How to create an art lesson plan?

Entering the teaching profession can be followed by a lot of insecurity, uncertainties about the learning process approach and anxiety about whether cooperation and understanding will result between the teacher and the group of children. In the first weeks, even years, no matter how much we read and study, there is nothing to assure us of success and prepare us for the many unpredictable situations. Indeed, after years of experience, do teachers ever feel comfortable and confident in the classroom? Probably complete certainty and conviction in the teaching abilities doesn't exist. But there are tools that serve the teacher for guidance and support. One such tool is the lesson plan.

What is a lesson plan?

Simply put, a lesson plan is a tool for organizing a learning lesson. The lesson plan helps the teacher set clear goals and choose the most appropriate ways and tasks to achieve them. It guides him in the distribution of learning activities in the given time period and allows him to reflect on the lesson after its completion. Regularly writing out lesson plans allows us to track our students' progress as well as our own as educators.

What does the lesson plan contain?

Different teachers have different preferences for how to write their plans. Some prefer very detailed content descriptions, while others keep them short and concise. How detailed the plan is written depends on the needs and experience of the teacher, but for beginners in the profession it is preferable to be more comprehensive, because this brings more confidence and support during the lesson.

I have found that I make my work the easiest when I use a template to create a plan. Putting the plans into a template allows us to focus our attention on the specific problems of the lesson, build consistency in making plans and use our time as productively as possible.

For a lesson plan to be effective, it needs to contain certain components. As we go through each one, we'll put together a sample plan.

1. Title

Let's start with the title of the lesson. This is a general name for the main activity or knowledge that will be introduced and practiced during the lesson. For example, the title of the lesson could be "Traditional rug from Chiprovtsi".

Lesson titles are usually part of a unit/module, also called a global topic or a theme. Let's take the topic "Traditional rug from Chiprovtsi", it could be part of the "Applied arts" theme.

It is also helpful to note the lesson number or theme number in the unit to achieve a clearer tracking of the sequence of lessons. If the "Applied Arts" module, for example, contains the titles "Mosaics of the Bishop's Basilica of Philippopolis", "Gothic Art Stained Glass", "Traditional rug from Chiprovtsi" and "Ancient Greek Amphora" in this sequence, then the title "Traditional carpet from Chiprovtsi" will be numbered 3 and we will record this number . However, if we prefer to write the lesson number in the overall syllabus, then we will write the corresponding figure.

2. Documentation

Here I include:

• The teacher's name, date and time

We don't need to include this information if we are doing the lesson plan only for ourselves and it is not intended to be made available to others.

• Grade or age group
  

Whether we write down the class number or the age group depends on the educational institution we teach in (school, education center) or the type of the lesson. In all cases, it is imperative to consider the age of the students, because it determines how the entire lesson will be developed. For example, the lesson objectives for preschool students are quite different from those for 5th graders.

For the lesson plan we are making now, let's choose the age 2nd grade.

• Duration of the lesson
  

The duration also depends on the type of lesson and determines how the individual stages of work will be organized and arranged. In schools, art classes usually take place over two consecutive school hours, so for our example lesson we will choose a 90 minute duration, including the 10 minute break between lessons.

3. Learning objectives

The next part that must be present in the lesson plan is the objective. There are usually more than one lesson objective and can be divided into primary and secondary.
Their function is to explain what knowledge and/or skills the children will acquire in the lesson.

For example, the objectives of the lesson "Traditional rug from Chiprovtsi" for children aged 2nd grade could be:

1. Creating a design for a rug from Chiprovtsi

2. Introduction to the work of the Chiprovtsi craftsmen

3. Enrichment of the knowledge about textile art

4. Introduction to basic symbols and signs characteristic of the Chiprovtsi rugs

5. Introducing the concepts of motif, symmetry and decoration

4. Expected results

Expected outcomes represent what the learner should have achieved at the end of the lesson. They are directly related to the objectives of the lesson and depend on the age of the students. The following concepts can be used as a starting point:

At the end of the lesson, the student will be able to:

• Define…

• Describe…

• List …

• Recognise…

• Identify…

• Create…
  

For our lesson "Traditional rug from Chiprovtsi" we could determine the expected results in the following way:

• Define... the meaning of the concepts of motif and symmetry

• Describe... the characteristics of textile art

• List... the types of applied arts

• Recognise... the symbols and signs characteristic of the Chiprovtsi rug

• Identify... the difference between a Chiprovtsi carpet and one of a different origin

• Create... a drawing of a Chiprovtsi carpet from a sample or from imagination
  
  

5. Learning task

These are the activities necessary to achieve the set goals. The learning tasks are directly related to the art materials that will be used

6. Art materials and techniques

7. Key concepts/terms and connections with the subject of art history

These are the concepts that are introduced in the lesson and are new to the children, but ones that have previously been studied could also be included here.

If there is a reference to any artistic movement, period or artist, it is also included.

8. Interdisciplinary connections

It is a good practise to make references to mediums outside the visual arts when developing the lesson plan. Such cross-subject comparisons help children understand and remember new information.

In our case, with the topic "Traditional rug from Chiprovtsi" a connection can be made with the subject of mathematics, more specifically with geometry, since the concepts of symmetry and geometric figures require the use of tools for making measurements such as rulers.

9. Prior knowledge and skills of the children

When creating a lesson plan, it is also helpful to keep in mind the concepts and skills that children are already familiar with. For example, have the students already attended a lesson on a Chiprovtsi rug? If so, how can we enrich the lesson to make it useful and interesting for children? Can we organize the lesson in the creative studio of a Chiprovtsi craftsman? Can we invite a professional in this art to the lesson? Can the children, instead of working independently, work together and make a collective project?

10. Differentiation

Differentiation is a process of changing and individualizing the lesson for children with special educational needs (SEN). There will be instances when in our study groups there will be children who need more support and guidance, and if we don't have the help of a special assistance resource teacher it's our task to create conditions for the successful performance of all students.

How we adapt the activities to the children's needs depends on the type of special educational need. "SEN may have children who experience various learning difficulties due to:

• Sensory impairments (sight impairment or hearing impairment);

• Physical disabilities;

• Intellectual disabilities;

• Language and speech disabilities;

• Specific learning difficulties;

• Emotional or behaviour issues;

• Communication difficulties;

• Chronic diseases that lead to SEN;

• Multiple Disabilities”
  

For example, if a child in the class has difficulties with fine motor skills, then they cannot be expected to successfully use the drawing tools to outline the rug. It would be useful for the teacher to draw the borders of the carpet in advance and not expect the student to meet the objective of achieving symmetry. Another option for adapting the task is to prepare a dotted pattern depicting the rug for the child to repeat. This template can be used as a main task or as an exercise and warm-up before moving on to the primary task. Expected outcomes should be few in number and very clearly communicated, preferably listed on the board. The last sentence applies to all children, but for children with SEN it is extremely important to follow.

The text quoted above is copied from the site sopbg.org, which has a lot of information on the subject.

11. Preliminary preparation

Preliminary preparation includes all activities of the teacher preceding the lesson and necessary for the most effective teaching. These can be preparing a presentation, selecting photographic material, organizing a visit to a gallery, printing templates, etc.

12. Didactic tools

These are all the supporting materials needed to conduct the lesson. These can be textbooks and teaching aids, multimedia tools such as presentations, images, videos, samples/visual aids, books and albums.

13. Teaching methods and approaches

This lists the methods and approaches needed to achieve the specified learning objectives.

14. What function does the creative activity perform in the lesson?

This part doesn't need to be included. It's my preference to add it to my lesson plans because it helps me determine what additional skills and qualities children are developing outside of the art subject and art making.

15. Method of work

This part clarifies whether the children are working independently in the lesson, whether the whole class is working together on a common project, or whether the class is divided into small groups, for example in pairs.

16. Assessment

This part notes how feedback is given to children about their work. Is there a verbal or written assessment by the teacher or is the whole class actively participating in a general discussion in the form of a group critique.

Group critiques are a very useful method for visualizing the set goals and expected results, as well as for provoking critical and analytical thinking in students. But they require a lot of careful planning and advance organization, because without a clear structure and direction, the conference can cause disagreement and dissatisfaction among students and a lack of constructive feedback.

17. Homework

Homework is not a required part of the lesson, but it can be helpful if there is not enough class time and it is necessary for the children to do preliminary preparation or if more intensive extracurricular exercises are needed. Homework can be exploratory and provoke students' initiative and critical thinking.

18. Analysis and evaluation of the lesson

Here the teacher describes his feedback on the lesson. Useful questions to answer are:

• What in the lesson went well and why?

• Which part of the plan did not happen as intended?

• What can be improved or changed?

19. Structure of the lesson plan and timing

The last part of creating a lesson plan is dividing the teaching time into separate stages and determining their duration.

Time can be organized in different ways. I have proposed a structure that is intuitive and easy to follow:

And this is the sample plan we put together:

The suggested templates are exemplary. Their purpose is to serve as a guide and can be changed and modified according to the needs and preferences of the teacher. You can download them from here:

At first, outlining a lesson plan is time-consuming and unpleasant in its routine. Many times the lessons will not go as planned and the goals will not be achieved. However, planning is necessary because it clarifies the learning process and supports our development as educators.

Bibliography:

The art teacher’s book of lists: grades K-12 / Helen D. Hume—2nd ed

Learning to Teach Art and Design in the Secondary School: A Companion to School Experience (Learning to Teach Subjects in the Secondary School Series) (Volume 2) 2nd Edition, by Nicholas Addison and Lesley Burgess

The Art and Design Teacher's Handbook (Continuum Education Handbooks, 7) by Susie Hodge