Art Sub Plan - A Tree House for Me

A Treehouse for Me

As I am entering the later part of my art teaching career, I am trying to figure out how I can both continue in art education and fund my retirement.  Plus, in a year or two I will probably start subbing in art classrooms and will need an arsenal of good lessons to teach.  I've started putting together art sub lessons in PowerPoint as if I were going to substitute teach from them.  They've taken hours of work to put together and most of them have been tested in the classroom.

I am going to be selling them cheaply so that when you need an emergency lesson plan you can buy one from here:  Jan's Shop at TeachersPayTeachers  A lesson that has taken me hours and hours to work on, you can download in a minute.  You don't have to spend all those agonizing hours writing your own art sub lesson plans.

The lessons all use the most simple supplies:  crayon or marker, pencil or pen, and paper.  All your sub has to do is to read each slide.

Since my subs most likely don't feel comfortable using my technology, I have created the slides so that you can print out each slide.  The sub will just bring the class close as if they were reading a book to the class, and they will show each slide that has been printed.

This particular lesson was written with third, fourth, and fifth grade students in mind.

Ugly Bug Ball - Elementary Art Sub Plan

 Ugly Bug Ball - Art Sub Plan 

I created this lesson for its ease of use.  It is complete with visuals and simple directions.  The materials needed are very simple.  It is for sale at TeachersPayTeachers.

This lesson was created with an art sub in mind. All of the directions have been included for their ease of use. You may print this out so that the sub may present it up close on paper or show it as PowerPoint presentation.

The materials needed for this lesson are the most simple: paper, pencils, and crayons or markers.

The lesson begins with discussion questions regarding a masterpiece by the artist, Balthasar van der Ast. This painting includes many interesting insects crawling around a beautiful still life. The lesson then leads the students to create 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.

Elementary Art Sub Lesson - Ugly Bug Ball

 I created this lesson for its ease of use.  It is complete with visuals and simple directions.  The materials needed are very simple.  It is for sale at TeachersPayTeachers.

This lesson was created with an art sub in mind. All of the directions have been included for their ease of use. You may print this out so that the sub may present it up close on paper or show it as PowerPoint presentation.

The materials needed for this lesson are the most simple: paper, pencils and crayons or markers.

The lesson begins with discussion questions regarding a masterpiece by the artist, Balthasar van der Ast. This painting includes many interesting insects crawling around a beautiful still life. 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.

Kindergarten Art Sub Plan - Gingham Dog Calico Cat

Kindergarten Art Sub Plan

This is a lesson that I created years ago and it has been an old favorite. It goes with the book/poem "The Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat." I wrote it specifically for primary art subs. It's over at TeachersPayTeachers.  

I tried to make it as simple as possible. If you have the book and simple supplies, you are ready to take a day of leave. = )

This is a great solution to a day when you have an emergency and need a sub lesson immediately.  Everything you need is here.

The Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat

This is an art sub lesson that I created years ago and it has been an old favorite. It goes with the book/poem "The Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat." I wrote it specifically for primary art subs. It's over at TeachersPayTeachers. I tried to make it as simple as possible. If you have the book and simple supplies, you are ready to take a day of leave. = )

How to Draw and Paint a Pattern Beetle

Video Art Sub Plan

This cute insect and pattern lesson can be found on YouTube here:  How to Draw and Paint a Pattern Beetle. It is on the channel "Artventure."

I think I may try a version of this for my next sub's lesson.  I would burn the video to DVD so it can be played on the DVD player.  (I'll write a post this weekend on how to do this.)  The sub would play the video the whole way through. Then, for the drawing part, the students would work along as the sub played the video bit by bit.

I would make it a crayon or marker lesson unless I knew the sub could deal with block tempera for the resist.

Texture Rubbing

Texture Rubbing as an Art Sub Plan

You follow Phyl's blog, right? There's a Dragon in My Art Room?

 I was digging around over there today and found these directions that turn a lesson into a sub-plan.

 

She describes the lesson in the post and then, in the comments, puts info about what the sub did.

I'm going to a meeting all day next Wednesday and will be using this for my sub.

Loopy Line Fish

Loopy Line Fish as an Art Sub Plan

This is a find from Art Project Girl.  She says it should take a half-hour or so.  Coupled with a book or video about fish, you could add on the needed time.  Or you could give this to your sub in case they need something to fill in the time.

Another easy way to prepare for an art sub is to go to my shop, Art Sub Plans. I have created complete lessons in which all your sub has to do is read the slides and follow the directions.  They are full of visuals and are created to be used with the most simple supplies.  Pencils, paper, and crayons are all your students will need to create imaginative works of art.

These are perfect for those emergency absences when you do not have the time to write detailed plans but want to leave quality plans for your subs.

Art Sub Plans - Purple People Eater

Elementary Art Sub Plan for Purple People Eater

You would think that since I gather sub plans for this blog, preparing for a sub would be a breeze for me.  Not so.  Though I have so many ideas right at my fingertips, I still spend unspoken numbers of hours writing the plans and making the visuals.  So I will post the written plans I made this week and maybe it will save you a little time.

I originally posted a link to the blog, Clown and Poodle, but I am having trouble linking to that site now. So, I got my original idea from them, and this the lesson I chose to leave for my sub yesterday.

Here is how I prepped.  Since all my classes were going to do the same lesson, I taped the visuals in the front of the room.  Some of these are ideas I copied directly from her original post.

In this lesson, the students glue a googly eye on the paper.  I did this the day before my sub came as to save her the hassle of dealing with the thick craft glue.  When the students received their work paper, it had a googly eye glued on it already.


Here are a couple of the finished pieces done by second graders:

Here are the lesson plans as written for my sub:

Tell the students that today they will be inventing a new silly monster all on their own.  It will look like no one else’s!  

Read these lyrics with a lot of fun in your voice:

This is called the One Eyed, One Horned, Flying Purple People Eater.

Well, I saw the thing
A comin' out of the sky
It had a one long horn
And a one big eye
I commenced to shakin'
And I said "oohwee
It looks like a Purple
People Eater to me"

It was a one-eyed, one-horned
Flyin' Purple People Eater
One-eyed, one-horned
Flyin' Purple People Eater
Sure looked strange to me


Well, he came down to earth
And he lit in a tree
I said, "Mister Purple People Eater,
Don't eat me"
I heard him say
In a voice so gruff,
I wouldn't eat you
Cause you're so tough

It was a one-eyed, one-horned
Flyin' Purple People Eater
One-eyed, one-horned
Flyin' Purple People Eater
One-eyed, one-horned
Flyin' purple people Eater
Sure looked strange to me
One horn

I said, "Mister Purple People Eater,
What's your line?"
He said,
Eatin' purple people,
And it sure is fine.
What is the reason
That you came to land
I wanna get a job
In a rock 'n roll band



Well, he went on his way
And then what-a you know
I saw him last night
On a TV show
He was blowin' it out,
Really knockin' 'em dead
Playin' rock 'n roll music
Through the horn on his head

Show the students a paper that has one eye glued to it.  Tell them that they will invent their own one-eyed monster using this paper.

Show them the sample monsters that I have drawn.

Ask them how many eyes their monster should have. <There is one eye glued on the paper, but they can draw more if they want.>

Ask them what else their silly monster should have.  (Wings?  Legs?  Toes?  Teeth?  What else?)

Show them the charts on the SmartBoard and tell them that they may use some of the ideas there, but they don’t have to.  They can invent whatever they want.

Show them the paper that has one eye glued on it.  (They’re in the cardboard box under the SmartBoard.) Tell them that they will use that as their monster’s eye.  They use the Sharpie to draw around it.  They add the rest of the head, the body and what ever else they want.

Show the drawings of the two monsters.  Point out that they have things in their hands.  What will they put in their monster’s hands?

Will their monster be scaly?  Will it be hairy?  Bumpy?  Rough? 

Have the students go to the tables you assign them.  (Send four to red…four to yellow…four to blue….four to green…..etc.)

                                                  

After they are seated, tell them to look at their seat number.  Tell them that person #1 should stand up.  If there is no #1, choose #2 for that team…or #3 of need be.  That person will be the team helper.

Hold all the papers.  Have the helpers line up in front of you and tell you how many sheets they need for their team.

The helper should come back and get Sharpies for their team.

The helper should come get a box of crayons for their team.

Everyone should draw their monsters.  Remind them that they can draw them however they like, however if they need help, they can get ideas from the charts on the SmartBoard.

If lots of children finish before the end of class time, call them all up front with their drawings.  You can collect the drawings and show each one.  The children can clap for each other.  Remind them that it should be clapping only and that we clap for every child.

If there is still time at the end of class you can read the book “Glad Monster Sad Monster.”  I will put that up front with the other supplies.

Helpers should return Sharpies and crayons to the front of the room.

The children should take their art work with them.

Please give me feedback about how the lesson went.  

*********

If you like that lesson, you might also like this one from my shop on TeachersPayTeachers.

Ugly Bug Ball - Art Sub Lesson

Ugly Bug Ball Elementary Art Lesson for Subs

I came up with this elementary art sub lesson during my sick leave after knee surgery.  Unfortunately, my first few days at work were too taxing to teach my regular curriculum, and I had to teach this sub lesson to a few classes.  All levels seemed happy to do it though.

Many grades in the spring are studying insects, so this is a natural tie-in to their curriculum.

If you go to my blog for art room videos, and search for "ant" or "insect" you will find lots of videos that you can tie into this lesson.

The main idea for the lesson is from this video, "Ugly Bug Ball."  Since it is a Disney video, I suppose they could take it down at any time.  You can do a web search for it if it isn't on YouTube anymore.  The video has Burl Ives singing this sweet song about the ugly bug ball and then ends up showing animation of said ball.  The kids loved it!

After watching the video, we talked about the things that you might find at an ugly bug party.  What kinds of bugs?  What would they be doing?  How would they be dressed for the party?

Materials:
black pens
markers or crayons
12 x 18 white paper

The kids drew the bugs, trying to include the body parts they had learned about.  They dressed them all in party attire and with the proper surroundings.

When they were done, I collected the papers and showed them to the class.  (We always clap after each work is shown.)

If there is time left at the end of that, the sub may show the other videos on insects.

If you would like a fully written version of this lesson, ready for a sub to pick up and teach, you may purchase my plan at this link:  TeachersPayTeachers.    The materials are the simplest:  pen or pencil, marker or crayon, paper.  It would be perfect for an emergency art lesson or just a regular art lesson.

Art Lesson Based on “The Dot”

“Art Project Girl" did this lesson with her students but suggests that it coud be used by a sub.  It is based on the book, The Dot.

If you are interested in other blog posts about The Dot, check these out:

Back to School Dot Day Ideas

and 

Circle Art Lessons

School of Fish

School of Fish - Art Sub Plan

This is one from an old coworker of mine.

Sub Lesson Video - Tar Beach

Tar Beach Art Lesson for Subs

Here's a post that  Splish, Splash, Splatter did from my video on YouTube, Tar Beach.  This made me so happy. 

I made that video before I ever thought about making a blog for art sub lessons. My goal was to provide a good lesson for my students while they had a sub in the room. I created the video so that all a sub had to do was to press “Play" and the kids would follow along.  I think her kids did a great job.

Easy and Free Art Sub Plans for Kindergarten

Here is a free art sub PowerPoint lesson for you at my  Teachers Pay Teachers shop: Art Sub Lessons.  This lesson is one I use with kindergarten.  We do lots of moving around making the shapes of lines as we look at the slides. TeachersPayTeachers requests that you make your free PowerPoints smaller than your "for pay" ones, but this is still full of good images and information for your students and subs.

Here are a couple of "easy sub lessons" from Dali's Moustache.  One is a third grade lesson about Jackson Pollack's action paintings.  The other is a fourth-grade lesson called "crayon fireworks."

Another source for some free resources is here: Circle Art Lessons | Art Sub Plans Worksheets

This page in my blog links to free art worksheet printables, videos, and lessons that can be completed in one class.

Another easy way to prepare for an art sub is to go to my shop, Art Sub Plans. I have created complete lessons in which all your sub has to do is read the slides and follow the directions.  They are full of visuals and are created to be used with the most simple supplies.  Pencils, paper and crayons are all your students will need to create imaginative works of art.

These are perfect for those emergency absences when you do not have the time to write detailed plans but want to leave quality plans for your subs.

Elementary Art Lesson "Scribble Monster"

Looking for easy art lessons with the theme, “Scribble Monsters,” I found many versions on YouTubeKids.

This was one of my favorites. It is by Emily Brosius.  You can find it here:  Scribble Monster Drawings

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 Lesson "Wacky Hats"

This is a sub lesson that I teach myself as an art sub but used to teach in my own classroom before I retired.  I have added it to my TeachersPayTeachers store because it is such a successful lesson.  The kids get highly engaged and stay busy the entire class time.

It would be fun as a lesson for "Crazy Hat Day" at your school.  Art teachers could use it and so could classroom teachers.

When I left it for a sub of my own, she had high praise for this lesson. She left these comments: "Thank you for the wonderful plans.  Great lesson." and "They LOVED the photos and your drawings."

Here is a link to my shop:  Art Sub Lessons.

The Dot - Relief Teaching Ideas

Art Lesson for Relief Teaching

This lesson idea is from "Ms. Brown's Art Class."  I think it could be adapted for kindergarten art sub plans up to fifth-grade ones.

Ms. Brown uses block tempera in her classroom.  If I had a sub, I might use those same plans or either draw with Sharpie and then fill in with marker or crayon.  She has nice instructions on her page.  She also uses the book, "The Dot."  (Thanks for all the lesson plans on your blog, Ms. Brown!)

 

Easy Art Lesson - Pattern Snake

Easy Art Lesson - Pattern Snake - Sub Plan

I’m not sure why it is, but kids love drawing snakes. Here’s a lesson where they draw one and then add a variety of patterns and doodles.  

You could do this with kindergarten but with older kids as well. 

This is from the blog "Got Art / Teaching Art to Young Artists."  Mrs. Matott said she left this with first and second grades as a sub lesson before and it was successful. 

Here’s a similar take on that. This is another blog post about spirals and another pattern snake.

“Swirl by Swirl”

Art Sub Plan - Gingerbread Buildings

Gingerbread Buildings Lesson for Subs

This art sub lesson is one I used for my first, second, and third graders.

When I have a sub, my goal is for the kids to be engaged and the sub to have an easy go of it.  Since non-art people are the norm for my subs, I always promise them that I will leave a lesson that anyone can teach.  So, the lessons from my county's curriculum are saved for me to teach.

I figured that on the last day of school before winter break, the kids would be overly excited and I needed to give them something that would be of interest to them.

I printed out many gorgeous gingerbread houses from the internet and hung them in the room.  I also painted a sheet with many types of candies that you might find on a gingerbread house.

I left the sub 12" x 18" paper.....black pens....and crayons.  If I do this lesson again, I would give the kids a smaller paper; perhaps 10" x 10".  The larger paper was too big to color in completely in one 55 minute class.

 Here is what I wrote for her:

Show the photos of the gingerbread houses.  I have taped a chart of painted candies and gingerbread houses on the wall so please point that out to them to use.
As you show the pictures, ask the students to tell you what they see.  What is a gingerbread house?  Why do people make them?  What are they made from?

Point out that not all of the houses are the same shapes.  They could be gingerbread castles….gingerbread mansions….gingerbread forts…..gingerbread theaters…….gingerbread stores………gingerbread schools…… Some even have decorated areas around them.  How will you make a fence?  A car in the driveway?  Trees?  People?  Animals?

Tell the students that they will be drawing a gingerbread building today.  What type of building they choose to do is up to them.  They will be using black pens to draw the entire picture.   After about ten minutes of drawing, you can pass out the blue boxes of crayons.  They may color in the picture.  Note:  they only get one sheet of paper.  They know this and probably won’t ask for another.