Thursday, January 6, 2022

Valentine's Day - Art Sub Plans

 

Art Sub Plans - Valentines Day

Looking around for lessons you could give a substitute teacher, you need something that kids will find fun and subs will feel comfortable teaching. I like the idea of doodles. 

There are so many types of doodles and they can easily be geared towards any holiday or special event.

Student marker drawing of doodle monsters in a heart shape


Kids love, love, looooooooove doodle monsters. They're easy to draw so they are kind of a no fail thing to draw.  So, I created an art activity for February and Valentines Day with the theme of doodle monsters. Before I tell you about that lesson though, I'll share some web sites that also feature doodles.

Art Lessons About Doodling


Here's a blog post about doodles in general. It gives you instructions for how to get kids started doodling.  The blog is Doodle Art Alley and the post is here:  Doodle Art Activities Ideas. 






That doesn’t looks like a Valentine lesson though. So, add valentine elements to it, that is, add hearts and red. Now, this might not be a lesson you would teach during your own class time, but what you are going for in a sub lesson is engagement. How to get kids to buy into a lesson from a stranger. Kids love valentines.

The next post of from "My Modern Met." They give a general description of doodles then give a list of ideas that might inspire doodling.  You can find that post here:  50+ Doodle Ideas That Everyone Will Have Fun Sketching. Again, add hearts and reds to this, and you have a lesson for Valentine’s Day.




Art Sub Lesson Plan for Valentine’s Day - Doodle Monsters

If you are interested in an art activity for Valentine's Day, that is fully scripted, with visuals and directions, go check out this lesson in my TPT Shop.  Doodle Monsters at Valentine's Day


There are:

❄️2 slides with general instructions and supplies needed
❄️2 slides explaining what doodles are including one from the past
❄️13 pages fully,scripted lesson with visuals including how to draw a doodle monster
❄️5 pages of examples to print out and display
❄️Suggestions for different ways to end the lesson

❄️1 line drawing that may be used as a coloring sheet for differentiation or as an activity for early finishers


Student crayon drawing of doodle monsters in a heart shape

If you are interested in another blog post that would be great for January and February, check out this blog post:  15 Art Sub Plan Ideas for Black History Month.

Sunday, January 2, 2022

Chinese New Year Dragon

Chinese New Year  Dragondrawing of a Chinese dragon by elementary student


This is a lesson that I have taught in my own art room and the kids have always loved it.  Before the lesson, I always liked to show YouTube videos of Dragon dances during the Chinese New Year celebrations.  There are also lovely children's books on the subject which would go great with this lesson.  You don't need either to teach this lesson though.  I've added lots of visuals and background that provide motivation for the students.

I have heard from classroom teachers as well as art teachers who have taught this.  They all seemed to have success and the kids loved it.  

The lesson introduces the students to Asian dragon costumes as they might be seen in parades and festivals. Along with a little background information about the mythical dragons, students observe decorative details used in these festive celebrations.


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 out more about this lesson at my TPT shop, Art Sub Lessons.