These lessons are designed for K–12 and adult ESL students at the beginning level. Students learn new vocabulary and practice using it by looking at and describing various works of art, including paintings, drawings, art objects, and photographs.

Lessons 1-9 of 9

People: Family
Grades/Level: Lower Elementary (K–2), Upper Elementary (3–5), Middle School (6–8), High School (9–12), Adult Learners
Subjects: Visual Arts, English—Language Arts, ESL
Lesson Overview: This lesson focuses on a family depicted in a work of art. Students practice using vocabulary related to people and families. Activities emphasize oral and written descriptions of the people portrayed in the work of art, using possessive adjectives. Students are challenged to infer what the relationships are between figures depicted and what individuals are doing, based on such clues as their pose.

People: Work
Grades/Level: Lower Elementary (K–2), Upper Elementary (3–5), Middle School (6–8), High School (9–12), Adult Learners
Subjects: Visual Arts, English—Language Arts, ESL
Lesson Overview: This lesson focuses on people at work depicted in a work of art. Students practice using vocabulary related to people and work. Activities emphasize oral and written descriptions of the people portrayed in the work of art, using job-related vocabulary and adjectives to describe feelings. Students are challenged to infer what job individuals are doing, based on such clues as their pose.

People: Leisure
Grades/Level: Lower Elementary (K–2), Upper Elementary (3–5), Middle School (6–8), High School (9–12), Adult Learners
Subjects: Visual Arts, English—Language Arts, ESL
Lesson Overview: This lesson focuses on people doing leisure activities as depicted in a work of art. Students practice using vocabulary related to people and leisure. Activities emphasize oral and written descriptions of the people portrayed in the work of art, using action verbs. Students are challenged to infer what leisure activities individuals are doing based on such clues as their pose.

Things: Things for a Meal
Grades/Level: Lower Elementary (K–2), Upper Elementary (3–5), Middle School (6–8), High School (9–12), Adult Learners
Subjects: Visual Arts, English—Language Arts, ESL
Lesson Overview: This lesson focuses on artworks that depict things people use for a meal. Students will build vocabulary and enhance language arts skills while learning about still life in a painting. Activities emphasize prepositions of location—through discussions about objects depicted in the featured work of art.

Things: Things to Wear
Grades/Level: Lower Elementary (K–2), Upper Elementary (3–5), Middle School (6–8), High School (9–12), Adult Learners
Subjects: Visual Arts, English—Language Arts, ESL
Lesson Overview: This lesson focuses on artworks that depict things people wear. Students will build vocabulary and enhance language arts skills while learning about different media (painting and photography). Activities emphasize descriptions using adjectives—through discussions about the clothing people are wearing in the featured works of art.

Things: Things in a Room
Grades/Level: Lower Elementary (K–2), Upper Elementary (3–5), Middle School (6–8), High School (9–12), Adult Learners
Subjects: Visual Arts, English—Language Arts, ESL
Lesson Overview: This lesson focuses on an artwork that depicts things people use in a room for both functional and decorative reasons. Students will build vocabulary and enhance language arts skills while learning about decorative arts. Activities emphasize using different action verbs with nouns—through discussions about how people use objects depicted in the featured work of art.

Places: Indoors—Rooms
Grades/Level: Lower Elementary (K–2), Upper Elementary (3–5), Middle School (6–8), High School (9–12), Adult Learners
Subjects: Visual Arts, English—Language Arts, ESL
Lesson Overview: This lesson focuses on an interior space depicted in a work of art. Students practice using vocabulary associated with a room and objects in the room. Activities in this lesson focus on writing descriptive sentences using some of the elements of art (color and texture) and adjectives.

Places: Outdoors—The Weather
Grades/Level: Lower Elementary (K–2), Upper Elementary (3–5), Middle School (6–8), Adult Learners
Subjects: Visual Arts, English—Language Arts, ESL
Lesson Overview: This lesson focuses on exterior spaces depicted in works of art. Students practice using vocabulary associated with the weather and time of day. Activities in this section teach students about some of the elements of art (color and line) and about writing descriptions of the weather and time of day.

Places: Outdoors—The Sea
Grades/Level: Lower Elementary (K–2), Upper Elementary (3–5), Middle School (6–8), High School (9–12), Adult Learners
Subjects: Visual Arts, English—Language Arts, ESL
Lesson Overview: This lesson focuses on different exterior spaces depicted in works of art. Students practice using vocabulary associated with the weather and how people react to the sea. Activities in this section teach students about some of the elements of art (color and line), adjectives, and two kinds of sentences (declarative and imperative).

Lessons 1-9 of 9