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michael sowa

April 10, 2018 2 Comments

6 Early Finisher Activities Featuring Works of Art

early finisher activities for art class

Inside: Six art history-focused early finisher activities for students who complete their classwork long before everyone else. These activities are inspired by works of art with a focus on art history.

One of the biggest challenges any teacher faces is what to do with the early finishers. You know the students I’m talking about – the ones who turn in their paper while everyone else is still working and then twiddle their thumbs or distract their peers for the rest of the class period. You want these students to stay engaged and spend their class time productively, but who has time to plan a secondary lesson just in case there are some early finishers? I know I don’t. (If you do, please share your secrets!)

early finisher activities for art class

There is hope for the early finisher activities, though. You don’t have to spend hours brainstorming lessons and creating projects to keep them occupied. Simply choose a few of the meaningful art history-inspired early finisher activities below to keep all of your students learning until the bell rings.

When I finally transitioned from being an “art on the cart” teacher to having my own classroom, I set up an area called Creativity Corner. All of my students knew that when they finished their work early, they were expected to head to the corner. This let them take advantage of the supplies (modelling clay, paper, drawing instruments, etc.) and easy finisher activities there without distracting other students. I know this space was a luxury, so don’t fret if you don’t have the extra room. These art history early finisher activities are mess-free, take up little to no space, and can be done at students’ desks.

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Complete the Picture

The Art Curator for Kids - Complete the Picture - An Easy Art Appreciation Game for Kids

This easy art appreciation game is perfect for all ages. For Complete the Picture, you give students a small part of a painting like the one above and have them draw the scene around it. Be sure to offer several intriguing images that will spark your students’ imaginations. When your early finishers are done drawing the scene they imagine, direct them to a copy of the full artwork so they can compare their drawing with the actual painting. You can download a free printable and see my favorite artworks for this activity in this post.

Free PDF!

Complete the Picture

Ready-to-go Art Appreciation Activity

This is a great activity to have on hand in your classroom. Just print it and give it to your student or the whole class. They draw the scene around a small portion of the artwork. Or, just discuss what they notice in the portion and have them predict what will be in the rest of the painting. When they’re done, show them the full (included) artwork and discuss!

Download

Free PDF!

Complete the Picture

Ready-to-go Art Appreciation Activity

This is a great activity to have on hand in your classroom. Just print it and give it to your student or the whole class. They draw the scene around a small portion of the artwork. Or, just discuss what they notice in the portion and have them predict what will be in the rest of the painting. When they’re done, show them the full (included) artwork and discuss!

Early Finisher Activities: Puzzles

Crowdsource a Puzzle

Have students collaborate across classes to complete a puzzle of an artwork. Putting together a puzzle requires students to use their observation skills and helps them pay attention to details. There are a lot of great artwork puzzles available, from Van Gogh and Hokusai to Vermeer and Renoir. If you’re short on space, use a puzzle mat for easy storage.

Make Your Own Puzzles

Since many art puzzles are in the 1,000+ piece category, an option that might work better for younger students is to create your own art history inspired puzzles. Print some of your favorite artworks and cut them into jigsaw pieces for your students to put back together. For durability, you can laminate the pieces or print the images on card stock or mount to thin cardboard (like cereal boxes).

Early Finisher Activities Art Class Curator

Art Library

Gather art books to create your own classroom library. Visual encyclopedias and artist biographies offer a wealth of information and images for early finishers to comb through while they wait for their classmates. They can explore art history as a whole or research a specific artist or time period. You can purchase your own books or use your school’s library to offer a variety of titles. If you don’t have the space for physical books but do have easy internet access, have students use websites like Khan Academy, The Met Museum or the art history section of Ducksters.

Scavenger Hunts

Art libraries are perfect for scavenger hunts and there are several ways to use the books (or websites) to get students searching and discovering.

  • Create worksheets that direct students to specific pages and have them answer questions about the artwork on that page.
  • Create codebreaker worksheets that ask students to find specific items (such as a seashell or Cupid, etc.) then use the page numbers the items were found on to correspond to letters and reveal a secret message.
  • Have students find and draw a list of specific items.
    • For younger students, add a math component by having them find and draw several of the same item (such as ten hats or three dogs, etc.). For a language integration, have them find objects that start with each letter of the alphabet and draw those (such as an ant for A, a ball for B, a cat for C, etc.).

Art Cards

Postcard sized artworks enable students to quickly ingest a lot of knowledge about multiple pieces. You can create your own or buy a set and write facts and questions on the back for students to ponder. The Louvre compiled a great deck that includes 100 artworks with in-depth historical information on each card.

Early Finisher Activities - Art Class Curator - Salvador Dali, The Persistence of Memory, 1931
Salvador Dali, The Persistence of Memory, 1931

Drawing Prompts

One of my favorite early finisher activities is zany drawing prompts. I write several notecards and separate them into who, what, how, and where categories. Students pick a card from each category and draw the resulting combination. For example, a student might be asked to draw a giraffe (who) dancing (what) slowly (how) on the moon (where).

Early Finisher Activities The Art Curator for Kids - Francisco Goya - The Straw Manikin
Francisco Goya, The Straw Manikin, 1791-92

To put an art history twist on these freeform prompts, create cards based on specific artworks. For example, using The Straw Manikin as inspiration, you could write cards asking for a mannequin (who) being thrown (what) up high (how) in the air (where). Or, you can give them a complete prompt, such as ‘draw time moving slowly’ (based on The Persistence of Memory shown above) or ‘draw dogs in a theatre’ (based on Their Master’s Voice pictured below). When they complete their drawing, you can direct them to images of the artwork that inspired the prompt.

Early Finisher Activities - Art Class Curator - Michael Sowa, Their Master's Voice
Michael Sowa, Their Master’s Voice, 1996

Using Technology

It’s becoming more and more common for students to have their own computers or tablets in the classroom. Whether your students share a computer or have their own devices, utilizing technology is a great way to keep early finishers engaged.

There are endless art resources online, but searching through all of them to find quality content takes a lot of time, so here are some of my favorites:

  • The National Gallery of Art website offers fifteen entertaining, interactive activities that will allow students to explore their own creativity while learning about art history.
  • They can explore the elements and principles with The Artist’s Toolkit.
  • Students get to learn about the myths and legends that have influenced artists around the world on this site.
  • Many Native American languages do not have a word for art, yet their cultures are teeming with artworks that are both functional and, in many cases, sacred. Surrounded by Beauty introduces students to the unique art of Native Americans from across the continent.
  • Inside Art takes students on an interactive adventure that explores the techniques and artists behind four artworks.
  • Students can make their very own Jackson Pollock splatter painting.
  • A. Pintura: Art Detective lets students play the part of a 1940’s noir detective with a degree in art history who must identify the origin of a painting by exploring the works of various artists. The site offers a free worksheet that can be paired with the game.
  • Younger students will enjoy doodling over the masterpieces of artists from Rembrandt and Degas to Miro and Picasso on Toy Theater.

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Art Teacher Blogs

This post is a part of The Art Ed Blogger’s Network: Monthly Tips and Inspiration from Art Teacher Blogs. On the first Tuesday each month, each of these art teacher blogs will post their best ideas on the same topic.

Participating Art Teacher Blogs:

  • Art Class Curator
  • Art Ed Guru
  • Art is Basic
  • Art Room Blog
  • Art Teacher Tales
  • Art with Mr. E
  • Arte a Scuola
  • Artful Artsy Amy
  • Capitol of Creativity
  • Create Art with ME
  • MiniMatisse
  • Mona Lisa Lives Here
  • Mr. Calvert’s Art Room Happenings
  • Mrs. Boudreaux’s Amazing Art Room
  • Mrs. T’s Art Room
  • Ms. Nasser’s Art Studio
  • Party in the Art Room
  • shine brite zamorano
  • Tales from the Traveling Art Teacher
  • There’s a Dragon in my Art Room

Please note, this post includes Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Filed Under: Art Connection Activities, Art Ed Blogger's Network, Art Teacher Tips
Tagged With: francisco goya, michael sowa, salvador dali

 

February 5, 2018 6 Comments

Beyond the Poker Table: 25 Dogs in Art

Beyond Dogs Playing Poker Dogs in Art-pin

Inside: There is more to dogs in art than just dogs playing poker! Check out 25 of these fetching examples of dogs in art.

Next week is Chinese New Year which starts the year of the dog! To celebrate the year of the dog and to honor the newest member to my family (meet my new buddy Vader Steve Ingram at the bottom of this post), I present to you 25 awesome dogs in art!

Beyond Dogs Playing Poker Dogs in Art-pin

Dogs Playing Poker

Growing up I had a print of Dogs Playing Poker in my room. I knew nothing about it, but I just thought it was awesome. For this post on dogs in art, I did a little research and learned more about what I originally thought was just one artwork. It turns out that Cassius Marcellus Coolidge painted 16 dog paintings with 9 of them being poker scenes. Others include dogs playing football, dogs having romantic dinners, and dogs in the courtroom. Check out 15 more things you should know about Dogs Playing Poker on Mental Floss.

These dogs in art would be a great conversation piece with your classes. Why are they not considered “fine art” or given a lot of critical acclaim in the art world? Why are the dogs playing poker seen as a joke in the artworks rather than as serious work?

Dogs in Art - Cassius Marcellus Coolidge, A Bold Bluff, 1903
Cassius Marcellus Coolidge, A Bold Bluff, 1903

Dogs in Art

Enjoy this collection of dog art. I hope you find one you connect with!

Dogs in Art - Keith Haring, Cruella De Vil, 1984
Keith Haring, Cruella De Vil, 1984

Dogs in Art - William Wegman, Blue Period with Banjo, 1980
William Wegman, Blue Period with Banjo, 1980

Dogs in Art - Edwin Henry Landseer, Laying Down the Law, 1840
Edwin Henry Landseer, Laying Down the Law, 1840

Dogs in Art - Francisco Goya, The Dog, circa 1819-1823
Francisco Goya, The Dog, circa 1819-1823

Dogs in Art - Franz Marc, Red Dog, 1911
Franz Marc, Red Dog, 1911

Dogs in Art - Frida Kahlo, Itzcuintli Dog with Me, 1938
Frida Kahlo, Itzcuintli Dog with Me, 1938

Dogs in Art - Giacomo Balla, Dynamism of a Dog in a Leash, 1912
Giacomo Balla, Dynamism of a Dog in a Leash, 1912

Dogs in Art - Jeff Koons Puppy, 1992
Jeff Koons, Puppy, 1992

Dogs in Art - Joan Miro, Figures and Dog in Front of the Sun, 1949
Joan Miro, Figures and Dog in Front of the Sun, 1949

Dogs in Art - Joshua Reynolds, Miss Bowles, 1775
Joshua Reynolds, Miss Bowles, 1775

Dogs in Art - Marisol Escobar, Women and Dog, 1964
Marisol Escobar, Women and Dog, 1964

Dogs in Art - Mary Cassatt, Little Girl in a Blue Armchair, 1878
Mary Cassatt, Little Girl in a Blue Armchair, 1878

Dogs in Art - Michael Sowa, Their Masters Voice
Michael Sowa, Their Masters Voice

Dogs in Art - Otto Dix, Hugo Erfurth with Dog, 1926
Otto Dix, Hugo Erfurth with Dog, 1926

Dogs in Art - Paul Gauguin, Still Life with Three Puppies, 1888
Paul Gauguin, Still Life with Three Puppies, 1888

Dogs in Art - Pompeii Italy, Beware of the Dog
Pompeii Italy, Beware of the Dog

Dogs in Art - Rufino Tamayo, Moon Dog, 1973
Rufino Tamayo, Moon Dog, 1973

Dogs in Art - Titian, Portrait of Charles V with a Dog, 1532
Titian, Portrait of Charles V with a Dog, 1532

Dogs in Art - Titian, Portrait of Clarissa Strozzi, 1542
Titian, Portrait of Clarissa Strozzi, 1542

Dogs in Art - Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Hata Rokurozaemon with His Dog, 1797
Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Hata Rokurozaemon with His Dog, 1797

Dogs in Art - Vittore Carpaccio, Two Venetian Ladies, 1490
Vittore Carpaccio, Two Venetian Ladies, 1490

Dogs in Art - William Hogarth, Painter and His Pug, 1745
William Hogarth, Painter and His Pug, 1745

Which was your favorite dog in art? Let me know in the comments!

As promised, here is a picture of my new doggie, Vader! He just fell into our laps last month, and we just couldn’t be happier with him!

 

Filed Under: Art and Artists
Tagged With: Cassius Marcellus Coolidge, Edwin Henry Landseer, francisco goya, franz marc, frida kahlo, giacomo balla, Jeff Koons, joan miro, Joshua Reynolds, keith haring, Marisol Escobar, mary cassatt, michael sowa, Otto Dix, paul gauguin, rufino tamayo, titian, utagawa kuniyoshi, Vittore Carpaccio, William Hogarth, william wegman

 

July 5, 2015 4 Comments

10 Awesome Sharks in Art for Shark Week

The Art Curator for Kids - 10 Awesome Sharks in Art for Shark Week, Sharks in Art History

It’s that time again! Today marks the first day of Shark Week 2015. To celebrate, I have curated for you a collection of awesome shark artworks from throughout time and across the globe! Enjoy.

The Art Curator for Kids - 10 Awesome Sharks in Art for Shark Week, Sharks in Art History

I’m excited about this one. Some of the images are small. You can click on those to see a larger image. The links also take you to pages with more information about the artwork if it was available.

You will also find below Amazon links to prints of many of these artworks. Please note, this post includes Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Sharks in Art

The Art Curator for Kids - 10 Awesome Sharks in Art for Shark Week - John Singleton Copley, Watson and the Shark, 1782
John Singleton Copley, Watson and the Shark, 1782 – Buy a print of this artwork on Amazon!

The Art Curator for Kids - 10 Awesome Sharks in Art for Shark Week - Tolita-Tumaco, Shark, 1st-5th century, Met Museum
Tolita-Tumaco, Shark, 1st-5th century, Met Museum

The Art Curator for Kids - 10 Awesome Sharks in Art for Shark Week - Richard Ellis, Great White Shark Portrait
Richard Ellis, Great White Shark Portrait

The Art Curator for Kids - 10 Awesome Sharks in Art for Shark Week - Damien Hirst, The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, 1991, Photo Credit-Agent001
Damien Hirst, The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, 1991, Photo Credit: Agent001

The Art Curator for Kids - 10 Awesome Sharks in Art for Shark Week - Damien Hirst, The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living (detail), 1991, Photo Credit-Agent001
Damien Hirst, The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living (detail), 1991, Photo Credit: Agent001

The Art Curator for Kids - 10 Awesome Sharks in Art for Shark Week - Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Sharks
Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Sharks – Buy a print of this one on Amazon!

The Art Curator for Kids - 10 Awesome Sharks in Art for Shark Week - Michael Sowa, Sharks of Suburbia
Michael Sowa, Sharks of Suburbia – Buy a print of this artwork on Amazon!

The Art Curator for Kids - 10 Awesome Sharks in Art for Shark Week - Chiriqui, Shark Pendant [2], 11th-16th century, Met Museum
Chiriqui, Shark Pendant, 11th-16th century, Met Museum

The Art Curator for Kids - 10 Awesome Sharks in Art for Shark Week - Henry Louis Stephens, Gudgeon and Shark, from The Comic Natural History of the Human Race, 1851
Henry Louis Stephens, Gudgeon and Shark, from The Comic Natural History of the Human Race, 1851

The Art Curator for Kids - 10 Awesome Sharks in Art for Shark Week - John Buckley, The Headington Shark (Untitled), 1986, Photo Credit - Henry Flower
John Buckley, The Headington Shark (Untitled), 1986, Photo Credit: Henry Flower

The Art Curator for Kids - 10 Awesome Sharks in Art for Shark Week - Winslow Homer, Shark Fishing, 1885
Winslow Homer, Shark Fishing, 1885 – Buy a print of this artwork on Amazon!

Which one do you like best? I’m having a hard time picking my favorite!

Filed Under: Art and Artists
Tagged With: damien hirst, henry louis stephens, john buckley, john singleton copley, michael sowa, richard ellis, utagawa kuniyoshi, winslow homer

 

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