University of Tennessee
Listen Actively
Listening is a skill, and with the help of the communication activities in this packet, class members improve their active listening skills.
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Zany Wire Sculpture
Young artists create a freestanding 3-dimensional sculpture using wire and modeled "clay" pieces. This immensely creative and engaging lesson plan should get your kids excited, because the medium is unusual to work with. Everything you...
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Singing Patriotic Music
Students sing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of patriotic music, including "America" and "The Star Spangled Banner," to sing expressively with appropriate dynamics, phrasing, and interpretation.
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Tissue Vases
You can transform recycled containers into beautiful vases with this step-by-step lesson plan. Using tissue paper and watercolor paints will result in a gorgeous project, great for a Mother's Day gift in May!
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Pantomime Exercise
Learners of any age can learn to communicate using gestures and their bodies. They create a pantomime of a specific activity without using any words. This resource includes a link to an Off-Broadway Workshop for kids.
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Tug of War Exercise
Learners hone their acting and imagination by playing tug-o-war with an imaginary rope. Each group works together and pretends to pull the other group over the imaginary line with an imaginary rope. This could be a good improve warm up...
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On The Day You Were Born
Students engage in a study about the holiday of a birthday with the help of using children's literature. They make cognitive connections of using the characters of the book and relating them to the personal celebration of a birthday.
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Flying High in Our Imaginations
Young scholars visualize they are any bird they want to be and visually create their surroundings. They share the type of bird they were and the surroundings with their peers. They read a chapter of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's...
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Albatross Eye Shadow
Students practice shading techniques to mimic the exquisite shading of the Albatross eye (eye shadow). Extension for students skilled in computer art included.
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Media Collage
Students create "media Collages" out of labels from boxes, bottles, and cans, and other found objects in this Art lesson for all ages. Adaptations are included for younger and older students. Lesson also includes a writing option for...
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The First Fire : A Cherokee Animal Tale
Fourth graders discover movement through the telling of "The First Fire", a Cherokee tale. Small groups are given sections of the story to tell by creating dances. Music (live and recorded) adds to the final performance and assessment.
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Mixed Media Messages: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Students examine the process of recycling by creating a mock television commercial about recycling. In this recycling lesson, students watch an animated demonstration about recycling and answer content questions. Students play an online...
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Comic Theater
Students explore stock characters and pantomime. In this comic theater lesson, students examine an ancient Greek statuette depicting a comic actor and an ancient Roman lamp decorated with a comic mask. Students pantomime short scenes and...
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Framing the Landscape
Students draw their own drawings after learning about composition of drawings and lines. In this drawing lesson plan, students learn about different lines they can use while drawing. Then they go outside and draw their own.
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Masks and Aesop's Fables
Students study and perform Aesop's fables. In this Aesop's fables lesson, students read and/or listen to a number of the famous fables. They make masks based on the characters and perform a fable using the masks. They write about the...
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Why Is Water So Important to My Community?
Students read and listen to stories and sayings in New Mexico families. Using the text, they discoer the values and beliefs of a culture. They reflect on the meanings of symbols related to water. They discover the importance water has...
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Looking At People in Portraits
This resource can be adapted for all grade levels! Intended for learners within easy access of the Getty Center, you could still set up a gallery in your own classroom to achieve similar results. Included is a writing prompt, a...
Advocates for Human Rights
Voices of Iraqi Refugees
The stated goal of this resource is to provide learners with basic facts about and build empathy for Iraqi refugees. To do so elementary classes develop a plan for how to welcome refugees to their classroom. Middle schoolers read...
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Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride
Students participate in a partner dance. In this dance lesson, students listen to the song "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride" and repeat dance steps according to the music.
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What is Communication
Students recognize the process of communication. In this communication lesson plan, students work in pairs and interview each other. Students report on their two minute interview. Students participate in an activity where students must...
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A Monster's World
Students will use texture to create imaginary monsters and learn about the African American inventor Jan Earnst Matzeliger.
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Methods of Mystery
Students utilize the scientific method to discover the age of an item. In this historical dating instructional activity, students compare and contrast a 400 year old cabinet to one made within a few years by using carbon dating....
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Portrait of a Place, Portrait of a Family
Young scholars act out stories based on lives of famous people from Harlem. In this memoirs lesson, students compare the life of the people in Harlem in 1930 to the people of today. Young scholars explore how "home" is different for...
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Animal Tales Theatre
Students participate in a theatre production involving how to protect animals. Students create their own puppets which will be used in the production. Students read information provided to them and highlight the important information...