In this article, the author presents an ideal question that can take an art teacher and his or her students through all the levels of thought in Bloom's taxonomy--perfect for modeling the think-aloud process: "How many people is the artist inviting into this picture?" This great question always helps the students look beyond the obvious and dig…

The fear of embarrassment in middle- and high-school students often inhibits their attempts at drawing realistically. Many find it difficult to reproduce what they see accurately, and as a result, complain, act out or refuse to do the task in order to save face. In this article, the author describes a lesson that does three things: (1) it attempts…

Color wheels are a traditional project for many teachers. The author has used them in art appreciation classes for many years, but one problem she found when her pre-service art education students created colored wheels was that they were boring: simple circles, with pie-shaped pieces, which students either painted or colored in. This article…

Creating an appreciation of art history in her junior-high students has always been one of the author's greatest challenges as an art teacher. In this article, the author describes how her eighth-grade students re-created a famous work of art--piece by piece, like a puzzle or a stained-glass window--out of construction paper. (Contains 1 resource.)

In this article, the author describes an art project inspired by "Discovering Great Artists: Hands-On Art for Children in the Styles of the Great Masters," for 3- and 4-year-old preschoolers. The author's goal in creating this project which uses Jackson Pollock's style of painting was three-fold: (1) for the children to become acquainted with…

Is there beauty in the wall socket that people plug their appliances into daily? Can one find beauty in the grate covering the heat vent in his classroom? The author posed these very questions to her third-grade students. She had the students take a good look at the outlet cover (or plate) on the wall. After thinking and discussing the outlets,…

Many people have seen "The Kiss" (1907-08), an iconic artwork by Austrian Symbolist Gustav Klimt (1862-1918), but know little about its background. Since its creation, the sensual subject matter and lush golden patterns have been this culture's example of romantic love. The painting exemplifies Klimt's brand of Art Nouveau. Acceptance often eluded…

Presents an art lesson in which first grade students learn about abstract art. Explains that the students learn about the work of Joan Miro and explore one of his paintings call "People and Dog in Sun." Describes how students use scribbles to make their own abstract art. (CMK)

Discusses the importance of developing students' building awareness by exploring logos, or buildings that symbolize a country, to learn about architecture and the cultures in different countries. Explores categories of buildings. Includes examples of logos from around the world. (CMK)

Explains that the best way for students to learn to recognize high-quality portrait photography is to study as many good examples as possible. Provides examples of portrait photography by David Hockney, Dorothea Lange, Edward Steichen, and Thomas M. Easterly in order to demonstrate different portrait styles and techniques and to promote…

Describes an art activity in which elementary students create collages similar to those of Julian Schnabel, learning to appreciate his work's meaning. Students select a symbol to represent an event or experience in their lives. Collages are created with acrylic paint and broken plates. (CMK)

Presents an art project that incorporates art history in which high school students create a still-life drawing of one jacket in four styles. Explains that the first drawing should be in the style of the student, while the other three should be in the styles of three well-known artists. Includes a list of artists. (CMK)

Focuses on works of art that are dreamlike and surrealistic and include visual contradictions. Includes four reproductions of artworks with information about the works of art and the artists. Explains that the four pictures will stimulate students' creativity. (CMK)

Describes an art lesson used in an advanced drawing course in which the students created artworks of a portion of a chosen game board, such as "Monopoly," implementing photographic realism. Explains how the students created their pictures and includes the learning objectives for the lesson. (CMK)

Discusses the use of the chalkboard as a surface for creating art and enabling young students to express their creativity. Explores different ways that art teachers can use chalkboards, such as for taking attendance, for use during a child's time-out, or a place to rehearse an artwork. (CMK)