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.
Art Sub Tubs are popular these days. They make it easy for you to keep your sub lessons accessible for an emergency absence and keep things organized for your sub. Is there any time better than "Back to School" time to prepare one?
There are a variety of ways to put one together. These art teachers have written about their's. Check them out.
This is from my TPT shop: Art Sub Lessons. It is a quick art project for early finishers but it would work well for a sub. There are three worksheets included. One worksheet has a figure lightly drawn in and students create their own characteristics over it. Another is the same worksheet but the character is drawn darkly. The last worksheet is a full-page character with nothing else. Students may create characters from stories, movies, sports, hobbies, or their own imaginations. There are sample body features that they may use or they may invent those too. There are teacher samples included so that you don't have to spend the time to do it yourself! Some teachers have told me that it works well as a jumping-off place for a writing assignment.
Lots of people are using art sub tubs these days. What a great way to organize your sub files. This is especially helpful for emergency absences when you just can’t easily pull a lesson together because of what’s going on in your world.
Kids love art games! Rachelle over at Tinkerlab has some great ideas for one that you could leave with a sub. This one looks like fun. Her son actually created this idea!
The supplies are simple: Paper and pencil. She gives you all the instructions you need too.
There are also links to other drawing games that you should check out.
The blog, Art with Mrs. Smith, has a lesson that you could adapt as a sub lesson. She shows you step by step how to do the drawing. There are plenty of visuals and directions.
This is a good opportunity for students to learn about the art of Henri Matisse. Admired for his use ofcolorand his fluid line, his paintings have a quality that is almost childlike. This is one reason that children are drawn to his work.
This STEM/STEAM art activity would be fun to do around a Mexican holiday like Day of the Dead or Cinco de Mayo. If your students have seen the animated movie, “Coco,” they will be familiar with Día de Los Muertos. It would work perfectly as an art sub lesson. This lesson plan is by TPT Shop: Cool Classroom Stuff This may be set up as a classroom learning center; an activity for early finishers; or as a teacher led lesson. This PowerPoint includes: -Three drawing templates featuring sugar skulls. One has a center guideline; one does not, and one small one has a guideline and folds lines to be utilized as a greeting card. -Six sample drawings, showing a variety of media. They may be hung in the class as visuals for a lesson or hung in a learning center. -One sheet with a composite of these may be hung in a learning center. -One sheet of sample designs you might see on sugar skulls. -Five sheets of information about sugar skulls; directions on how to draw one; and information about symmetry. The designs may be created with a pen, crayon, or marker.
Here is a preview of what you would get.
Click here to find out more: Cool Classroom Stuff.
Here are 21 elementary art sub plans that are easy enough to be taught by anyone. Some are full lesson plans; some ideas; some links to good lessons. It is a good reference for both emergency absenses and planned leave.
Here is an easy one-day art lesson with full directions that a sub could do. It is based on a Cezanne still life. The lesson was originally done with watercolor, but certainly could be replicated with crayons or markers. There are both step-by-step directions for the lesson and visuals for every step. There’s not often you find all this for art sub planning, so don’t miss this one!
One Happy Art Teacher describes how she taught fan folding in this sub lesson and turned it into Jack in the Boxes. Full details are included in her blog post.
If you are looking for a kindergarten art sub plan that is ready to hand to a sub right now, check out this lesson in my TPT shop.
This lesson, Robot Roundup, includes visuals of vintage robot toys and contemporary robots. Students follow a directed drawing to get started, but add their own details when they are ready. I have taught this to all ages of elementary students and it is well loved by every level.
This lesson is no prep, fully scripted, and includes plenty of visuals. It can be taught by anyone.
Here is an easy and fun art lesson that is no-prep. It was written so it would be easy enough to be taught by a sub, but can certainly also be taught by art teachers and classroom teachers. If you have an emergency and need to take a day off, this would be perfect for a sub lesson. It is already written out. All anyone would need to do is read the script and pass out supplies.
The supplies needed for this are simple. Paper and crayons or markers.
The lesson may be projected or printed out.
Where You Can Find This Lesson
This lesson can be found at my TPT shop: Art Sub Lessons. I have a ton of resources to help with sub lesson planning or just everyday art lessons.
Here are some reviews of the lesson that were left in my TPT shop:
"Great, thorough product. Could be used for lessons: shape, color, pattern, movement. There are many ways to use this resource to meet your project needs."
"My students loved learning about Reggie Laurent as part of our Black History Month artists. My grade 4s and 5s created colorful doodles inspired by his work. This PowerPoint was an incredible guide for teaching the lesson and exploring his contribution to the art world. I extended the project by allowing students to include a silhouette in the middle of their doodles. Great resource! "
Need art sub lesson plans and activities for March? Here are some things I found that will help out around St. Patrick's Day. This includes a STEAM and STEM lesson or two.
"Cool Classroom Stuff" on TeachersPayTeachers as a great lesson for art and math. A STEAM lesson, "Create a Symmetrical St. Patrick's Day Design" would be great for upper elementary, middle, or high schoolers.
This one was done in crayon.
This was done with marker pen.
Storytime Anytime reads the book, How to Catch a Leprechaun, in this YouTube video. (The book is by Adam Wallace with illustrations by Andy Elkerton.) After reading the book or watching the video, you or your sub could have students draw a leprechaun trap. (You may need to remind them to build something that would be kind and keep the leprechaun safe.)
This printable Celtic Knot coloring page is in PDF format and designed to be printed on letter sized paper. It is by Literary Springs Designs.
Here is an art activity from the TPT shop: Centers and Early Finishers. Upper elementary and middle schoolers might enjoy this.
Did you see “Coco”? Oh my gosh! That was a cute movie! And I cried!
If you have been looking for a lesson or sub lesson to go with Dia de Muertos, here is one by TPT Shop: Cool Classroom Stuff.
This art activity would be fun to do around a Mexican holiday like Day of the Dead or Cinco de Mayo. If your students have seen the animated movie, “Coco,” they will be familiar with Día de Los Muertos. Great as an art sub lesson; learning center; or activity for early finishers.
This PowerPoint includes:
-Three drawing templates featuring sugar skulls. One has a center guideline; one does not, and one small one has a guideline and fold lines to be utilized as a greeting card.
-Six sample drawings, showing a variety of media. They may be hung in the class as visuals for a lesson or hung in a learning center.
-One sheet with a composite of these that may be hung in a learning center.
-One sheet of sample designs you might see on sugar skulls.
-Five sheets of information about sugar skulls; directions on how to draw one; and information about symmetry.
-Four bonus sugar skull coloring sheets. May be used for students who need a little help or just for fun.
The designs may be created with pen, crayon or marker.
It is hard to imagine that it is this time of year already!!! If you would like a Mardi Gras mask lesson, Center and Early Finishers’ TPT shop has one. It could be a nice lesson for an art sub.
Here’s how she describes the lesson: “ This Mardi Gras activity may be used as a learning center activity, a filler art lesson, or a creative activity for early finishers. Students will doodle patterns in the template of a Mardi Gras Mask. The supplies needed to complete the artwork are simple: crayon, pen, or marker.
This activity includes: 1 mask template 4 sheets of directions for different media 4 sheets, each with a mask done in different media 1 sheet of suggestions for how to divide the space 1 sheet of sample patterns 1 sheet showing an example of how you might set this up as a learning center”
Here's an art activity that is great as a STEAM project; a classroom art lesson or as an art sub plan. There are examples and templates. Great for upper elementary and middle school students.The lesson is by TPT Shop: Cool Classroom Stuff.
Valentine Art Activity for Centers, Subs and Early Finishers
Here are two Valentine art activities that can be used in a center; taught by a sub or teacher, or used as an activity for early finishers.
One is by the TPT Shop: Cool Classroom Stuff. Elementary and middle school both will enjoy this lesson. Templates are provided as a structure for original designs. Students will use simple materials which could include, pens, crayons, or markers.
The second lesson is intended more for elementary than the first one, but middle school would enjoy doing it too. This one is from the TPT Shop: Centers and Early Finishers. It is more of a doodle art lesson and would be good for early finishers.
There is a template for the kids to add pattern to or just color in.
This one also uses simple materials: pens, crayons, or markers.
