Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Objects of Adornment

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students identify adornments as a form of art. In this art and jewelry lesson, students view portraits of two historical princess noticing their adornments, then draw a person in their life focusing on the adornments they wear.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Debating the Bomb

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers research how the development of the atomic bomb affected people in World War II, participate in a debate about the bomb's use, and investigate how it has affected people's lives since 1945.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Historical Context: Discovering a Painting

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers analyze a work of art.  For this historical context lesson, students research the time period in which the art they observed was created.  High schoolers consider differing opinions about a work of art. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Messages in Art Work

For Teachers 8th - 9th
Observe images and discuss what messages they convey. In this critical thinking lesson plan, students determine whether works of art are trying to persuade their audience. They also consider the media and how they communicate messages to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where In the World Am I?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners identify their location in the world after studying latitude, longitude, relative location, and absolute location. They use assigned web site to find information to make a flipbook that answers questions about their location in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Neoclassical Influences

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students study how artists of the Neoclassical period were influenced by major historical events during the Enlightenment. They identify and analyze the Neoclassical style. discuss and identify the historical influences of Neoclassical...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Goddesses Are Personifications Too!

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars explore the use of personification as a way of expressing ideals. They transfer this understanding to the present by creating an allegorical depiction of a contemporary ideal or value inspired by precedents in the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Dream of Classic Perfection

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Learners look at how Greek classical art and philosophy influenced the French Revolution. In this French Revolution lesson, students use primary sources, Neoclassical art, to look at how they show what society was like during this time...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Poetry of Chinoiserie

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students study Asian works of art and Japanese haiku. They then take this knowledge and create an original haiku in response to other works of art.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Land Use and Lawmaking in California

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners design a plan for a housing development in their city. In this house development lesson plan, students observe pictures of land use, research lawmaking, and develop a plan for an environmentally friendly housing development in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Put a Woman on a Stamp

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students nominate a woman to appear on a postage stamp. They explore the contributions of American women. Explain to students that the U.S. Postal Service issues 25 to 40 new commemorative stamps each year.
Lesson Plan
Polk Bros Foundation

American Presidents

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Emanuel Leutze's painting Washington Crossing the Delaware. Alexander Gardner's photograph of Abraham Lincoln. What do these works of art tell us about the character of these American Presidents? After examining the techniques the...
Activity
PBS

Taking A Field Trip

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Field trips require a great deal of advanced planning to be successful. Ensure the success of your trips with a step-by-step preparation guide that itemizes before, during, and after activities as well as extension and adaptation...
Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

What's This?: Early Humans

For Students 6th - 12th
Early humans crafted shelters out of whatever materials they could find. A one-question quiz asks learners to identify the type of bones used to construct the hut pictured in a display.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Predicting the Past

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students study how archaeologists record the past. They discuss archaeology and artifacts. They view a list of artifacts discovered by Marquette at the Illinois Village and answer questions regarding them. They complete a test about...
Activity
American Museum of Natural History

Create Your Own Time Capsule

For Students 4th - 12th
The corona virus pandemic is indeed a historic event. A time capsule activity permits young historians to document these days of social distancing, remote learning, and quarantine by collecting artifacts that capture what their lives are...
Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

What's This?: Mythic Creatures

For Students 6th - 12th
Fantastic beasts, and where to find them, are featured in a resource that offers images of real animals that just might have given rise to some of mythic creatures of legend.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Codex Comes Home: Leonardo Lives in Seattle

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students complete a unit on the life of Leonardo da Vinci and the content of the Codex Leicester. They write an encyclopedia entry, watch a film, complete a data sheet, conduct Internet research, and write a letter to Bill Gates about...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Who Works for Nonprofits?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore career opportunities in the nonprofit sector. In this character development and career instructional activity, students identify job opportunities in a nonprofit organization and research the necessary skills needed for...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

If These Walls Could Talk

For Teachers 7th - Higher Ed
Students investigate the influence of the Enlightenment on American society and government. In this Enlightenment instructional activity, students work cooperatively in groups to define the principles of the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Going to the Promised Land (Dust Bowl Migration)

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine Dust Bowl migration. For this Great Depression lesson, students research primary sources regarding migration issues in the United States during the Great Depression. Students discuss their research findings and impressions.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

If These Walls Could Talk

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore Enlightenment and Neoclassical art.  In this visual arts lesson, students compare and contrast images of architecture from both styles. Students create visual art designs that feature the ideals of the Enlightenment.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Putting a Spin on Current Events

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the artistic value of propaganda. In this visual arts instructional activity, students analyze antique artistic pieces for their political agenda perpetuation. Students discuss propaganda techniques of the past to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Looking at Ritual and Ceremony

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students explore Edward Curtis' photos of a Native American ritual and practice documenting their own religious rituals. In this photography analysis instructional activity, students analyze an Native American ritual in Curtis' photo....