Online Museum Resources for Art Educators

On the 5th Tuesday of each month, I'd like to share info about some of my favorite online museum resources. Today the National Gallery of Art will be highlighted. As you can see from the above clip, there are 3 specific areas that we can access for the benefit of our students on their Education/Teachers page: Lessons and Activities, Teaching Packets and Video.

On the Lessons and Activities page the description reads: "Organized into thematic units, each grade-level-specific lesson plan focuses on a single work of art and can be executed within one to two class periods. These lessons meet National Art Education Association (NAEA) Visual Arts curriculum standards." I found these possibilities that would be a good fit for my kids...

Teaching packets are explained as "... designed to permit flexibility in use. All are part of our free loan program with many available for immediate PDF download. They include a printed booklet with in-depth background information, suggestions for student activites, supplemental image CDs or slides, and often with color study prints, timelines, and bibiliographies. We encourage you to review them, to select those images and information that are most useful to your teaching needs, and to adapt and shape the materials to your specific instructional objectives." Here are the packets currently available...

A few of the other packets available for download or borrow caught my eye...

I have used the Islamic Art packet with great success in my classroom previously. I found the process of acquiring and returning the materials to be quite easy!

There are also printed packets only available to borrow. Here are a few...

Interested in videos? "Covering a range of topics from ancient art to the twentieth century and studies of individual artists, DVDs bring art to your classroom or learning setting. Borrow for free, or preview select titles online. All are closed-captioned." So many video choices - it was hard to decide which to feature here...

Please take the time to visit the NGA site and be inspired! I hope you find something that you can work into your curriculum this school year.

I would like to hear from you about your favorite museum site online and how you have used their resources in your artroom - leave a comment below to let the rest of us know of your inspiration!