ArtSocial Studies6-8
Black Death Art Techniques for 6th Grade
By Lauren C.
A short art activity packet that guides 6th graders through four drawing techniques, cross-hatching, labels and arrows, decorative borders, and scale, as they illustrate the Black Death. Students practice visual art skills and connect their work to historical details like the plague doctor's bird-beak mask.
Customize for your classroom
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Use this as a single art or history block, roughly 45 to 60 minutes, with students completing at least two of the four techniques in their drawings.
- Discussion question: Why did people believe the herbs inside a plague doctor's mask could protect them, and how does that belief shape what you choose to label?
- Scaffold for struggling readers by pre-labeling a sample drawing together and offering a sentence starter such as "The ___ is important because ___."
- Extension for advanced students: have them research one additional object from the period and write a label explaining its purpose, using the same arrow-and-label format.
- Estimated time is about 5 minutes to review the examples and 40 to 50 minutes for drawing and labeling.
ArtSocial Studies6-8
Black Death Art Techniques for 6th Grade
By Lauren C.
A short art activity packet that guides 6th graders through four drawing techniques, cross-hatching, labels and arrows, decorative borders, and scale, as they illustrate the Black Death. Students practice visual art skills and connect their work to historical details like the plague doctor's bird-beak mask.
Customize for your classroom
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Use this as a single art or history block, roughly 45 to 60 minutes, with students completing at least two of the four techniques in their drawings.
- Discussion question: Why did people believe the herbs inside a plague doctor's mask could protect them, and how does that belief shape what you choose to label?
- Scaffold for struggling readers by pre-labeling a sample drawing together and offering a sentence starter such as "The ___ is important because ___."
- Extension for advanced students: have them research one additional object from the period and write a label explaining its purpose, using the same arrow-and-label format.
- Estimated time is about 5 minutes to review the examples and 40 to 50 minutes for drawing and labeling.