Art Docent
What do I need to do?
When you first start out as an Art Docent it is a little confusing as to what you need to do to get
started. At the first meeting you should have received a folder stuffed full of information. This will have all the
information and forms that will be mentioned below. This is just a sample layout to help people get started. If
you are missing any forms or information sheets, they are all located on the desk in the art supply room.
What do I do first?

Look on the Art Docent Lesson Rotation list. Find your name and the month. You should see a
number 1 – 8. This number will tell you what lesson you are assigned that month.

To find which number belongs to what lesson, look at the Art Docent Lesson/Print List. For
example: According to the Art Rotation List I am assigned #1 for the month of October. Now I look at
the Art Docent Lesson/Print List, and see that #1is a lesson on Space. To complete this lesson I can
choose to use either the print listed, or a children’s book of my choice.

Contact your teacher via email to schedule a time that works for both of you that month. Try to fit your
lesson and project into 1 hour.
Okay, I have my artist, and a scheduled time. Now What?

Go back into the art supply room and check out the projects notebook. Look up the age group that you
are working with, and see if any of the projects will fit for your class. If you can’t find a project, you
can look up concepts on various websites to find one. There is a list of websites available in the supply
room. If neither of these works for you, look at the painting, and find something unique about it that
you would like to teach. Please feel free to come up with something completely on your own.

Once you have your project picked out, you will need to make a sample for the kids to see. If you are
creating a new project (ones that aren’t found in the projects book) you will need to fill out an Art
Docent Report form and attach a sample of the project. For younger kids, if the project requires several
steps, sometimes breaking those steps down visually will help explain each step to them.

On the large desk calendar in the art supply room, please write in what print/book you are requiring and
supplies that you will be needing (if you know) on what date. This is there so that we don’t have two
docents needing the same print/book or supply on the same day at the same time.
Artist  Print  Project  What’s next?

Now it’s time to put together your lesson plan. In the art supply room there are tons of resources. We
have some colorful folders, one on each artist along with one per element. These are filled with all sorts
of things that you can use in your lesson. There are also information books as well. Some docents will
head to the public library for extra books or music to play in the background.

As mentioned before, if you are doing a project that has not been done before, you will need to fill out
an Art Docent Report Form. The reason we need to do this is because your original project will be
placed in a notebook, exactly like the ones you’ve seen, for other docents (in our school and others) to
use in the future. Once you have filled out the form, and attached your small sample to the back of
them, please put them in the Report form inbox. It is located on the desk in the art supply room.
The Day of the project………

At this point, you are ready. The only thing that you will need to remember to do (besides grab the
print/book, and your lesson plan materials) is get the kids project materials prepped. Meaning, grab all
the supplies that you will need for your project. On most of the supplies, you will see a laminated tag.
Please take the tag out, and place it in the pouch with your name on it (located behind the door). This
lets us know who has what. When you are done with the supply, please return the label to the supply it
belongs to. To save some time in the classroom, have all the materials the kids will need on their desks.
It may surprise you to see how much time it takes a class to search for supplies. You also may want to
show up to your class a little early so you can do this.

Please remember to return all the art supplies to the supply room, cleaned and ready for the next docent
to use.
I’m done! Aren’t I?

Yes, you are pretty much done. Two things that I like to do at this point is mount the kids art, and make
a label for it. This is totally up to you. Mounting the kids project on colored paper makes them stand
out, and look finished. The labels are something that we do at the end of the year for the Art Walk.
Doing them when each project is completed will just save you a ton of time at the end of the year. There
is label paper located under the desk in the art supply room. The label needs to include the child’s name,
date, teacher, and lesson.

For example:
A lesson in Line
Ms. Mansfield’s amazing 2nd grade artist
Ben Stanton
October 2010
Please DO NOT let the kids take their art home with them. They will get to take them
home at the end of the year, after the art walk!!!
If the teacher does not want to put the artwork on display, and there is no place in their rooms to store it,
then we ask that you find a safe place at your home to put it until the Art Walk in May.