Curated OER
Chris' Culture Club Cruise
Third graders ride the virtual highway on a field trip to museums, cultural centers, and exhibition spaces to discover exciting roles of public and private facilities.They follow various links on a cultural cruise of new knowledge and...
Curated OER
Island Culture: Puerto Rico
Students explore the culture of Puerto Rico. They create maps of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. They work in small groups to research a decade in history and add drawings and pictures to a timeline of their decade. They practice...
Curated OER
What is Art?
Young scholars become familiar with the art and architecture and history of the Chicago World's Fair. In this public arts project lesson, students compare and contrast fine art and public art through a study of the exhibits at the...
Curated OER
Costume Exploration
What a great lesson, upper graders are sure to love. They explore costume design and the relationships between theatre, culture, and history. They research three time periods, write a response about two of them, then create a composit...
Curated OER
Cardboard Radial Weaving
Learners explore cultural history by participating in an arts and crafts activity. In this weaving lesson, students identify the many cultures that used weaving methods and local plant life to create baskets and other useful tools....
Curated OER
Hawaii: A Stolen Star
Explore the islands of Hawaii. Investigate Hawaiian culture and compare their personal traditions to Hawaiian traditions. They locate Hawaii on a map and research the history of Hawaii.
Curated OER
Erase the Quiet
Students recognize how music, theater, dance, and the visual arts can be combined to contribute to their own active learning. They work in small groups to research and use critical thinking skills to identify ways in which the arts could...
Curated OER
Arts of the Gilded Age
Young scholars study the art forms of the Gilded Age. In this integrated arts lesson plan, students research the art, music, dance, and drama of the historical era and then create their own personal projects that exemplify the time period.
Curated OER
Lesson: Urs Fischer: Reviving the Past Art Movements
Seven major abstract art movements are analyzed by learners in groups. Each group analyzes various works by determining which work belongs to which movement. They then read Flatland, engage in an art and literary analysis discussion,...
Curated OER
A Fair Trade
Students examine a piece of art to find objects and symbols used by the artist. For this visual art lesson, students look at Jaun Quick-to-See Smith's, "Trade Canoe for Don Quixote." They look for symbols and items that show the artists...
Bright Hub Education
Diego Rivera Murals
Explore Mexican culture and art history through active participation in research and painting. The class discusses and researches the life and art of Diego Rivera, then they paint wonderful murals inspired by his representations of...
Curated OER
Jazz in America Lesson Plan 6
Students survey bebop, cool jazz, and hard bop. They explore how bebop, cool jazz, and hard bop reflected American culture and society in the 1940s and 1950s.
Curated OER
Jazz in America Lesson Plan 7
Students survey free jazz and fusion. They explore how free jazz and fusion reflected American culture and society in the 1960s and 1970s.
Curated OER
Grand Canyon Suite
Take a trip to the Grand Canyon! Lesson one explores how Ferde Grofe painted a musical landscape of America when he wrote the Grand Canyon Suite. Learners then examine art that shows the Grand Canyon in activity two. Finally, activity...
Curated OER
Native American Clay Pots
Students explore world culture by conducting an art project in class. In this Native American culture lesson, students identify the types of materials American Indians utilized in their artistic endeavors, specifically clay. Students...
Curated OER
Arriba Amigos!
Students explore how culture effects our world. For this culture lesson, students work in groups to do a web quest. Students gather and analyze information to decide if Mayan ruins should be destroyed to build a shopping center. Students...
Curated OER
Discovering Russian Folk Dance
First graders explore the art of Russian folk dancing. For this cultural traditions lesson, 1st graders research the Troika and incorporate attributes of the Russion folk dance into their own renditions.
Curated OER
Christmas Around the World
Students demonstrate an understanding of how different cultures celebrate Christmas by participating in artistic, musical, culinary and role play activities.
Curated OER
Sundiata, Mali’s Lion King
Students investigate the history of Mali. In this African cultures lesson, students research the impact of Sundiata Keita as king of Mali, recognize the significance of historical Malian festivals, and create character masks to be worn...
Curated OER
Picturing America: Images and Words of Hope from Romare Bearden and Langston Hughes
A carefully crafted three-day instructional activity integrates poetry and visual art. By analyzing and comparing Langston Hughes' poem "Mother and Son" and Romare Bearden's collage "The Dove," readers explore the theme of hope. The...
Smithsonian Institution
Songs, Sounds and Stories from the Georgia Sea Islands
American music is the result of the influence of many cultures, including the traditions brought by the African slaves. Young scholars study the polyrhythms, the call-and-response format, and the vocal improvisations of the Gullah...
Curated OER
Rock Art Caves
Fourth graders research the rock art caves that are found in Texas. In this rock art lesson, 4th graders use assigned web sites to find information about the rock art that is found in caves in Texas. They work in small groups to make a...
Curated OER
Exploring Arthurian Legend
Students investigate the evolution of the King Arthur stories and analyze them as a window into the culture that preserved them. They trace the legends through their earliest versions through medieval and Victorian times and into the...
Curated OER
Art to Zoo: Celebration
Students research and develop a report on birthday rituals around the world. In this research lesson plan, students compare birthday rituals from other cultures to their own. Images and resources are included.