Artist Spotlight: Frida Kahlo

This lesson plan teaches students about Frida Kahlo and her legacy as an activist and artist who continues to inspire people all over the world. Students will listen to a story about Frida Kahlo and reflect on what it means to be an artist.

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In Artist Spotlight: Frida Kahlo, first and second graders will learn about Frida Kahlo and her legacy as an activist and artist. First, children will listen to a story and practice identifying the main topic and details. Next, students will be asked to think deeply about what it means to be an artist and share some of the types of art they like to create. Finally, this lesson plan that merges fine arts with reading and writing will invite children to use a variety of creative materials to express themselves through their own artwork.

Learning Objectives

• Students will be able to recall information from experiences to answer a question.
• Students will be able to identify the main idea and details after listening to a story read aloud.

Introduction

• Gather the students together in a comfortable space.
• Explain to the students that today, they will learn about a famous artist named Frida Kahlo.
• Browse through some examples of Frida Kahlo's artwork using online sources.
• Instruct students to turn and talk to a partner, explaining what it means to be an artist.
• Allow a few students to share their ideas aloud. Explain to the students that everyone can be an artist and what's so special about creating art is that it allows us to express ourselves in our very own, unique ways.
• Provide some background about Frida Kahlo, elaborating that she was an artist who turned the struggles of her life into art. Although some people called her a surrealist artist, she disagreed because she said her paintings reflect her life. Elaborate that when art is surreal, it is mixed with something that happened in real life and fantasy.