Creating Effective Visual Art Lesson Plans: A Guide for Teachers

If you are a visual art teacher, there is nothing worse than having 15 extra minutes to fill at the end of your class. This is where effective lesson planning comes in handy.

Lesson plans serve as a guide to help you stay organized and manage class time efficiently. Lesson plans must be focused on the students and their learning objectives. They don't have to be lengthy but should cover all the essential elements of your class.

There are different types of lesson plans depending on the subject and grade level. For visual art classes, lesson plans can be categorized into different themes, techniques, or art styles.

Let’s explore the elements you should include when writing a lesson plan for your visual art class.

Elements of a Visual Art Lesson Plan

Objectives: This is the most important element of your lesson plan. Your objective should be clear, concise, and measurable. It should answer the question, "What do I want my students to learn or achieve in this lesson?"

Standards: You should always list the standards you are teaching. Some states in the United States use the National Core Arts Standards, while other states have state-specific standards. For instance, the state of Mississippi where I am located has visual art standards included in the Mississippi College and Career Readiness Standards. Be sure you know which standards you are required to teach depending on where you are located.

Materials: This section should contain a list of all the necessary materials you're going to use throughout the class to achieve your objective. The type of materials you will use depends on the subject, grade, and planned activities. Visual art classes can require various materials such as paint, brushes, paper, canvases, pencils, charcoal, and markers.

Pre-Assessment: You need to assess your students' background knowledge, learning styles, and abilities before the lesson. This helps you adapt your approach to get the most out of your class. To gauge the students' knowledge and interests, ask them questions related to the topic you're going to teach. For example, if you're going to teach a lesson on color theory, ask them what colors they know, what colors they like, and what colors they use when they draw or paint.

Instruction and Practice: This section helps you define how the lesson will pan out. You can divide this part of your plan into different sections or steps and write down their descriptions. For example, if you're teaching a lesson on watercolor painting, you can have the following steps: Introduce the materials, Demonstrate how to mix colors, Teach different techniques, and Practice painting a landscape.

Assessment: At the end of any lesson, you need to assess whether you've achieved your objective or not. You can use different assessment techniques, such as quizzes, projects, or peer evaluations. For visual art classes, assessments can be in the form of a final artwork, a critique session, or a self-reflection activity.

Conclusion

In conclusion, lesson planning is crucial for teaching visual art classes successfully. It helps you stay organized, manage time efficiently, and achieve your teaching objectives. With a well-structured lesson plan, you can keep your students engaged and motivated throughout the class.

I’m Amanda, and I align standards and integrate content to help teachers meet the needs of the Whole Child in art class! I have yet to find a standard that I couldn’t teach through art, and I want to share it all with you.

Not sure where to start with bringing art and content together? This freebie guide is packed with 25 ideas to align your art lessons with math and ELA standards. Your students will be crafting art and practicing algebraic thinking. Win-win!

I want all students to feel successful in the art room, so I created a standards-based Daffodil Collage lesson to do just that! The lesson includes an artist study, student reflection, and more, so push your artists to their full potential.

Follow along on my Instagram page for more tips on teaching the Whole Child in the art room!

Connecting art and content together doesn’t have to be mind-boggling. I’ve made it simple with 25 math and ELA art lesson starters - for free! Plus, I included 15 worksheets for students to reflect on their art-making journey.