To promote social distancing and virtual learning, TMA is now offering guided virtual tour videos for grades K-12, led by a trained TMA volunteer Docent. Docent led virtual tours provide student groups engaging, interactive, inquiry-based experiences based on work in the TMA collection.
Our Approach
Your students will build skills and connect with standards. K-12 tours support Ohio’s New Learning Standards in Fine Arts, English Language Arts, Social Studies, and Science & Math, as well as foster the development of the four C’s of 21st century learning: critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. Students will make connections between classroom learning and the Museum experience, exercise their creative and analytical skills, and increase visual literacy using the language of art.
We promote visual literacy. The Toledo Museum of Art is making visual language education a priority, using its world renowned collection as a teaching resource. Close looking strategies and approaches are taught on all docent-led tours to develop the ability to make inferences about the meaning of works of art.
What to Expect
We believe less is more. Tours focus on approximately five works of art. This focused approach gives students time to develop observation skills and critical thinking. At the Toledo Museum of Art, the journey to understanding the visual world begins with close looking and observation.
We recognize that people learn differently. We engage students through a range of learning strategies; select tours include open ended and guided questions, conversation, small group activities, drawing and writing.
More Resources
For more at home resources, visit our teacher resources page.
Virtual School Tour Options
Interested in viewing a Virtual School Tour? Here are the various options available for each grade range.
Art of Reading Color | 30 minutes | (Grades K-2)
This pre-recorded virtual tour engages and introduces the young learner in visual literacy. It gives most of them their first opportunities to interact with art with the focus on colors. Included in this tour is a story time.
Art of Reading Line | 25 minutes | (Grades K-2)
This pre-recorded virtual tour engages and introduces the young learner in visual literacy. It gives most of them their first opportunities to interact with art with the focus on lines. Included in this tour is a story time.
Creatures Great and Small | 28 minutes | (Grades K-2)
In this pre-recorded virtual tour explore the importance of animals, real and imaginary, in art from various cultures.
Art of Seeing Art | 21 minutes | (Grades 3-5)
Using the Elements of Art and the Principles of Design as vocabulary, this pre-recorded virtual tour unlocks the meaning of images.
WordShop | 13-20 minutes | (Grades 3-5)
Practice writing and increase vocabulary by practicing in gallery-based writing activities. The WordShop experience includes a pre-recorded virtual in the galleries with built-in writing exercises. Pause the video at any time to participate in the writing activities.
Art Tells a Story | 16 minutes | (Grades 3-5)
Identify the roles of plot, character, setting, and sequence as applied by visual artists. In this pre-recorded virtual tour, you will use writing prompts and gallery activities to tell a story about a work of art.
Picturing History: Renaissance and Reformation | 24 minutes | (Grades 6-8)
Examine the art of the past to learn about culture from across time and geography. This pre-recorded virtual tour supports Ohio's New Learning Standards: Social Studies 6-8th and includes gallery-based activities.