Skip to Main Content

Lesson Plans

Spark creativity with Crayola lesson plans. With hundreds of activities, the learning possibilities are endless. 

O'Keeffe's Flowers

American modernist painter Georgia O'Keeffe is widely remembered for her large-scale flower paintings. Students will learn about her life and create a floral painting in O'Keeffe's style.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

Gather all the supplies needed to bring your craft ideas to life! From paints and markers to glue and scissors, our crafts section has everything to spark creativity and make every project truly special.

  • Paper

Steps

  • Step 1

    To set an emotional tone while students are painting with expression, play various types of music. Ask students to create original paintings inspired by each of the musical genre's moods. In addition to picking up on the melody and rhythm, what patterns and visual symbols do  the instruments or voices inspire? As them to move the paint brush to the beat and show movement and emphasis. Change the music from classical to jazz and rock, classical, etc. How do the moods of the art pieces vary?

  • Step 2

    Ask students to focus on color as a form of expression. Have them do some of their paintings using a monochromatic palette others using color variations to express their emotions. Have them think about what colors and patterns convey the range of emotions they feel.

  • Step 3

    When their work is dry, have them present their art. Ask the class to discuss the emotions they felt during this musical painting project.

Standards

ARTS: Speculate about processes an artist uses to create a work of art. 

ARTS: Explore and invent art-making techniques and approaches. 

Adaptations

Georgia O'Keeffe was married to Alfred Stieglitz, a photographer and modern art promoter. Have students learn about his life and works and view images of some of his photographs such as "Winter - Fifth Avenue" (1893), "The Terminal" (1893), and "Venetian Canal" (1894). 

Have students learn the names and functions of the main parts of a flower, such as the petals, sepals, stamens, pistils, and ovules.