plans

Here are some visuals for a landscape lesson that anyone could teach. It could be great for an art sub.

I have drawn 4 stages of a patterned landscape lesson that you are welcome to use in a lesson with your own students.

Here is a video that you could use with older students.  Patterns and Landscape Video.

Other Lessons Idea on my Blog about Pattern

Easy Art Lesson for Elementary and Middle School

Put a Pattern on It

Complete Lesson at My TPT Shop: Art Sub Lessons

The Colorful Art of Bruce Gray

***Originally I had linked to a lesson about patterned landscapes on a site called "Relief Teaching Ideas," but that site no longer exists.

STEAM Art Sub Lesson with Insects

This lesson was created with an art sub in mind. All of the directions have been included for their ease of use. There are multiple ways to use it. It may be printed out so that the sub may present it up close on paper or shown as a PowerPoint presentation.
It integrates science with art in an “ugly bug ball.” Including art history rounds this out even more!

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The lesson begins with a discussion about masterpieces featuring insects by the artists Balthasar van der Ast, Nicolaes de Bruyn and then William Heath-Robinson. The lesson then leads the students to creating an imaginary scene of insects at a party. Each slide includes questions and statements for the students to think about including in their drawing.

I have taught this lesson to all levels, K through Fifth. My subs who have used this lesson have left feedback that they and the students thoroughly enjoyed the lesson.

I hope that this will be a well loved lesson for you and your students and that it helps you when you are in need of a sub lesson. 

The materials needed for this lesson are the most simple: paper, pencils and crayons or markers. Here's what another buyer had so say about that: "Great lesson to leave for a sub as everything needed was included and the prep was minimal and used things commonly found in the art room. "

Here's a comment from a buyer:  "The kids produced wonderful drawings and images. The sub used the plans for my intermediate groups grades 3-5 and she loved working with the kids as the plans were so meticulously laid out!"

You may find this lesson here:  TPT Shop: Art Sub Lessons

Bugs and Insects - STEAM Art Sub Plans

Bugs and Insects - STEAM Art Sub Lessons

Now that spring is here, people are interested in nature art lessons. Here are some related to bugs and insects.

Here is one on TPT that was written easy enough to be taught by anyone; art teacher, sub, classroom teacher, or random person off the street.  Ugly Bug Ball

This one is also on TPT.  It could also be taught by anyone. A multipurpose lesson, it could be used as a center activity, an early finishers activity, or an art sub lesson.  Create Insect Designs with Radial Symmetry - STEM/STEAM

This is a coloring/doodle/patterned Monarch Butterfly activity on TPT.

The images in this blog post are great.  As an upper elementart art sub lesson, you could do some step by steps of how to draw a simple insect and add a pattern chart.  Kids could do some beautiful drawings with crayons or markers. This is over at Laura Kelly's blog, Me and My Inklings.

Here's another good one with lots of visuals and instructions.  Still, for a sub, you might want to add a few more step by step visuals unless you have a person who is comfortable doing simple shape drawings.  I would also keep the lesson to just crayons or markers.  It is a nice lesson.  Visit the Laugh Paint Create blog.

KinderArt, always a good place to check out lessons, has a lesson called Bug In A Jar. It was written for middle school art, but could be adapted,  I'm sure.

Crayola is always a good place to get ideas. Often there are plans on their site  you could use as well. This one would need more detailed directions for a sub, but you could write up some step by step ones that would work with this. Crayola

Art Sub Lesson Plan - Silly Monsters

Halloween Art Lesson - Creating Silly Monsters

“Creating Silly Monsters” is a fun lesson about monsters that you could use in an art center; as a regular art lesson; or for an art sub. It is super easy to teach and kids will love it. Check it out at TPT Shop: Centers and Early Finishers  It would be timely around Halloween but could be taught any time.

Art Sub Lesson Plans About Monsters

Elementary Art Sub Plans about Monsters

Look no further for easy elementary art lessons about monsters. Here are lesson plans that would be fun to teach in October or at Halloween. They would all be perfect for art sub plans.


If you like leaving YouTube videos for subs, here is a sea monster lesson from Steve Harpster.  He shows kids how to draw creatures using letters of the alphabet. In this video, he uses the letter "A."

This "Name Alien" lesson is by We Heart Art.  This lesson ends up far from where it begins!

"There Be Monsters" is a lesson about sea monsters as they were drawn on  ancient maps.  

Students observe the old maps and monsters and create their own.

Here's a worksheet for early finishers at TPT.

"Create a Silly Monster"  This would be great for subs, art teachers, and classroom teachers.

This "Name Alien" lesson is by We Heart Art.  This lesson ends up far from where it begins!

"Clown and Poodle" originally wrote about this lesson. It is based on the old song, "The Purple People Eater." Originally, I linked to that blog, but it no longer seems to exist.  Here is my blog post about that lesson.

This sweet kindergarten lesson is by Artisan des Arts. 

"Her Dabbles" came up with this lesson called Silly Monsters. 

Ms. Pearce's Art Room has this lesson called "Circle Monsters." Kids lovetracing shapes. Here they can create original monsters just by starting with tracing circles.

This Scribble Monster lesson came from "Art  with Ms. B"

Back to School - Easy Art Sub Lessons

Easy Art Sub Lesson Plans for Back to School

Back to School time. What an awkward time to be absent from your classroom.  Here are some posts that would make great art sub plans. They are easy enough for a sub to teach and interesting enough to engage your kids. Click on the links to find out more about these fun and easy lessons.

Kindergarten and Preschool Art Lesson Plan
by ME!  Jan @ Art Sub Lessons blog

Free Art Sub Lesson - Lines, Lines and More Lines
by ME!  Jan @ Art Sub Lessons blog

Minions
by Miriam at Arte a Scuola

Collaborative Creatures
by Katie Weymouth at Briargrove Elementary Art Page

Dot Day
by Ms. O'Hanley at  Tales from the Traveling Art Teacher

Here's a post with multiple ideas for drawing things using circles: Back to School Art Activity: What Can You Make Out of a Circle Shape?

Leave a comment below if you know of more great ideas for kids for back to school art.