Teaching Resources
about the program
Junior Docents in the Classroom is an experimental branch of The Dalí Museum’s Junior Docent Art Camp, a summertime program based in St. Petersburg, Florida. In this program, elementary and middle school students learn the fundamentals of interpreting a painting and how to share a compelling story through the power of images. Junior docents not only build their research skills and art knowledge, they also build their confidence and self-esteem through public speaking and personal choice.
Teachers interested in leading Junior Docents in the Classroom may use these resources to host their own version of the program in which they guide students to choose, research and personally interpret paintings from The Dalí Museum’s permanent collection. The paintings and resources here were vetted or created by educators at the Museum. Teachers may use the suggested steps of the program below, or use these resources to instruct their students on art interpretation and Salvador Dalí’s artwork.
Suggested Steps
- Introduce students to Salvador Dalí and his artwork with our educational videos, “Dalí on the Fly” and “Surrealism: The Big Ideas.”
- Introduce students to basic art interpretation with our Art Interpretation Worksheets.
- Allow students to choose their favorite work of art to research using the list of Artwork Teaching Options.
- Allow students to research their selected artwork using the Artwork Research Text and All about Dalí Resources.
- Help students write a tour outline and create a cohesive story using the Jr Docent Tour Strategies and Outline; edit and have peers review their work.
- Encourage students to practice their tour aloud for their family and peers.
- Allow students to formally present their junior docent tour to their class, their families or online by holding a school event or uploading videos to share.
- Reach out to Sumaya Ayad, School Programs & Education Manager, at sayad@thedali.org to receive certificates of completion for all junior docents.