Created by teaching artists and educators at The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met), along with classroom teachers, Social and Emotional Learning through Art contains 30 lesson plans that strengthen social and emotional learning (SEL) in the classroom, as well as evidence-based reasoning and critical thinking, through art.
The lessons in this free downloadable guide were developed and tested in New York City schools with highly specialized instructional support for students with autism spectrum disorders, significant cognitive delays, emotional disturbances, sensory impairments, and multiple disabilities.
Featuring works in the Met’s collection, the lessons are grouped into five sequential units. Each unit has six lessons that build on existing themes, projects, and SEL skills. This resource is a flexible tool for educators at all grade levels and across disciplines to use and adapt to meet the learning needs and goals of their students.
Here’s what you’ll find in each component of the lessons in this resource:
Student Information: The student grade level and disability for which the lesson was designed. All lessons can be adapted for other grades and used with students with different disabilities, as well as nondisabled students.
Essential Question Artwork: The guiding question or topic for the specific lesson, sometimes shared across multiple lessons in a single unit, as well as basic information on the focus work of art or object.
Outcomes and SEL Goals: Academic and SEL goals for the lesson. SEL competencies are from the CASEL framework: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Responsible Decision-Making, Relationship Skills, Social Awareness. The guide includes full descriptions of these competencies.
Questions: Questions to pose to students about the focus artwork to inspire their observations, inferences, and personal connections. The questions are listed in order of recommended sequence to scaffold the conversation toward student interpretations.
Key Information: Key pieces of information about the artwork, particularly as the details relate to the essential question and outcomes.
Materials: Art materials recommended for the featured art activity, including, if applicable, how they should be prepared in advance.
Activity: Instructions on facilitating the featured art activity, including guidance on framing the activity, as well as reflection prompts when appropriate.
The guide also provides reproductions of the Featured Artworks and Tips for Teaching Students with Disabilities.