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Ambassadors of Art
Have your class create their own art exhibit. Learners study the exchange of artwork between the Louvre in Paris and two American art museums, and create an introductory exhibit featuring European and American art from the Renaissance...
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Art Reflecting Life
Have your young television viewers discuss popular shows among their peers. After choosing one show to analyze, middle and high schoolers read about the 2007-2008 network television lineup with the New York Times article "Gauging Viewer...
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Autobiographical Art
Students explore how one artist portrays her own experiences and interests through her art. Students then choose themes in their own lives and create works of art inspired by those themes.
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Pay to Play?
Lead your class in a discussion about how they believe money influences politics. After reading "Go Ahead, Try to Stop K Street" from the New York Times, they evaluate the claims in the article about the current lobbyist scandal in...
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Cultural "Art"-ifacts
Seventh graders explore how culture is reflected through art. After researching the art of a specific culture, 7th graders create replicas of art objects that reflect the ideals, values, and history of the culture.
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Arts Directors
Learners reflect on a personally meaningful live performance and the circumstances necessary to create art. They study about the current leadership crisis facing the Met, Carnegie Hall, and the Public theater. In groups, students...
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Local Motives
Investigate current local elections across the United States with this New York Times reading activity. Using informational text, middle and high schoolers research local elections and create their own news reports about what they...
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Asking the Questions and Questioning the Answers
What would you ask a presidential candidate if you had the chance? Bring politics to your language arts classroom with this lesson, in which young readers brainstorm questions they would have liked the presidential candidates to answer....
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Art as Therapy
Students explore how they connect with artwork on an emotional level through writing and the creation of an original piece of art.
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It's in the Cards
Students discover how art auctions have become competitive after reading an article from The New York Times. Students voice their opinions about specific examples of modern art and create trading cards based on their research of...
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The Art of Speech
Students discuss President Bush's goals for his second term in office. After reading an article, they identify the major themes of his second inaugural address. In groups, they brainstorm ideas and create murals to illustrate them...
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Through Our Eyes
After reading Sandra Cisneros’ novel The House on Mango Street, class members design a canned food drive, create advertisements for the drive, and use digital cameras to document the entire process. In addition, pupils journal their...
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Art Smart
Students engage in a lesson that is concerned with the expression of art that is popular in modern times. They read articles from the New York Times and write reflectively about the featured art exhibits. Students use the newspaper to...
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Community Arts Projects
Youngsters learn about community through exploration of their own neighborhood.In this lesson about community, students create a community in their classroom. Students think about what their community looks like by making a map. Students...
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Modern Messages
Students explore the aims of artists working in various contemporary art movements, then create works in a similar art style to convey
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Art Mystery
Students explore famous artists in order to write mystery stories incorporating their life and works. They write their own based on their research of a particular artist.
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The Art Of Persuasion
Students engage in a lesson that focuses upon the use of persuasive speech. They conduct research into the famous sayings used by sideshow owners and performers from the Old West. Students then create advertisements for shows that could...
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Van Gogh-Getters
Students explore the lives of famous artists and examine ways in which an artist's life affects his or her creations. Each student creates an original work of art in the style of a famous artist.
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Look, Listen and Learn
Students brainstorm what they know about the performing arts and research an artist or song and its related genre. Students work in groups to create an online banner to attract peers to their performing arts genre.
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The Gift That Keeps on Giving
Students reflect on the role of DNA in society since its discovery in 1953 by creating works of art and poetry that metaphorically illustrate the importance, influence and concerns of DNA research.
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The Titanic Impact of Science
Discuss personal ideas about science and how a filmmaker can employ the arts to promote science. After reading an article, young scientists will discover how James Cameron is trying to interest people in the oceans. In groups, they will...
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The Art of Adaptation
Students examine and discuss animal adaptation. They read an article about snakes, conduct research on ways animals adapt, develop a diagram, and write a short story written from the perspective of the animal they researched.
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Oh, I Believe in Yesterday
Who is Aimee Mann? Read the New York Times article "P.S. I Loved You," included here, and have your readers answer a series of reading comprehension questions. Afterward, encourage your class to brainstorm ways in which they were...
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Loose Lips
Have your middle and high schoolers analyze instances of celebrities using racial slurs or making prejudiced comments in public. After reading an article, they consider the roots and effects of prejudice and bias. As a class, they...