Q: What is an effective way to use ArtsConnectEd to teach landscapes to a grade 8 art class?  I have taught landscapes demonstrating foreground, middle ground, and background, watercolor sunsets, blending of color etc. Do you have any suggestions as well as some simple landscapes with maybe a farmhouse or building of some kind? Margaret, 8th grade teacher A: Here are some ideas for resources that might be useful for teaching about landscapes with your 8th graders. In art finder, search the Interactive Resources and Art Collector Sets tabs using the key word “landscape.” Some resources that come up might be especially helpful include: American Scenes: Teaching the Arts that explores diverse American landscape through the experiences of five artists in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. If you open the related items tab you can also find inks to more art works and art collector sets on similar themes. The Art Collector Set “Window onto the World” might also be of interest for 8th graders who wish to explore a broader idea of landscape. It uses the subject of landscape as a reference point. The purpose of this set is to get students thinking about image as illusion and a vehicle for expressing one's viewpoint or world/environment. Finally, you can search the Art Finder tab using the key word “landscape”, “sunset”, farmhouse, or “barn” (just a few terms that come to mind) to discover artworks with images that relate to your interests. You can make your own Art Collector Set of the ones that you think will serve as inspiration to your students. ArtsConnectEd