Art Rubrics: How to Create Simple Grading Criteria

Before I started using art rubrics, I used to feel overwhelmed when it came time to grade students’ artwork. Since then I have created a rubric for every lesson I teach and it brings comfort to both myself and my students. Here is why I think rubrics are important, how to use them and how […]

Collaborative Art Ideas

Here are a few collaborative art ideas for when your students need a change of pace. For example, after a long lesson or a project that requires a lot of focus and concentration, a collaborative lesson is a perfect reset. They give students a chance to think quickly, be creative, and most of all – […]

Printmaking Art: 7 Printing Techniques for All Ages

Printmaking art lessons are both engaging for students and a great way to teach a variety of art techniques. Elementary printmaking may look completely different than high school printmaking, but I believe it should be introduced as early as kindergarten and experimented with throughout a child’s education. Here’s a variety of printmaking techniques you can […]

How to Teach Elements of Art

I hear a lot of questions about how to teach Elements of Art. Although it does seems like you can incorporate the Elements of Art into almost any lesson, it is nice to lay a foundation and teach the importance of the Elements of Art. When doing this, I want my students to be able […]

Art Games for the Classroom: How to Use Art Games to Enrich Your Curriculum

I designed several art games for the classroom to help enrich my art curriculum. I use this set of games for students to play in small groups, as a whole group or rotating stations. These games are perfect for early finishers, before breaks, shortened class periods, review for exams, assessments or just for a bit […]

Early Finishers Art Activities: How to Answer “I’m Done, Now What?”

Having a stash of early finishers art activities is the best way to solve one of the biggest struggles an art teacher encounters, the early finisher. Despite my best efforts to keep everyone at the same pace, I always have a few students who finish their artwork before the rest of the class. To satisfy […]

Art Classroom Decor: 5 Essential Art Classroom Poster Ideas

Art classroom decor is something I still remember from my days as a student in art classes. I can still recall the posters and visual aids that excited me or helped me retain knowledge about the subject being taught. For that reason, I think it is essential to have posters in your classroom that are […]

How to Teach Perspective

Teaching perspective can be tricky but here’s some quick tips and lesson ideas on how to teach perspective and have your students succeed. How to teach perspective When I teach perspective lessons, I like to begin by showing a video tutorial. There is a link below to my YouTube videos about perspective, or search YouTube […]

How to Make A Pinch Pot

The first step in clay art is learning how to make a pinch pot. As a veteran art teacher, over the years I have assisted and taught my students to make thousands of pinch pots. I have taught every grade and have made a pinch pot with almost every student. In my opinion, the pinch […]

Art Worksheets: How to Use Them to Enhance Your Art Curriculum

I started creating art worksheets for my students for many reasons. Surprisingly, they interest my students and keep them engaged. I will be the first to admit I want students to create art and a lot of it. I would never assign worksheets as busy work, but I have grown to realize that they are […]