Learners watch a PBS video entitled Suleiman to help them identify characteristics associated with Renaissance notables. After watching the video, individually or in small groups, the students will research a notable Renaissance figure...

Students investigate the African American culture in the 1920's and the Harlem Renaissance. They read and analyze poems written by poets of the Harlem Renaissance, listen to jazz music and identify the characteristics of the music, and...

Looking for ways to implement the words and works of William Shakespeare into your curriculum? This list of activity ideas is a great starting point, as it covers a wide range of grade levels and a wealth of online references to explore.

Students discuss how Leonardo Da Vinci reflected the spirit of the Renaissance. They examine his achivements and explain the significance of his notebooks. They write essays on what constitutes a "rRenaissance man."

Students study the Renaissance and the important art from the period. In this Renaissance lesson, students discuss the black plague and religion during the Renaissance. Students read the Renaissance worksheet and learn vocabulary words...

Students compose couplets, quatrains, and sonnets after learning about Italian and English sonnets. In this sonnets lesson plan, students read sonnets, analyze them, connect them to the Renaissance and present times, and then write their...

Students study the life and times of actor Paul Robeson. For this social activism lesson, students research primary and secondary documents to create multi-media presentations featuring Paul Robeson's life and political activism.

Students examine how Leonardo da Vinci exemplified the Renaissance period. They explore various websites, conduct Internet research, complete a chart, explore virtual da Vinci notebooks, and write an essay.

Here is a complex lesson plan that interweaves the history of the Jim Crow South and the Great Migration with the study of poetry, art, and blues music from the Harlem Renaissance. The plan helps young historians develop a deep...

Fifth graders explore the Italian Rensissance in this six lessons unit. The prominent citizens, the ideas, values, art, philosophy, and literature of the are seen as a rediscovery of Ancient Greek and Roman times.

Students explore several themes relevant to the life of Paul Robeson and the social, artistic, & political realities of the first half of the 20th century, identify and interview heroes in their communities, and publish profiles on...

Students watch a video about the internal power struggles of the Medici family of Renaissance Italy. They compare the Medici family to the Mafia and produce a written response to the film.

Students study the Italian Renaissance, its impact, and origin. In this Italian Renaissance lesson, students study the Renaissance via the ancient civilizations and political geography of various countries. Students study the art prior...

High schoolers explore Italian Renaissance artwork. In this visual arts lesson plan, students examine "Madonna, Saint Thomas Aquinas, and Saint Paul'" by Bernardo Daddi. High schoolers investigate the use of space, scale, and proportion...

Students investigate the achievements of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. They conduct Internet research, identify their achievements, and participate in a 'competition' that compares/contrasts the two men.

Students examine the life and works of Leonardo and produce a portfolio of information which may include written reports, art works, and invention models.

Students view a documentary on Thomas Jefferson. Statesman, scientist, architect, president-he was America's dashing Renaissance man. After viewing, students discuss what they saw then write their own version of a biography of Thomas...

Twelfth graders create an artistic version of a Vetruvian teen. In this anatomy lesson, 12th graders design an experiment to test the theory of the ideally proportioned man. They present their findings in class.

Learners research the life of athlete, actor, singer, cultural scholar, author, and political activist, Paul Robeson. They answer the question, "Which was most important to American culture -Robeson's work as a scholar, a performer, an...

Middle schoolers list a variety of interests and achievements of Franklin and Jefferson. They take a position that one or the other's interests and achievements were more wide-ranging or that they were equivalent. They write out their...

Students view the video "Jefferson's Blood" and complete a series of activities, dealing with both Thomas Jefferson's public and private life, in order to better explain Jefferson as a man and politician.

Introduce your upper-elementary students to printmaking. Class members view prints, select and research symbols in a piece, and create their own sets of prints using styrofoam trays. Pupils can wash off the paint on their trays to make...

Sixth graders investigate the ideas, literature, music, and art of the Romantic Movement. They apply romantic ideals to their original writing and art, analyze poetry, discuss key vocabulary, and analyze artwork from this era.

Pupils investigate the use of the Phoenix in Japanese and Chinese art while making connections to the use of the Phoenix in the book Fahrenheit 451. This activity can be adapted for grades 8 through 11 but was originally for 8th grade...