Lesson Plans

Sun Valley Museum of Art Classroom Enrichment Program

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Arts Integration in the academic classroom.

SVMoA is excited to share our lesson plans with you on how to integrate art into your academic classroom.These lesson plans were initially created for our Classroom Enrichment program. Our program was created to extend the Sun Valley Museum of Art’s educational goals outside of The Museum through arts integration.

The Kennedy Center defines arts integration as an approach to teaching in which students demonstrate understanding through an art form. Students engage in a creative process which connects an art form and another subject area and meets evolving objectives in both. Embracing art’s innate qualities as a learning and exploratory tool, the Classroom Enrichment Program and these lesson plans meet our goals through arts integration to build student confidence, increase improvisational skills, facilitate opportunities for self-expression, improve problem solving, and develop empathy.

The resources we are providing were designed to support current school curriculum and were developed in collaboration with classroom teachers.


Introduction to our Art Integration Lesson Series



Art Integration Lessons


Category
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Symbolic Silhouettes SVMoA Classroom Enrichment Project

Symbolic Silhouettes

Lesson Category
History
Lesson Level
9th Grade
Lesson Content
Five 65-minute classes
Through this project, students explore various religions of the world and create silhouette art. Students will learn about the history of silhouettes and view silhouette work of contemporary artist, Kara Walker. Students research their chosen religion and determine important symbols and imagery to incorporate into their artwork. Students draw and cut out silhouettes on black paper, then arrange and glue their silhouettes to a large sheet of white paper.
February 9, 2022
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Re-Envisioning Our Environment SVMoA Classroom Enrichment Project

Re-Envisioning Our Environment—A Photo Project

Lesson Category
History
Lesson Level
High School (9-12th Grade)
Lesson Content
Five 70-minute classes
The AP US History students at Wood River High School will be creating digital photographs which include the caricature they design. The goal of this project is for students to communicate their ideas on the impact of human growth and expansion on the environment. Students will be introduced to the work of Hombre McSteez (aka Marty Cooper). Students will also be introduced to caricature drawing and photography composition tips. Students will create their caricature and hold it up so it is included in their photograph, just like Hombre McSteez. Students will select and edit their chosen photograph and upload it. Students will title their work and write an artist statement. Photographs will be printed and displayed in a gallery walk.
February 8, 2022
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Scientific Shadow Drawing SVMoA Classroom Enrichment Project

Scientific Shadow Drawing

Lesson Category
Science
Lesson Level
6th Grade
Lesson Content
Five 50-minute classes
Students explore earth science concepts through observation of shadows and how they change over time, thus observing and recording the sun’s path across the sky as the earth rotates each day. Students will draw each other’s shadows and compare/contrast the shadow to the actual person. Students will then create a still life collection and draw the shadows of their collection repeatedly every five to seven minutes to capture their shadow data and show evidence of the earth’s rotation as the sun moves across the sky.
February 8, 2022
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Data Sculptures: Visually Representing Data

Data Sculptures—Visually Representing Data

Lesson Category
Science
Lesson Level
7th Grade
Lesson Content
Six 50-minute classes
Students will explore 7th grade science concepts by studying weather data and learning how to translate that data into a three-dimensional sculpture. Different data sets include snow fall, river levels, fire data, etc. Students will assign a color and a shape or form to each different piece of data. They will then sculpt each type of data using paper sculpture techniques. When finished, students will have a sculpture that communicates their chosen weather data visually.
January 14, 2022
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Environmental Found Object Sculpture

Environmental Found Object Sculpture

Lesson Category
Science
Lesson Level
11th Grade
Lesson Content
Four 100-minute classes
Students explore environmental science concepts through their exploration of the local environment. Students will use found objects that are often discarded and repurpose them to create a found object sculpture. Key concepts surrounding this project are single use and disposable items and their impact on the environment, recycling and repurposing. Students are asked to sculpt a form that communicates a message about the environment.
January 14, 2022
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Inventing for the Future—Science Sculptures

Inventing for the Future—Science Sculptures

Lesson Category
Science
Lesson Level
8th Grade
Lesson Content
Six 50-minute classes
In this project, students explore 8th grade science concepts involving adaptations. We will discuss as a class how the environment is changing and what adaptations or inventions may be needed in the future. Students will consider issues like forest fires, rising temperatures, clean water, pollution, the food supply chain, etc. They will then sculpt a model of their invention or adaptation. Students will use materials like cardboard, paperboard, plastic containers and lids to construct their models. Students will learn to translate their 2D sketch into a 3D model.
January 14, 2022
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A River Runs Through It-Watershed Art Installation

A River Runs Through It—A Watershed Art installation

Lesson Category
Science
Lesson Level
8th Grade
Lesson Content
Six 50-minute classes
Students work together to create an art installation of a watershed. Recycled plastic serves multiple purposes in this project: it is reusable, economical material; it reflects the plastic waste that is in our water; and it shows students how much plastic we consume. Students create part of a waterfall, a fish, and a plant while learning about the different components of a watershed, including human impact on a watershed.
March 2, 2020
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Mega Molecules Art Integration Lesson Plan - Sun Valley Museum of Art

Mega Molecules—Scientific Sculptures

Lesson Category
Science
Lesson Level
6th Grade
Lesson Content
Seven 50-minute classes
Small groups of students choose a molecule. Then, individually, students create the elements of the molecule compound using paper manipulation techniques including kirigami and quilling. The individual elements are then combined into one sculpture to create the compound.
March 2, 2020
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Express Yourself! Math Expressions Art Integration Lesson - Sun Valley Museum of Art

Express Yourself! Math Expressions

Lesson Category
Math
Lesson Level
6th Grade
Lesson Content
Five 50-minute classes
Students explore how to decompose and recompose equations and how equivalent expressions can be expressed differently. This graphic design project uses symbols to create various expressions of the same equation on each side of a cube. Symbols represent numerical values, giving students a key from which to base their designs and equations.
March 2, 2020
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Fashion Shapes—Geometry Sculptures Art Integration Lesson

Fashion Shapes—Geometry Sculptures

Lesson Category
Geometry
Math
Lesson Level
6th Grade
Lesson Content
Five 50-minute classes
Students physically explore concepts of geometry by creating their own wearable sculptures using 3D geometric forms. The forms are created from straws, hot glue, paper, paperclips, and other found materials. Students will practice making 3D shapes by cutting out 2D nets and folding them into a variety of box forms. Students will also use the scale factor to create shapes for their finished work.
March 2, 2020
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Sun Valley Museum of Art Classroom Enrichment Program

Math Mandalas—Geometry

Lesson Category
Geometry
Lesson Level
7th Grade
Lesson Content
Five 50-minute classes
Students explore geometry concepts through their design and creation of mandalas. They will use their knowledge of circumference and area to develop a circle which will then become the container for their mandala designs and create their mandala by calculating the area and perimeter of different sized triangles and squares. Key concepts surrounding mandala design will be explored, including pattern, repetition, symmetry, proportion, and shape.
March 2, 2020
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A Peek Into Fiction with Tunnel Books Arts Integration Lesson - Sun Valley Museum of Art

A Peek Into Fiction with Tunnel Books

Lesson Category
Language Arts
Lesson Level
6th Grade
Lesson Content
Three 50-minute classes
Students will explore the layers and imagery of a character or theme. These tunnel books have three layers, which can be customized to meet the needs of the students. Students are challenged to visually represent the topic through illustration on the tunnel book pages. Students end the project with an artist statement that asks them to reflect on the class subject and the creative process.
March 2, 2020
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The Animal In Me Arts Integration Lesson Plan - Sun Valley Museum of Art

The Animal in Me—Social Studies Exploration

Lesson Category
Social Studies
Lesson Level
6th Grade
Lesson Content
Six 50-minute classes
Students will make a personal connection to an aspect of Native American culture, totem poles, and totem animals by researching how native cultures incorporate animals into their art and culture in a variety of ways and creating an individual mask representing personal character traits. Students will then choose an animal based on strengths they identify within themselves.
March 2, 2020
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Lesson Plans

Art Rocks—Earth Science Sculptures

Lesson Category
Science
Lesson Level
8th Grade
Lesson Content
Five 50-minute classes
Students explore earth science, identifying rock types and their characteristics, including luster, formation, location, and density. Sculptures of the rock are created using chicken wire, papier maché, paint, metallic paints, glitter glue, and tissue paper. To conclude the project students, will present their rock and introduce it to the class using a first-person monologue that explains the rock’s “story.”
February 26, 2020

Special Thanks



Institute of Museum and Library Services

 

This project is made possible by a grant from the US Institute for Museum and Library Services
with additional support from Alan and Wendy Pesky.