A shiny human figure turned into a car or a jet--what kid (or kid at heart) wouldn't enjoy these images? The author found that showing his students these shiny human sculptures by artist Ernest Trova (1927-2009) was a great place to start an exciting sculpture project with his fourth-grade students. In the 1960s, Ernest Trova created a painting of…

"Shells and Patterns" was a project the author felt would easily put smiles on the faces of her fifth-graders, and teach them about unity and the use of watercolor pencils as well. It was thrilling to see the excitement in her students as they made their line drawings of shells come to life. For the most part, they quickly got the hang of…

Most elementary students approach photography in an open-minded, experimental way. As a result, their images are often more playful than those taken by adults. Students discover more through their own explorations than they would learn through overly structured lessons. In this article, the author describes how he introduces his elementary…

With many art museums uploading web-based art activities for youngsters, an online phenomenon is burgeoning, and a research domain is emerging. In an effort to contribute empirical evidence to an area of educational research that I refer to as "virtual art museology," or the study of art museum's online art activities for young people, this…

This article describes how the author teaches a fourth- and fifth-grade unit on architecture called the Art and Science of Planning Buildings. Rockville, Indiana has fine examples of architecture ranging from log cabins, classic Greek columns, Victorian houses, a mission-style theater, and Frank Lloyd Wright prairie-style homes. After reading…

The purpose of the "Identity Pole" was to explore the big idea of identity. Students would confront issues of personal and cultural meaning, and draw upon interdisciplinary connections for inspiration. The author chose to present totem poles of the Northwest Coast Native Americans/First Nations of Canada, as well as school, state and national…

Art and art education are open to broader definitions in the twenty-first century. It is time that teachers seriously think about including built environment design in K-12 art education. The term "built environment" includes interior design, architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning. Due to increased exposure to built environment…

Two fourth-grade teachers presented the idea of using the author's art class to inspire the students to write creatively. The theme of scary stories needed an art project to match. The author immediately had a favorite lesson in mind. By putting a small twist on one of her standard "Frank Lloyd Wright House" projects, scary plans began to take…

The Maya civilization developed from about 300 B.C., predating the Aztecs who flourished in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. One of the challenges of this lesson is to present a cohesive history of the Maya to fourth- and fifth-graders within the context of an art lesson. A glyph is a symbol. A symbol is something that represents something else,…

Children are naturally worried and concerned when catastrophic events such as Hurricane Katrina occur. Parents and teachers look for ways to help them deal with their fears and emotions. This article describes a project which was designed to help fifth-grade students think about what is really important in their lives and make sense of what they…

Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Incas in Peru, was recently voted one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. Also in Peru are the mysterious Nazca Lines--a humming bird, a spider, and trapezoids--which are etched in the desert so large they can only be seen from an airplane. The author experienced some of these places recently when he and his…

Textile design is a multimillion-dollar business that affects all of us. However, the idea of textile design is often ignored in art classes. This paper describes a project that challenges students to identify functional art in their everyday lives. In this project, students analyze textile designs, then create their own motifs and repeat them to…

The idea for the art lesson presented in this article grew out of watching the lively actions of fourth grade students. Since drawing is the author's first love, she is always looking for new ways to teach it. This time, instead of setting up a still life, she decided to teach students how to capture their actions on paper. (Contains 5 online…

The author's encounter with a live owl and her purchase of a Peruvian folk art gourd inspired a new interdisciplinary experience for the author's fourth grade students. In this article, she describes how her students explored owls through clay sculpture. (Contains 2 resources and 1 online resource.)

Can art be powerful enough as medium to connect two economically and culturally diverse groups of students totally unfamiliar with each other? The author put this question to the test by introducing a lesson on Madhubani, a traditional folk art from a remote region in India. The author describes how this activity gives students an opportunity to…