Basic Instructional Model
Lesson Planning Format for Arts Lessons

(Note: This lesson plan format has been updated in recent years, but the lessons in this collection basically follow this template.)

Grade level--include a specific grade or grade combination; K-6 is too broad

Approximate time--You need to think about how long your lesson will go. Estimate the time by considering all the components in the lesson plan.

Topic--Identify main subjects and activity of your lesson

Rationale--Why is (put lesson topic here) important to learn? What important reasons, connections support this lesson?

Goal(s)--In the arts, the State of California has identified five specific strands for arts lessons to address: Artistic Perception, Creative Expression, Historical Cultural Context, Aesthetic Valuing, and Connections, Relationships, and Applications. For your arts lesson plan, identify the proper strand (one of these five), align your objective with that particular strand, and then indicate which specific content standard you are addressing.

Objective(s)--What do you want the student to specifically do? What conditions or criteria are expected? Objectives are operational and clearly indicate what the student will be able to do. Below is an example of how a goal (strand), objective, and specific standard should look for your lesson.

Historical & Cultural Context: During the introduction of the lesson, students will research and discuss the role and legacy of rock images found in the United States, specifically in California. (Visual Art-Gr.4-3.2)

Strategy--Instructional strategies will vary. Some may be combined. Here are the basic strategies:

Direct Instruction--teacher directed
Guided Discovery--student discovery
Inquiry--series of divergent questions generate the learning
Group Process--cooperative groups, Think-Pair Square, Jigsaw, etc.
Project--research, presentation, etc. that is done over a long period of time

Vocabulary--Include vocabulary with definitions that are appropriate for the age level of the students involved in the lesson.

Introduction--Key part. What will you do to introduce the lesson? How will you motivate the students to want to learn? Pose a question? Tell a thought provoking story? Present an issue? Show an example? Will you give a teacher demonstration? Share the objectives, expectations for the lesson.

Procedures--What are the steps involved in the lesson? Think about this in two strands. What do the students do? What do you, as teacher, do? The steps should be clear enough that someone reading this information for the first time could follow them without a problem.

Closure--What key points of the lesson will be summarized? How are the students actively involved in this summary? Closure might include:

critically analyzing
performing for others
questioning initial ideas
reflecting on processes
compiling new ideas from what was learned
setting new goals
sharing feelings of accomplishment

Clean-up--In many fine arts lessons, as well as others, this can "make or break" the lesson and directly effect classroom management. What is the game plan? Who is doing what? Actively involve the students in this responsibility.

Assessment--Your lesson assessment needs to directly relate to each of your objectives. Include a basic statement that addressees WHAT the assessment is for the lesson (what do the students do to be assesed?)--- essay, group critique, written reflection; WHAT you will specifically look for as the condition or criteria?.

The following might represent what the assessment is. You also need to include what you are specifically looking for, listening for, critiquing, noting in performance, etc.

Materials--List materials that are needed to carry out the lesson. What does the teacher need? What do the students need? What needs to be prepared ahead of time?

Important Tip--If you adapt an idea or activity from another source (book, image, or person) rewrite it to fit your classroom conditions in BIM format, and make sure you include a reference at the end of the lesson plan.

Back to K-6 Arts Lessons