TeachersFirst's Visual Arts
The visual arts include the arts that are primarily visual creative works. These can include painting, drawing, ceramics, photography, video, sculpture, design, crafts, and other art forms. You may want to use this collection as you prepare for YAM (Youth Art Month) or anytime throughout the year. Remember, our "In the Classroom" suggestions give you ideas about using these tools in your classroom.
See our complete collection of drawing, painting, video, photography, and crafts resources.
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Fun Stuff for Kids and Teens - The Smithsonian Institution
Grades
K to 12tag(s): alphabet (52), animals (285), colors (63), countries (73), egypt (49), folktales (34), habitats (86), insects (68), inventors and inventions (76), light (53), makerspace (43), museums (45), musical instruments (49), nutrition (137), oceans (149), plants (148), puzzles (142), seasonal (17), space (216), stars (70), STEM (276), summer (29), water (101), weather (160), webcams (15), women (140)
In the Classroom
Add Fun Stuff for Kids and Teams to your science and art bookmarks to use across many different content areas. For example, one activity is called Journey Through an Exploded Star; share a link to this interactive with students to explore before introducing lessons on stars and supernovas. Ask students to share their learning and add questions using IdeaBoardz, reviewed here. Create an IdeaBoard with two columns (or more if desired), then share the link with students to share information and questions with peers. Encourage student engagement in animal-related learning by introducing them to the Art Meets Science Collections. Afterward, ask students to create multimedia projects incorporating animals as art to showcase scientific concepts like habitats, conservation, and human interactions. Find many different templates and presentation ideas at Genially, reviewed here.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Life is a Blank Canvas: Exploring Painting and Painters - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): art history (88), artists (82), book lists (165), museums (45)
In the Classroom
Include this article with your other resources for teaching art to find activities and book lists for your classroom. Integrate art into any area of your curriculum using suggestions found in this article. For example, this article shares tips for books about Jackson Pollock and discusses integrating the study of gravity with art as it relates to paint spatter. Extend lessons on gravity using additional artists such as those found in Google Arts and Culture, reviewed here. Use the search feature using the keyword gravity to discover several online exhibits, such as Bending Gravity at the Guggenheim Museum and Gravity and Grace at the Hayward Gallery.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Black Art and Artists in Our Collection - National Gallery of Art
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): african american (110), artists (82), black history (130)
In the Classroom
Include this collection with your other resources shared during Black History Week or as part of art lessons exploring types of media and art genres. Padlet, reviewed here is an excellent tool to curate and share resources with students. Use individual images for story starters or writing prompts. For example, share an image on Google Slides, reviewed here, then ask students to write a short story based on the image. As students explore artists and their work, have them share their learning by creating a website using Carrd, reviewed here. Carrd is a simple website creation tool that asks students to add images, information about artists, and their reflections on the artwork. Extend learning by turning the tables and allowing the students to become the teacher using Symbaloo Learning Paths, reviewed here. Ask students to create a Learning Path about their favorite artist or media that includes links to biographies, art displays, videos, quizzes, and more. Share Learning Paths with peers to provide a personalized learning experience about art.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Resources related to the Visual Arts - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): crafts (54), drawing (60), painting (53), photography (118), video (261)
In the Classroom
Find new tools to try when planning your visual art lessons. Each review includes technology integration ideas. Read the details of each tool and find the ones that will make your lessons more creative.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Paint With Music - Google Arts and Culture
Grades
K to 12tag(s): drawing (60), music theory (45), musical instruments (49), musical notation (33), painting (53)
In the Classroom
This Google Arts and Culture Experiment is an engaging tool to introduce painting and musical composition. Share this site for students to explore in the computer lab or as part of computer center time. If you have Google Classroom, ask students to share their favorite compositions directly into your classroom. If you don't use Google Classroom, show students how to find the URL for their creation and create a Padlet, reviewed here, for students to share their links. Create columns in the Padlet for different canvases offered on the experiment and ask students to reflect upon their creation and why they chose it as a favorite. Encourage students to turn the scales on and off to understand what happens with the different placement of paint strokes on their composition.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Evaluating Art as Historical Evidence - Digital Inquiry Group
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): american revolution (82), art history (88), artists (82), assessment (149), china (62), civil rights (200), civil war (136), colonial america (94), comics and cartoons (53), declaration of independence (15), egypt (49), france (40), japan (56), mayans (11), mexico (30), native americans (93), nazis (8), thanksgiving (22), womens suffrage (46)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this list for use throughout the year with many different history lessons. Include these art activities to provide context and visual perspective to important events. Use a curation tool such as Padlet, reviewed here, to create an ongoing resource for students to use for review and as a guide for understanding history through a wider lens. For example, when using Padlet, choose the timeline feature and add a piece of art onto the timeline. Upload videos, text, and additional images to create an interactive timeline that tells a story through art. As a final project, ask students to share their learning using Sway, reviewed here to write a reflective piece on the use of art throughout any period in time. Have students include student work, images, links, maps, and more in Sway projects.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Method of Action - Method Draw - Mark MacKay
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): design (80), graphic design (49), vectors (16)
In the Classroom
Share this site with students to use as they learn about vector design basics and creating games. It is also useful for a computer center activity for any student to learn about color basics and using a mouse to create shapes and objects. Ask students to create screen recordings using Free Online Screen Recorder, reviewed here, to demonstrate how to use design techniques and color harmonies to create objects to use in games or websites. Have students apply their learning by including their designs within games they create using Scratch, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Google Arts and Culture - Google
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): art history (88), artists (82), museums (45), virtual field trips (92)
In the Classroom
Share this site with students and allow them time to explore on their own. Encourage students to find and share interesting art and activities with their peers. Use Padlet, reviewed here, as a collaborative tool for students to share items from this site. Ask them to include a link to a favorite portion, then add a comment on why they found it interesting. Include information from Arts & Culture when studying historical events to provide interest and perspective on that period. Have students use a map storytelling tool such as Google My Maps, reviewed here, to add information found on this site and others to tell the story of art around the world throughout history.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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ArtsNow - ArtsNow.org
Grades
K to 12tag(s): animals (285), art history (88), civil war (136), geometric shapes (135), maps (207), matter (46), seasons (37), STEM (276), stories and storytelling (49), temperature (35), weather (160)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of these free lesson plans and classroom activities to integrate art into your everyday classroom activities. Consider coordinating lessons with your school's art and music teachers. Expand upon the ideas found on this site to bring other art forms into the lessons. For example, take advantage of poetry resources and interactives found at ReadWriteThink, reviewed here, and have students create diamante, acrostic, and haiku poems relating to your lessons. Enhance student learning further by asking students or groups of students to create webpages sharing their learning activities using a resource like Carrd, reviewed here. This very simple tool allows users to add images and text to create a beautiful website using the provided templates. Be sure to ask students to include a reflective writing piece describing their learning throughout your unit. Take learning to the highest level and ask students to design and create a series of podcasts using Anchor, reviewed here. Ask students to discuss their learning activities, and also hypothesize on different outcomes of experiments when changing elements or activities. For example, if creating a podcast discussing changes in matter, have students share their thoughts on how the room and outdoor temperature affects outcomes. What if they used juice instead of water? Would the change from ice to liquid take the same amount of time?Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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STEAM Art Lessons - Tricia Fuglestad
Grades
K to 8This site includes advertising.
tag(s): black history (130), coding (90), creativity (90), digital storytelling (152), dr seuss (6), drawing (60), environment (242), graphic design (49), great depression (30), literacy (113), nutrition (137), photography (118), poetry (190), problem solving (226), qr codes (16), read across america (3), STEM (276), stories and storytelling (49), symmetry (27)
In the Classroom
If you feel that you are strong in the arts but not technology (or the other way around), find a teaching partner that complements your strength and work together to teach lessons from this site. Use ideas from here in your classroom makerspace. Use Wakelet, reviewed here, to add notes and questions as you prepare to teach lessons from this blog. Wakelet offers the ability to collaborate and share with others through the addition of written and audio notes to any web page. Use lesson activities found on this site as a replacement for traditional research projects, book reports, or written reports. Have students use a blogging tool like edublog, reviewed here, to share images and videos of their work from start to finish and to reflect upon learning. Have older students extend learning through the use of Symbaloo Learning Paths, reviewed here. Ask them to research and find additional information on the topic of your lesson and create a learning path for other students to complete. For younger students, create a Symbaloo Learning Path for students to complete as a center activity to complement your STEAM learning activities.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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MetKids - The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Grades
2 to 12tag(s): africa (141), art history (88), artists (82), asia (72), china (62), europe (77), inventors and inventions (76), japan (56), middle east (43), myths and legends (24), russia (34)
In the Classroom
This site is perfect for use on classroom computers or for a blended class for students to explore on their own. Streghthen student learning by asking them to find information for a specific period of time or country and label what they find important using Webnote, reviewed here; tell students to be sure to save the URL to share their notes and questions with you and their peers. Next, transform classroom technology and extend learning by showing students how to embed media into an interactive time line using Sutori, reviewed here. With Sutori you can include images, text, and collaboration, or Preceden, reviewed here, for creating multi-layer timelines for over lapping events.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Museum of Modern Art Exhibition History - The Museum of Modern Art
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): 20th century (62), art history (88), artists (82)
In the Classroom
Art teachers will love this collection for use when teaching various types of arts and artists. Be sure to take advantage of the audio tours for a wide variety of art information for students. Include a link with specific information on your class website for students to view (and hear) at home. Have students create a multimedia presentation using My Storybook, reviewed here. This site allows you to narrate a picture. Challenge students to find a photo (legally permitted to be reproduced), and then narrate the photo as if it is a news report.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Pixar in a Box - Khan Academy and Pixar
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): animation (64), creativity (90), movies (53), STEM (276)
In the Classroom
This site is excellent for enrichment. Include it on your class webpage for students to access both in and out of class. Share the opening video for lessons, then allow students to explore and complete the videos at their own pace. Use this site for enrichment with your gifted students or students interested in art and filmmaking. Challenge students to use concepts presented in the Pixar in a Box tutorials to create their own animated films.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Institution for Arts Integration and STEAM - Education Closet
Grades
K to 12tag(s): architecture (63), professional development (407), robotics (23), STEM (276)
In the Classroom
Look at the back issues of ArtsEd LAB for different articles to see if you want to subscribe to ArtsEd LAB. Find ideas for incorporating art into science, technology, engineering, and math classes. Share with colleagues and at professional development meetings for any relevant ideas.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Philadelphia Museum of Art Teacher Resources - Philadelphia Museum of Art
Grades
K to 12tag(s): art history (88), artists (82)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this site as a resource for art projects throughout the year, especially if budget cuts have taken away your art teacher! Use this site as a way to get students interested in art and its relationship with other subject areas and its relevance in our life.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Da Vinci - The Genius - The Museum of Science
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): artists (82), inventors and inventions (76), italy (18), leonardo davinci (3), renaissance (37)
In the Classroom
This site is perfect for use on your interactive whiteboard or with a projector. Explore the different portions together during your studies of the Renaissance, inventors, or artists such as Leonardo da Vinci. Share a link to this site on your class webpage for students to explore at home, or to use in your blended class activities. Add a link on classroom computers for use during computer centers. Have students replace paper and pen notes and take digital notes about what they are learnng using a tool like SimpleNote, reviewed here. Enhance students' learning by using Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about Leonardo da Vinci or other Renaissance artists. Extend student learning by challenging individuals and small groups to take one of the concepts they learned from Leonardo and apply it to something from today's world. Use a bulletin board tool like Lino, reviewed here, to record and save student ideas. With Lino you can create stickies with images, commenting, videos, and more. After individuals and small groups have devoloped their art, invention, etc., have them present their learning and their invention, art, etc. to peers using one of these multimedia tools: Click the tool name to access the review: Genially, Microsoft PowerPoint Online, Animatron, Renderforest, and Canva Inforgraphic Maker.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Getty Collection Images - Getty Images
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): images (260), photography (118)
In the Classroom
Use this site in every subject area where images can convey concepts or students make projects. Share an intriguing photo on your interactive whiteboard or projector as a writing prompt for a short story (or poem). Use images for extra practice when writing in world languages, by having students describe the scene or tell a story about it. Have students create an annotated image including text boxes and related links using a tool such as Google Drawings, reviewed here. Google Drawings allows you to annotate an image with links to videos, text, websites, and more. Not familiar with Google Drawings? Watch an archived OK2Ask session to learn how to use: OK2Ask Google Drawings, here. When looking for free materials for use in projects or to place on websites, begin the search here. Be sure to keep a link to this site on your wiki, blog, or web page for students to use whenever they are working on a project. Not comfortable with wikis or blogs? Check out the TeachersFirst Wiki Walk-Through and Blog Basics.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Asian Art Museum Educator Resources - Asian Art Museum
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): art history (88), artists (82), asia (72), china (62), chinese new year (5), cross cultural understanding (165), japan (56), korea (20)
In the Classroom
Introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard (or projector). Allow students to explore on their own or in collaborative groups. Replace more traditional tools for brainstorming and have students or groups collect ideas and findings using Padlet, reviewed here. The Padlet application creates free online sticky note boards. Bookmark and use this site to find resources for Chinese New Year activities. Expand learning by having students create online posters individually or together as a class using a tool such as Web Poster Wizard, reviewed here, or PicLits, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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WikiArt - Visual Art Encyclopedia - Wikipaintings
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): art history (88), artists (82), images (260), painting (53)
In the Classroom
Use an interactive whiteboard or projector and this site to view many different works of art for discussion and comparison. Compare student artwork to that of masters to understand various design principles. Use the images in any class as a prompt for written or artistic expression. View paintings of various periods of history to identify various events that shaped life at that time. Invite students to select their "dream" art gallery and write a script for an audio tour of the gallery with links to the paintings. They can record their podcast tours using a tool such as Spreaker (reviewed here).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Artyfactory - Artyfactory.com
Grades
1 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): africa (141), art history (88), artists (82), bulletin boards (15), design (80), egypt (49), perspective (12)
In the Classroom
In the art classroom, find ways to add technology to instruction using your projector or interactive whiteboard and demonstrating different techniques found on Artyfactory. For project based learning in any class, share this tool as a resource to add visual impact to students' research projects. Social studies teachers can include lessons about making African masks during units about that continent. Include Egyptian Hieroglyphic Alphabet, Cartouche, and Gods during a unit on the Egyptians. Science (or geometry) teachers will want to explore the lessons on visual patterns in nature as a way to capture the interest of your visual learners. Use these tutorials to integrate visual arts into any topic. Encourage your artistically inclined students to explore on their own. Explore this site before a trip to an art museum or to find inspiration for a display or culminating project in any teaching unit. You may even find some bulletin board ideas for your classroom! Ask students to extend their learning and document the stages by taking photos of their art and editing them and making a collage with Photopea, reviewed here. Encourage older students to keep their work in a portfolio for future use with Spaces, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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