Summer Art Project Corn Writing Prompts Reading Comprehension Autumn Art Lesson

This Corn Cob Art Project is a complete mixed media art and literacy lesson for summer, autumn or the harvest season. Students start with reading comprehension passages and writing prompts, then design their own corn cob artwork with oil pastels and watercolor paint, experimenting with resist painting, texture layering and color blending.

It is made for art teachers, classroom teachers and homeschool educators teaching Grades 3 to 8, in an art room, a general classroom or at home. The finished corn cobs look great on bulletin boards, in hallways or in a summer, autumn or Thanksgiving art showcase.

WHAT'S INCLUDED (NON-EDITABLE PDF AND PPT VERSIONS)

• Lesson plan (2 pages), fully filled out
• Learning standards, aligned with National Art Standards and CCSS
• Lesson hook, a Picture Puzzle to spark discussion
• About the Theme reading passage on the symbolism of corn and harvest traditions across cultures
• Rubric
• Reflection pages
• Artist statement template
• Example artwork
• Step-by-step teacher instructions and PowerPoint slides, also useful to leave with a substitute
• Step-by-step drawing guide for students
• Reading comprehension activity with questions and answer key
• Sight word and tricky word list
• Writing prompt activity on harvest traditions or gratitude

Materials: oil pastels, white card stock (or thick paper), construction paper, and watercolor paint or tempera paint cakes.

WHAT STUDENTS LEARN

Students practice blending, layering and resist painting while building reading comprehension, vocabulary and reflective writing. The reading, writing prompts, artist statement and reflection pages help them think about their artistic choices and connect their art to the theme.

Use it for fall, Thanksgiving or summer art, cross-curricular art and literacy units, no-prep sub plans for elementary and middle school, or seasonal homeschool art.

Standards listed in the resource: CCSS RL.K.1, RL.1.1, RL.2.3; VA:Re8.1.Ka, VA:Cr2.2.3a, VA:Cr2.2.4a, VA:Cr2.1.4a, VA:Cr2.1.5a, VA:Cr2.2.5a.

FAQ

Who is this for?

Art teachers, classroom teachers and homeschool educators teaching Grades 3 to 8 who want a fall or summer art lesson with built-in literacy activities.

How long does it take?

Most teachers find it takes 2 to 4 class periods, depending on student age, ability and the time spent on the literacy activities.

What skills do students practice?

Blending, layering and resist painting, plus reading comprehension, vocabulary and reflective writing.

Is it editable?

No. It comes in non-editable PDF and PPT versions.

Get free, classroom-ready art lessons and printables in my Free Art Lesson Library.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kathleen McGiveron (Ms Artastic) is an artist who has been featured on NBC LX News and designs art lessons for kids and educational resources for teachers. She is the founder of Ms Artastic and hosts the Ms Artastic YouTube Channel and Podcast.

TERMS OF USE

Images and lessons are copyright products.

YOU MAY: use this in creative ways and have as much fun with it as you like. For clip art, you may use the images as clip art, website graphics, binder covers or bulletin board decorations. Additional licenses are available for school use.

YOU MAY NOT: use this on OutSchool, put it on your blog, share it with other teachers, administration or districts (admin can buy additional licenses), sell it, give it out for free or photocopy it for others.

Sincerely,

Ms Artastic