Easy Coat of Arms Art Sub Plan: My Story in Symbols
Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. I earn a small commission at no cost to you if you decide to make a purchase from one of my links.
Next up in my elementary art sub plan article series is a coat of arms drawing. This is a fun way for the students to represent their favorite things, personal values, hobbies or any theme of their choosing. They learn how to utilize color and symbolism to achieve this representation.
This substitute art lesson is geared towards mid to upper elementary students. When leaving sub plans, I try to leave lessons that apply to various grade levels to make it easier for the sub. My goal is also to have a very low amount of prep. The substitute teacher should simply have to read from my provided packets. The kids can follow along with and reference these packets as they draw. Materials are out, copies are pre-printed and paper is cut ahead of time. Don’t forget to leave your schedule, any duties that you have, seating charts, information about drills and any other important student information.
What do I include in my packets from substitute teachers?
When planning an art sub plan, my go to approach is to leave easy to follow activity packets for both the students and the sub. These go right into my bank of lesson plans to use in the future. The packets include: a teacher exemplar of the art activity, a handout with visuals of the steps paired with directions, possible blank template and a handout of “idea starter” images to jump start student ideas.
What is a Coat of Arms and what is its purpose?
A coat of arms is a shield design that represented different families and individuals during the middle ages. These were passed down from generation to generation. The chosen colors, shapes and symbols created a unique design. The main purpose of a coat of arms design was for knights to be able to identify one another during battle.
Supplies for the Coat Arms Art Sub Plan:
- Construction paper or templates depending on what you would like to leave for your students
- Pencil
- Colored Pencils (My favorite colored pencils to use with kids are Prismacolor colored pencils. You can’t beat how vibrant the colors are, along with the easy ability to blend.
- Ultra fine sharpies (optional)
- Coat of Arms reference or slideshow
Steps for the Coat Arms Art Sub Plan:
- Use templates or have the kids draw their own. This really depends on the duration of your classes.
- Divide the shield up into different sections. The kids can get creative with the type of lines that they choose.
- They will draw a ribbon on the bottom and add either their first or last name.
- In each of the sections, they will add personal designs and symbols.
- Finalize by outlining with sharpie (can take this out if your class length is on the shorter side).
- Color neatly with colored pencil. Their color choices can also be chosen to represent their personality or favorite colors.
*kids should take these home at the end of class. That way there’s no art for you to go through or pass back upon your return!
Full lesson with step by step handout, optional templates and coat of arms design idea handouts available in my TPT Store.
If you enjoyed this post, read more about my elementary art sub plan article from last week: Substitute Art Lesson that Rocks: Electric Guitar Drawing
Add your email below to get a free copy of the coat of arms template to leave for your sub. You will also get a reminder when my weekly article drops. This is a great resource for all things elementary art.