No-Prep Sub Plans for Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Die Brücke

A sudden absence in the art room brings its own worry: studio work usually needs your supervision, so a covered lesson can either collapse into chaos or waste a whole period. The plan below solves that. It is fully self-contained, needs no art background from the substitute, keeps students engaged with a low-mess task, and genuinely advances your unit on Kirchner and the Die Brücke group. It is written for Grades 9–12 with clear timings and student-facing instructions. Leave your sub a few printed images and one reading from the Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Die Brücke – Expressionism resource set, and the lesson runs without you.

What to leave for the substitute

Keep the handoff simple so an unfamiliar adult can run it confidently.

• A one-paragraph overview: today students study Expressionism and how Kirchner used color and distortion to show emotion.
• Three or four printed Kirchner images and the provided reading.
• A class set of the analysis worksheet described below, plus paper and pencils only—no paint.
• A seating chart and your standard expectations.

Substitute script and timings (50 minutes)

Give the sub a minute-by-minute schedule to keep the room settled.

1. Starter (0–8 min): students respond to the board prompt: “How can a picture show a feeling without saying it in words?”
2. Look and read (8–22 min): students study the printed images and read the passage, underlining anything about color or emotion.
3. Worksheet (22–38 min): students answer the analysis questions individually.
4. Sketch and share (38–50 min): students make a quick pencil sketch using distortion to show one emotion, then a few share.

Student-facing instructions

Print these for students so the substitute only needs to direct them to the page: “Look closely at the images and read the passage. Underline every part that mentions color or feeling. Answer all worksheet questions in full sentences. Then make a small pencil sketch of a face or figure that shows one strong emotion—exaggerate and distort on purpose, the way Kirchner did. Be ready to explain your choice.” Removing ambiguity here is what keeps a covered art lesson orderly.

The worksheet questions

These prompts can be answered straight from the images and reading, with no expert guidance:

1. Describe the colors in one image. Are they realistic or exaggerated?
2. What emotion do you think the artist wanted you to feel, and what makes you say that?
3. How does the artist distort shapes or faces, and why might he do that?
4. What is one way this looks different from a realistic photograph?
5. In your sketch, which emotion did you choose and how did you show it?

Extension if there is time left

Give fast finishers something that connects to nearby units so no one sits idle. Ask them to compare a Kirchner image with a work by another artist you have studied—for instance the harder war imagery in the Otto Dix – New Objectivity and the Depiction of War unit, or the socially engaged printmaking in the Käthe Kollwitz – Graphics and Social Engagement unit—and write two differences in how each artist uses emotion. This stretches strong students with zero extra work for the sub.

When you get back

Collect both the worksheets and the sketches. Together they show you who understood Expressionism’s core move—using color and distortion to convey feeling—and who is still reading images literally. Open your next lesson by displaying two anonymous sketches and asking the class what emotion each conveys. That quick review honors the work students did while you were out and folds the covered day straight back into your unit.

Related reading from the Teacher Hub

• Bell Ringers and Warm-Ups for Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Die Brücke
• Assessment Ideas for Wassily Kandinsky: Rubrics, Quizzes and Exit Tickets
• Project-Based Learning: Otto Dix in the Real World