Visual & Performing Arts · 2nd Grade

Active learning ideas

Local Artists and Craftspeople

Students learn best when they connect abstract ideas to real people they can meet and observe. By researching local artists and craftspeople, students see that art is not frozen in history but grows in their own neighborhoods, making the learning immediate and relevant.

• Common Core State Standards
• NCAS: Connecting VA.Cn10.1.2

• 20–30 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Inquiry Circle
• 30 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: Local Artist Profile

Provide each small group with a brief profile of a local or regional artist (one page with photos of their work). Groups read together, identify the materials used, the themes the artist works with, and one thing that surprises them about this artist's work. Groups share their findings with the class.

Who are some artists in your community, and what have they made?

Facilitation Tip

For the Collaborative Investigation activity, assign small groups specific roles like interviewer, researcher, or artist liaison to ensure equal participation.

What to look for

Provide students with a worksheet that has spaces for the artist's name, what they make, and one material they use. Ask students to fill this out after a brief presentation or reading about a local artist.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Think-Pair-Share
• 20 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Local vs. Famous

Display two works side by side: one by a local community artist and one by a well-known historical artist who works in a similar medium or theme. Partners discuss two ways the works are similar and two ways they are different before sharing their comparisons with the class, using art vocabulary to describe what they observe.

How does the art in your community show what the people there care about?

Facilitation Tip

During the Think-Pair-Share activity, provide sentence stems to help students compare local and famous artists, such as 'Both artists use... but one difference is...'.

What to look for

Ask students: 'How is the quilt made by Mrs. Gable down the street similar to or different from the historical tapestries we saw in our book? Think about the threads, the colors, and what the pictures show.'

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Numbered Heads Together
• 20 min · Individual

Individual: Letter to a Local Artist

Students write or dictate a brief letter (three to four sentences) to a local artist they have studied. They must include: one thing they noticed about the artist's work, one question they would like to ask, and one thing they tried in their own art that was inspired by what they learned.

How is a local artist's work similar to or different from the work of a famous artist?

Facilitation Tip

For the Letter to a Local Artist activity, model a draft letter first, highlighting how to introduce yourself, ask thoughtful questions, and express gratitude.

What to look for

On an index card, have students draw one piece of art made by a local artist they learned about and write one sentence explaining why that artist is important to their community.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

A few notes on teaching this unit

Approach this topic by centering lived experience. Students need to meet artists and craftspeople, hear their stories, and see their studios or workspaces whenever possible. Avoid relying solely on images or secondhand accounts, as this can reinforce the idea that art is distant from their lives. Research shows that when students interact with local creators, their understanding of art as a living practice deepens and their own creative confidence grows.

Successful learning shows when students can name local artists and their work, explain how these artists contribute to the community, and reflect on the value of art beyond school walls. They should also recognize that living artists use the same skills and creativity as those in textbooks.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Collaborative Investigation, watch for students who assume the local artist they research is less skilled because they are not in a textbook.

  Use the artist profile worksheet to guide students to focus on specific skills, materials, and creative decisions. Ask groups to highlight a quote or technique from the artist that shows their expertise.

• During Think-Pair-Share, watch for students who categorize local art as 'craft' and famous art as 'real art'.

  During the discussion, provide examples of local artists whose work is displayed in galleries or collected by museums, and ask students to consider why some art gains fame while other art remains local.

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Methods used in this brief

• Inquiry Circle
• Think-Pair-Share
• Numbered Heads Together