The end of August is synonymous with back-to-school season for many educators and families. I grew up as the child of two public school teachers. The end of summer was often spent in one or both of their classrooms. When I became a teacher, I was usually excited about the new school year and setting up my classroom. There's always a bit of sadness saying goodbye to summer, but I was ready to get back to teaching too.

For 12 years I taught art in K-12 public schools. I took great pride in the classroom environment I created, and the curriculum I developed. I shared my experiences in articles, professional development courses, conferences, and more. Below are my five most-popular resources downloaded by educators from around the world.

How I used this resource: I designed this series of posters with artists from my curriculum. I included a quote from the artist to inspire students' creativity. I printed the posters in grayscale on colorful paper. I filled my bulletin board with these images at the beginning of the school year with the message, "Art is for Everyone!"

How I used this resource: At the beginning of the school year, I like all of my grade levels to participate in the same project for a school-wide display. This was perfect for Fall Open House where many students' families came to the school. Each student made their own monster character inspired by Atlanta street artist, Greg Mike.

How I used this resource: This project evolved from when I first began teaching about Wiley's work in 2012. Originally, I had students pose in front of a blank wall for a photograph, and students altered the printed photo with colored pencils. Years later, I updated the project to incorporate green screen technology and the results became much more vibrant and detailed.

How I used this resource: Mini-challenges developed from a change in my teaching schedule. Every Wednesday the school schedule was shortened to allow for professional development in the afternoon. The shorter school day resulted in shorter class times every Wednesday. I decided to create new, short activities to introduce on these days and give students a break from their current projects. Each mini-challenge featured a contemporary artist and a design prompt for students to complete. 

How I used this resource: I created this series of posters to highlight specific artwork from my curriculum. The poster included a small photo of the artist, the country they are from, and a short biography. I also created a template for students to create their own after researching about an artist of their choice.

Social media memory alerts can be bittersweet, but sometimes I enjoy looking back on what I shared in the past. I opened my Instagram yesterday and was reminded that eight years ago, I was exploring Mexico City. Among the snapshots was a picture of me sitting atop an Aztec pyramid in Tenochtitlan, with a caption that read, "I am thinking of adding an Aztec and/or Mayan unit to my sixth grade art curriculum after seeing so many great sites in Mexico!"

That trip was more than just a travel memory; it became a cornerstone for my teaching philosophy and curriculum development. The inspiration from that experience led me to create new lesson plans, enriching my students' learning and expanding my own knowledge. Over the years, those projects evolved, engaging students with fresh and exciting perspectives.​

When I returned from Mexico and began planning my curriculum for the 2016-2017 school year, I decided to integrate an Aztec and Mayan unit for the spring semester. The Aztec sunstone and Mayan glyphs seemed like perfect elements to inspire creativity.

Previously, my sixth-grade curriculum focused on ancient civilizations like the Ice Age, Egypt, Greece, and Rome, aligning with the students' Social Studies units. Adding the Aztec and Maya civilizations was a natural fit. I had my students practice drawing glyphs and illustrating their own sunstone designs, which they then applied to metal tooling foil. While the students enjoyed working with this new material, I recognized there was room for improvement in my lesson.

Over the next few years, I refined these lessons to further engage my students. I introduced a variety of resources to bring Aztec and Mayan history to life, including videos from the History Channel, TED Ed, and various museums. I also added children's books like "The Sad Night: The Story of an Aztec Victory and a Spanish Loss" and "Secrets in Stone: All About Maya Hieroglyphs."

By doing my own research, I improved the lessons tremendously. I allowed students more time to explore each civilization and create two distinct projects using different materials. Students illustrated the Aztec sunstone on cardboard cake boards, which enabled them to create more intricate designs with more color and in a larger format. They used the metal tooling foil to recreate traditional Mayan glyphs before designing their own, adding vibrant accent colors with permanent markers.

As the projects evolved, each year brought more student examples to showcase. This allowed new students to see the possibilities, experiment with new materials, and apply what they learned about each civilization in unique ways. One of my all-time favorites was a student who created a Darth Vader glyph, blending the Mayan style with his love of Star Wars.

Seeing students engaged and proud of their work is incredibly rewarding. When projects reach this level of success, I like to celebrate in a big way. For these projects, I mounted the glyphs on black paper and displayed them in a well-lit area to highlight the reflective tooling foil. The sunstones hung from the ceiling, drawing attention and inviting viewers to explore the artwork up close.

​See my lesson plan for Metal Repousse Glyphs here.

I believe a lesson or unit plan is never truly finished. Even successful projects must evolve to meet the needs of new students. In 2023, I noticed a particular class was not as engaged with the ancient civilizations theme, so I decided to pair each unit with a contemporary example:

Ice Age and Graffiti
Ancient Egyptian and Fathi Hassan
Ancient Greek and Chiara Anaclio

For the Aztec and Mayan unit, I introduced students to contemporary Mayan artist Paula Nicho Cúmez. They learned about her work and created dreamlike self-portraits inspired by her paintings. This approach helped students see how contemporary artists draw from their cultural heritage while expressing their own identities and emotions.

​See my lesson plan for Mixed-Media Flying Portraits here.

This journey from a simple idea in 2016 to a comprehensive unit in 2024 has been incredibly fulfilling. As my intaglio printmaking professor used to say, "A print is never truly finished. It just pauses in interesting places." While I'm no longer teaching, I appreciate the evolution of this lesson and where it stands now. The creative process is ever-changing, and that's what makes it so exciting!

How do you develop your curriculum?
Where do you find inspiration for new projects?
How has your curriculum changed over time?