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Sustainable Art

Eleventh graders explore sustainable and found-object art — making work from repurposed and recycled materials — and contrast it with traditional new materials, seeing how artists turn waste into meaning.

Grade 11Media55 minutes1 class periodArtistic ProcessExplicit teaching4 StandardsNCAS
Start the Lesson
Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Explain sustainable art.
  • ✓Tell found from new materials.
  • ✓Sort the examples.
  • ✓Repurpose creatively.
Essential Question

One artist’s trash is another’s treasure! Sustainable art repurposes materials others throw away. Which materials are found, and which are new?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Sort It · Interactive

Found or Traditional Materials?

Project this and sort each into found/repurposed or traditional new materials.

♻️ Sort each — found/repurposed or traditional new?Try it
🗑️ Found / Repurposed
🎨 Traditional New
Tap an example, then tap a bucket.
The Lesson · Artistic Process (Look · Explore · Create · Share · Reflect)

55 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Look — Trash to Treasure

6 min

Sustainable art repurposes materials others throw away — found or new?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show a found-object artwork.
  • Ask what it’s made of.
  • Get ready.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Look.
  • Wonder.
  • Get ready.
2

Explore — Sustainable Art

13 min

Students explore.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Found or Traditional Materials?
  • Sort each one.
  • Discuss them.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Sort.
  • Discuss.
  • Name.
3

Create — Create

15 min

Students create.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Gather found materials.
  • Plan a repurposed piece.
  • Explain the idea.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Gather.
  • Plan it.
  • Explain.
4

Share — Share

13 min

Students share.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Present your concept.
  • Name your materials.
  • Give feedback.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Present.
  • Name it.
  • Feedback.
5

Reflect — Reflect

6 min

Students respond.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a found material.
  • Explain sustainable art.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name one.
  • Explain it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the National Core Arts Standards (Visual Arts, HS Advanced).

NCAS
VA:Cr2.1.HSIII

Use sustainable materials.

NCAS
VA:Cr2.2.HSIII

Experiment with found materials.

NCAS
VA:Cn10.1.HSIII

Connect art to sustainability.

NCAS
VA:Re7.1.HSIII

Perceive material choices.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Material picture cards.
  • Sentence frame: “___ is found / new.”
  • Show real materials.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with scrap metal vs. canvas.
  • Sort one at a time.
  • Use examples.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Make a found-object piece.
  • Explain upcycling.
  • Plan a sustainable series.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Projector / board
  • 🗑️Found objects
  • 💻Found or Traditional Materials?
  • ♻️Recycled materials
  • ✏️Pens
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

sustainable artart from repurposed materialsfound objecta discarded item used in artrepurposeto reuse for a new purposeupcycleto make waste into something betterrecycledmade from reused materialassemblageart from found objectssustainabilitycaring for the environmenttraditionalconventional new materials
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
Is a sculpture from scrap metal found or traditional?
Found/repurposed.
QUESTION 2
Is a canvas painting found or traditional?
Traditional new materials.
QUESTION 3
What is sustainable art?
Art made from repurposed and recycled materials.

Reflect: trash to treasure.

Have students name a found material and an artwork they could make from it. A printable sustainable-art sheet is in the Arts library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Sustainable ArtFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Sustainable ArtQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
0%

Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Sustainable ArtPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: assemblage, found object, recycled, repurpose, sustainability, sustainable art, traditional, upcycle
  1. to reuse for a new purpose
  2. conventional new materials
  3. a discarded item used in art
  4. art from found objects
  5. art from repurposed materials
  6. to make waste into something better
  7. caring for the environment
  8. made from reused material

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. Is a sculpture from scrap metal found or traditional?
  2. Is a canvas painting found or traditional?
  3. What is sustainable art?
Answer key — Part A: 1) repurpose · 2) traditional · 3) found object · 4) assemblage · 5) sustainable art · 6) upcycle · 7) sustainability · 8) recycled
Part B: 1) Found/repurposed. 2) Traditional new materials. 3) Art made from repurposed and recycled materials.