LESSON PLANS

EDUCATIONAL DESIGN

Sample lesson plans, representing various age groups.

MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTERS

High School

Focused on helping high schoolers cope with and understand their mental health, this 1-week lesson plan uses basic Photoshop skills to teach high school students how art can help us feel supported. Students create a “lover’s eye” style piece of jewelry to serve as a personal touchstone that can remind them of who cares about them and supports them.
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REMEMBERING AND HONORING

High School

Designed around the big idea of remembering and honoring, this 2-week lesson plan uses simple sewing to teach high school students how art can help us remember, through the lens of the AIDS Memorial Quilt.
The plan covers both the history of the quilt, and the importance of community art.
PDF LESSON

PATTERN MAKING AND ART

3rd Grade

Designed around the Caldecott book “A Sick Day for Amos McGee”, this 2-week lesson plan uses printmaking to teach the idea of routines and patterns to 3rd grade students.
The plan covers the key concepts, objectives, essential questions, and the standards met as well as a detailed description of the lesson and resources alongside it.
PDF LESSON

PRINTMAKING AND ACCESS TO ART

7th Grade

Using the Robert Blackburn & Modern American Printmaking exhibit at the DIA, this 2-week lesson plan uses printmaking to question how art can be more accessible.
The plan discusses how prints can be easily created and reproduced in volume to create access, and looks at Robert Blackburn’s printmaking workshop as an example of this.
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TRANSFORMATION

5th Grade

This lesson plan uses the Caldecott book “Joseph Had a Little Overcoat” and stop motion video to teach fifth grade students about transformation. Students work collaboratively to create stop motion pieces where one thing changes into another, and relate that to their own lives, as fifth grade is a period of great change.

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AN ODE TO DIVERSE ARTISTS

6th Grade

Based on the idea of Value, this lesson for sixth grade students celebrates diverse artists, and considers how artwork can be used to show one’s own personal values, as well as look at a wider set of values in society. Students also investigate how exhibiting artwork can influence what people think about the creator and the scene they’re depicting.
PDF LESSON

SHARE YOUR POWER: ANIMAL GUIDES

Accessible Education

This lesson plan is designed for Accessible Education students, and was created based on a specific class of students. Keeping in mind their interests, the plan uses the history of animal guides to help students design and create their own animal, to keep in the classroom to act as their guide, and remind them of their power.

PDF LESSON