Joan Miro Art Project

I'm always searching for one session lessons. You know the ones. Art projects that don't take two or three class times to complete. This Joan Miro inspired lesson is one such lesson. I teach this lesson to first grade but second or third grade would enjoy it as well.
First grade students have a good laugh as I explain shapes and lines, and drawing lines on shapes and lines over lines that sit on shapes.... you get the idea!

I've never done this before on my blog but it occurred to me that taking a photograph of my white board while demonstrating a lesson might help some of you visualize how I teach. As you can see, I display photocopies/print-outs/calendars of the artists work, a sample of the finished lesson and then I draw. I always break the lesson down into bits and pieces.


With the Miro lesson, I spoke about Miro's art in terms of shapes and lines. Explain the difference, especially for first graders. I like to draw a curvy line and ask them what it is. They say a line and they're right. Then, I connect the curvy line so that it becomes a shape. This way the kids see how a line and a shape differ.
Big oval head or small triangle head or wiggly, squishy round head. I draw all three and the kids can decide if they would like to copy or try their own version. I do the same for the body, giving lots of options.
I set out Crayola braod tip markers and black medium tipped markers and let the kids draw. Becasue there are few large shapes to color, this lesson doesn't take much time to complete. Only 40 minutes or so.