Is separate but equal actually equal? The 1950 Supreme Court case Sweatt v. Painter discusses the law of segregation and inequality. Scholars investigate the impact of the case on the desegregation of public schools across the nation...

Students explore the Latin American film industry. In this Latin American film lesson, students compare Latin American films to American films as they watch segments of "Que Viva Mexico!" Students research the painters on the film and...

Learners 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...

The Harlem Renaissance brought forth many American art forms including jazz, and the writings of Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes. Using a carefully curated set of documents from the Library of Congress, pupils see the cultural...

Students research and discuss the origins of the American colonies and explore how colonists were still influenced by English culture. As a follow-up project, students produce a portrait of an individual.

Students explore American culture by reading classic literature in class. In this African-American history lesson, students read the story Zora Hurston and the Chinaberry Tree while identifying the work and contributions of the real life...

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.

Students study American transcendentalism through readings of Emerson and Thoreau. They make cognitive connections to the similarities to Buddhism in these writings. The connection of the literary movement is explained in the art of the...

Students explore U.S. geography by completing a research project about the National Parks. In this scenery image analysis lesson, students identify the different national parks in our country and observe paintings and images by famous...

Students read about a Native American dice game online. They make replica games, and practice playing with them. They predict the outcome of the dice rolls by completing a dice throw chart.

Learners examine and analyze culturally significant objects from colonial Boston. They construct a story around the life and work of Nathaniel Hurd from a list of keywords excerpted from a passage about Nathaniel Hurd. In addition, they...

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.

Students analyze historic rulings that played roles in the Civil Rights Movement. In this civil right lesson, students research Internet and print sources regarding Plessy v. Ferguson, Sipuel v. Board of Regents of the University of...

Young scholars explore the American landscape during fall. After viewing paintings of fall, learners imagine themselves there and what it would be like. They then build an understanding of the painter's use of detail and color...

Students explore the Harlem Renaissance. In this American history lesson, students examine a poem by Langston Hughes and identify the characteristics of the Harlem Renaissance. Students research and report on a famous Harlem artist.

Seventh graders engage in a variety of activities in the study of Native Americans and the times of the early explorers. They create art, write in journals, and study how art influences society.

Students compare the 2 paintings "Washington Crossing the Delaware" and "Prayer at Valley Forge". Look for similarities, differences and information on the painters. Create a political game board using the events from 1776.

Pupils, in groups, research, design and construct a relief map of a section of Latin America using papier-mache. They show major landforms, elevations and notable bodies of water. They present their maps to the class.

Students explore some of the components of sculpture through a variety of artists and their artwork. The six lessons of this unit utilize the sculptures experienced when students were studying American history and the Native Americans.

Pupils assess the influence of African Americans in the western United States from the sixteenth century to the present. They examine the Black-Spanish heritage, slavery and freedom on the frontier, along with African American...

Ninth graders analyze the differences among various forms of government to determine how power is acquired and used. They need to have a strong background regarding the rise of totalitarian governments after The Great War and the...

Even cartoonists can take inspiration from the masters. Learners will learn about Fuseli's The Nightmare and compare it to the cartoon it inspired. They'll analyze the cartoon in relation to the original piece as well as the political...

Students explore different codes and ciphers including Morse Code, Egyptian Hieroglyphs, and the Alphabet. They discuss how and why codes are used. Students create their own code and message to exchange with classmates.

Learners research how childhood was depicted in art in the 17th through 19th centuries. In groups, they research pieces of art and write a paper explaining how the portrayal of students in art changed at the end of the 18th century.