First Grade Art Sub Lesson - Tar Beach

Art Sub Lesson for 1st Graders

This plan is fully scripted and ready to hand to a sub. Provide them with paper, pencil, crayons, and the book, Tar Beach, by Faith Ringgold, and they are ready to teach the lesson.

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

The materials needed for the lesson are paper, pencil, crayons, and the book, Tar Beach, by Faith Ringgold.

The slides lead the teacher through questions and answers 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. I have also taught this lesson myself, and the students have enjoyed it.
This would be perfect as an emergency sub lesson or as a lesson to be taught by a teacher at any time.
You can find this lesson at my shop at TeachersPayTeachers.

OH! And I made an art sub video for that lesson too! You can find it here on YouTube:  Art Sub Lesson Video for Tar Beach

Imagination Workout - Art Sub Plans Worksheets

Imagination Workout - Free Art Worksheets Printable

This is from the blog, Super Mom Moments. Her young daughter created this worksheet and the mom reports that her family members of all ages have enjoyed working on it.

It involves creating 11 little drawings on a grid. Each square on the grid has a simple line or shape from which you build your drawing. 

This requires only simple materials: printed out worksheets, pencils, and crayons.

“Super Mom” also has a library of worksheets that are printable and adds to them on what she calls “Worksheet Wednesdays.”

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.

Back to School - Free Still Life Set Ups

Free Art Lesson Plans - Still Life Set Ups

This isn't a sub lesson, but it might be helpful to you at the beginning of the school year.

When I am teaching contour line drawing to my fifth graders, I lie to use still life set-ups that include objects familiar to the students.  That age group is not that far from the age of sleeping with stuffed animals, so I find that they feel comfortable trying to draw them.

I put together a small collection of public domain photos in PowerPoint that would work nicely as still lifes for elementary drawings.  You might use them all at once in a lesson or save them to show individually as warm-up exercises.

If you would like to have a copy of the PowerPoint, you may download it for free at my TPT shop:

Art Sub Lessons:  Back to School Freebie-Still Life Set-Ups

Monogram Letter Designs - Art Sub Plan

Monogram Letter Designs as an Art Sub Plan

Here's a sub lesson that was taught in high school. I think it could be simplified for upper elementary. The blog is Amy's Artsy Adventures and this lesson is called "Monogram Letter Designs."

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.

Middle School Art Sub Plan Idea - Op Art

Middle School Art Sub Plan - Stacked Shapes - Op Art

This art lesson is from the blog, Art with Mrs. Smith. 
She has written out all the directions for you and there are a lot of examples. The materials needed are simple: paper and markers or crayon.   This is a lovely little lesson, so check it out.

If you find yourself in need of an art sub plan RIGHT NOW, check out my TPT Shop:  Art Sub Lessons.  I have  plenty of no prep, fully scripted art lessons that you can just print out and hand to your substitute teacher.  Anyone can teach these lessons.

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.

Free Art Worksheets - Directed Drawings of Owls

Directed Drawing Art Sub Lesson for Owls

This lesson and drawing are by Art Projects for Kids. This is a directed drawing that would be perfect for kindergarten and first grade. 

Since you have come here to see some directed drawings of owls, I went and found some other ones for you.

If you go to Denette Fritz’s blog, you can find a free worksheet with step-by-step instructions on how to draw an owl.

Here’s another take on the same thing. Check out this directed drawing by Thaneeya McArdle @ the blog, Art Is Fun.

This one is in the public domain since it has been around for so long.  You can find the full-size pdf on the blog, The Graphics Fairy.