Aspects of a Quality Visual Arts Lesson Plan

Aspects of a Quality Visual Arts Lesson Plan

Lesson plans are an important aspect of teaching and are mutually valuable to the teacher and the students. They need to have an objective and enable students to learn new concepts, imagine, express, create, problem solve, make everyday life connections, and practice/follow through. Visual Art lessons should be designed in such a way that they help students increase their understanding of art while letting students make choices and learn techniques. Having a well written lesson plan with these goals in mind will help ensure that teachers are meeting personal and curriculum objectives and students have a comprehensive plan to follow for success. Some great aspects of a visual arts lesson plan are:

1. The lesson plan meets standards and objectives from beginning to end. A strong visual arts lesson plan will be well thought out and have a continuous flow. Both the personal objective/technique the teacher wants the students to learn and state standards they are required to meet should be clear and present over the course of the entire lesson plan. The lesson plan should show a clear understanding of what needs to be taught and be easily adapted and implemented. In an article from about.com, Melissa Kelly suggests that an important part of meeting both objectives is to “brainstorm several ways the information relates to your students and try to relate this new information to prior knowledge already possessed by the students.”

2. The lesson plan includes a list of all necessary vocabulary and materials needed to teach the lesson. Having a detailed list of vocabulary definitions, art materials, visual art examples you are planning to use (from books, paintings, environment, internet), worksheets, handouts, etc. will be beneficial in teaching and clarifying all aspects of the lesson. Knowing that you need pencils, paper, brushes, paint, water and other items to create a painting is one thing, knowing the number of pencils, and the amount of paper and paint needed in invaluable. Being prepared makes life a whole lot easier!

3. The lesson plan will have a concise outline of the way you plan to introduce and teach the lesson. Creating a step by step summary will help you decide the best method of teaching the subject matter and then help you carry the plan out. It will include detailed plans of how students will accomplish their task. It will also allow for any unforeseen problems and have alternate ideas for accommodations. As the text points out in Chapter 3, teachers should “keep the motivation brief.” Students may become quickly disinterested and disengaged while teachers are demonstrating. Having a clearly outlined plan will help you execute it quickly and get students to the hands on practice. An article on ehow.com states that you should always “take into account the students age and attention span.” Students need actual practice with the material rather that just watching a demonstration. Getting them to the material quickly and efficiently is the best way to achieve this.

4. The lesson plan will include a clear and comprehensive way for the teacher and students to assess the finished product. The text has some good suggestions for this. One idea, from the text, that will facilitate a better outcome is to “prevent bad starts.” For example, students should be told in advance that they are expected to fill the entire page, use certain media, etc. Being specific about what you want will help avoid frustration. I think stressing that you are looking for a combination of the students understanding of the art element they just learned and a student’s use of deep, creative expression (they took the project seriously and infused part of themselves into the creation process) and not grading on artistic skill is also important.

Taking the time to create quality lesson plans is an essential teaching tool. The authors of the book and articles all state that quality lesson plans are important. I absolutely agree. It will help you determine if all your objectives are being met, give you a list of items needed so you can gather and prepare them for quick and easy use, and outline the method you plan to follow so that you are clear about where you are in the instruction and ensure that no steps have been left out. And finally, you and you students will know exactly what you are looking for in the finished project and what things you will be assessing when you grade. Quality art lesson plans pave the way for explicit instruction and effective teaching!

Works Cited
Clements, Roger D. Emphasis Art. 2010. Ninth edition. Allyn and Bacon. New York.

Kelly, Melissa. Write Lesson Plans. http://712educators.about.com/od/lessonplans/ht/lessonplans.htm?p=1

Peterson, Rod. How to Write a Good Lesson Plan. http://www.ehow.com/how_5230549_write-good-lesson-plan.html