Concordia University put together a series of free art appreciation lessons. Though the lessons are no longer offered at their site, the archived version is available. We covered the Grade 1 and Grade 2 Lessons some time ago. Now we’ll tackle the Grade 3 Lessons.
We don’t have to worry ourselves about “grade level.” Art has a way of crossing all age barriers. Just enjoy these well-written activities with the entire family. Use them as a jumping-off point for discovering more work by the artist.
Each level includes 10 lessons that correspond to the months September through June (but can very easily be adjusted to fit your own schedule).
Each lesson includes background on the artist, information about the work, directed observation, activities, and recommended literature that would go well with the picture study.
If you are looking for more, take an idea from these 8 ways to easily teach art appreciation.
Free Resource
Selected Works
John Steuart Curry: Self-Portrait
Munich-Schwabing with the Church of St. Ursula
Murnau View With Railway and Castle
Raffaello Sanzio (Self-Portrait)
George Washington (Landsdowne)
Kids Portrait
If you have Flash, this interactive from the Smithsonian uses a painting by Gilbert to solve a mystery.
The Boy Lincoln
Museum explanation of the painting.
Longfellow, Hawthorne, and Emerson
Jessie Willcox Smith
Biography and works at the National Museum of American Illustration.
A Mother Reads to Her Children
Frederic Remington Lesson Plans
Additional Resources
Discovering Great Artists
by Kohl and Solga
Winner of a Practical Homeschooling Reader Award, contains over 150 hands-on activities based on the styles of great artists. Includes Raphael and Kandinsky.
Artist Notebooking Set
Simple pages for documenting the artist and works.
Monthly Art Appreciation Lessons {Free}
Monthly Art Appreciation Lessons Free {Part 2}
More from Concordia.
DIY Homeschooler 
