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Projects are co-designed by artist-teacher teams to meet the needs of individual classes.

The following projects demonstrate the power of art to make learning meaningful and engaging. Lesson plans are meant to serve as guides rather than comprehensive instructions. We hope that you find these projects inspiring. Adapt, modify or simplify these projects to best support your students in becoming active participants in their own learning.

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Mapping the Human Body

Upper-level SDC students deepen understanding of the body and its various systems by creating a life-sized, layered model of the human body. Systems such as the skeletal, digestive, cardiovascular, and nervous are represented using different materials attached to clear film (acetate). Each layer can be shown individually or when placed together, each layer is visible. […]

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Rainforest Installations

First graders gain a deeper understanding of the layers of the rainforest and the animals that inhabit them by creating a multimedia rainforest installation. In addition to creating visual artwork, over the course of the project, students also research, write, and perform in conjunction with their learning. Finally, students perform short skits comparing and contrasting […]

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Wearable Sculptures of Animal Adaptations

Third-grade students embody the spirit of animals after creating wearable sculptures of animal adaptations. Children begin by learning to carefully observe animals up close—actual specimens from the Natural History Museum—and to draw details of fur, scales, beaks, talons, claws, and more. Students draw, take notes, and sculpt animal adaptations in papier-mâché. Small features are blown […]

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Mixed-Media Group Collage

Kindergarten students create mixed-media collages in order to learn more about coastal landforms in conjunction with a multicultural unit on Australia. Working in groups and using butcher paper, students problem-solve to create collages of the Great Barrier Reef depicting the reef, fish, plants, and animals that live there.

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Environmental Public Awareness Murals

Students create murals inspired by the question, “How can we help take care of the earth?” Students embark on a study of the environment. They consider the current state of the environment, predict what the environment will be like in the future if we continue living the way we do today, and analyze how humans […]

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Depicting the Sun, Moon, and Stars

First-grade students combine visual arts projects with creative movement and narration to depict patterns of the sun, moon, and stars. Based on observations of the sky, students complete sketches, drawings, paintings, and sculptures of the sun, moon, and stars, and then use these artworks as backdrop pieces for a presentation of creative movement. Students are […]

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Water: The New Gold

What is the water cycle? How do we get our water? How do people around the world get theirs? While pondering these questions, students explore not only how they receive water, but also how other people around the world get their water and that not everyone has equal access to adequate amounts of clean and […]

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American Revolution Art Book

Fifth graders studying the American Revolution create several paper book pages depicting themes, events, causes, and discussions that occurred leading up to the American Revolution. Visual art forms include collage, design layout, folding, pockets, and other bookmaking techniques, in addition to research and writing in different styles. Student learning is assessed based on student presentations […]

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Biodiversity and Beauty student rtwork

Biodiversity and Beauty in the Classroom: Rainforest Installations

In learning about the rich and complex abundance of plant and animal life in the rainforest, students embark on an inquiry-based investigation using a variety of source materials, including books, lecture, the Internet, and film. Students investigate how weather and geographic features affect and create the four distinct levels of the rainforest (emergent, canopy, understory, […]

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Trade and Trajectory: An Exploration of Maps, International Relations, and Fruit

In researching the trajectory of fruits, vegetables, and products, from point of origin to their hands, students trace established routes and modes of transportation through the continents outlined in a seven-panel relief mural. Students begin by mapping the physical proximity of the continents and questioning the relationships between countries. For field research, students read labels […]

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Unlikely Friendships: An Exploration of Characters, Settings, and Following Rules

Students write and illustrate a class book about two unlikely friends and the importance of following rules. Students analyze settings, characters, and scenarios in order to design, create, illustrate, and author a class book. Students are teamed up to work collaboratively in pairs to create pages for the book, applying a range of visual art […]

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An Exploration of the First Peoples of the Pacific Northwest Culture

Students’ research into the First Americans of the Pacific Northwest region centers around totem poles created by these cultures. These totem poles tell of family stories, using animals to portray human values and strengths. Through this research, students understand the close relationship the early inhabitants have to their natural environment, and the use of available […]

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