Curated OER
The Harlem Renaissance: Black American Traditions
Students examine the time period of the Harlem Renaissance. As a class, they are introduced to five artists and discuss their art and techniques. Using the internet, they also research the philosophers of the time period and how...
Center for History Education
Understanding the Great Migration
What would make someone leave home and travel thousands of miles to find another one? Young historians look at letters, demographic data, and artwork to answer the question for the Great Migration, or the movement of thousands of African...
Curated OER
Jazz Scenes of the Harlem Renaissance
Students identify and connect themes of selected nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and art to Harlem Renaissance jazz. They compare and contrast historical and fictionalized versions of the jazz scenes of the Harlem Renaissance. They...
Curated OER
Utilizing Art, Literature and Film to Teach Black History
Fifth graders are introduced to different aspects of African-American history through literature, art, and films. As a class, they are read a story about the Underground Railroad, identify the main characters and put the events into...
Curated OER
Civil Rights Movement: Closing Day
Students explore the American Civil Rights Movement. In this African American history lesson, students close a Civil Rights unit by preparing Civil Rights Open House exhibits for an audience.
Curated OER
Constructing a Timeline of African History
Students create a timeline of African History. In groups, they research and describe eight different important periods in the country's history. They apply this information to compare and contrast them and how it has allowed Africa to...
Curated OER
African-American Artists
Students conduct research on a chosen African-American artist. They research how the artist's community influenced his art, analyze how themes are conveyed through the art, and create a collage depicting the artist's themes.
Curated OER
Suffering and Sunset: An African American Artist's Impression of World War I
High schoolers study paintings by a Pennsylvania artist, Horace Pippin, to explore African-American contributions in World War I. They create presentations based on their impressions of the artwork.
Curated OER
Clay Magic Pots
Fifth graders create clay artwork that resembles African and Egyptian monolithic sculptures. In this visual arts lesson, 5th graders are shown examples of monolithic and figural sculpture from Egyptian and African cultures, then...
Curated OER
If You Could Fly, Where Would You Go?
Students explore story quilts. In this cross curriculum literacy and art lesson, students listen to the story Tar Beachand discuss the art form of story quilts as used by Faith Ringgold. Students sketch their own "Where Would You Fly?"...
Curated OER
Kindness Just Because
Students analyze an African folktale. In this literature lesson, students read the story "Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters" by John Steptoe and analyze the acts of kindness in the story. Students identify the setting of the story and find...
Curated OER
Art: Faith Ringgold Story Quilts
Twelfth graders examine the impact of African American culture on the United States by inspecting Faith Ringgold's story quilts. Working in groups, they create a collective story quilt about current cultural issues. They research their...
Curated OER
The Civil Rights Movement
Students compare and contrast African-American, Asian-American, Chicano and Native-American movements with the civil rights movement and are exposed to the sociopolitical and economic factors involved in the rise of social movements.
Curated OER
Wynton's Tune
Young scholars examine the serigraph, "Wynton's Tune," by artist Faith Ringgold. They discuss the painting, listen to jazz music, create a drawing that tells a story inspired by their favorite music, and write sentences describing their...
Curated OER
A Journey To Africa: Art And Artifacts
Middle schoolers create a multimedia presentation based on a piece of African Art. They use the art piece to demonstrate the culture and ceremonies of the area in which it was produced. They research facts for a Power Point, write a...
Curated OER
Artistic Symbols
Middle schoolers compare and contrast symbols used in African and Plains Indian art. In this visual arts lesson, students compare symbols of 2 cultural groups found in their art. Middle schoolers write a description of what items might...
Curated OER
Arm and Face Casts - body art
Students study African masks. They also study African American Art and look for its influence in Modern Art. They research and design their own culture.
Curated OER
Folktale through African Art
Students study folktales and other stories from West Africa. By hearing and reading these stories they explore many new cultural and religious beliefs, such as spirits inhabiting nature and possessing special powers. Once the students...
Curated OER
Power and the Communication of Values in West African Art of the Past and Present
Ninth graders examine art from West Africa from the past and present. In groups, they compare their community to the one depicted in the artwork and note the similiarities. To end the activity, they discuss the concept of power and how...
Curated OER
African American Voices
Students investigate the many forms of Haitian art. They compare the art of some different cultures, religions, countries, and philosophies. Students also read the biography of an artist to build context for a particular piece of...
Curated OER
African Art and Personal Adornment: Jewelry
Students observe and identify examples of personal adornment in African art and recall how African jewelry relates to beauty, status, and wealth. They create their own clay pendants or other personal adornments.
Curated OER
Introduction to African Folklore
Young scholars are read "Anansi the Spider" to begin their discussion on continents. Using a map, they locate the continent of Africa and the country of Ghana. They discover who the Ashanti people are and view examples of their artwork....
Curated OER
Common Visions, Common Voices
Students analyze common recurring motifs and themes found in literature and artwork from various cultures. They research and report of the "trickster" motif found in Native american, Mayan, and Ethiopian cultures.
Curated OER
The Family Quilt
Third graders examine the artwork of Faith Ringgold. They create their own quilt pattern on fabric and piece them together to create a class quilt. They compare their similarities with one another.