Lesson Plan
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Lesson 5- Robert Rauschenberg: Reinventing Art

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers examine how Robert Rauschenberg influenced popular art and how art is influenced by politics, social and cultural messages. They design a new art movement and create art that is indicative of that movement.
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Time Machine: Drive for the American Dream

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students view a documentary on automobiles. Americans have always been in love with automobiles. They are a definition of character, and a representation of social status. After viewing, students discuss what they saw and create an...
Lesson Plan
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Why Are Your "Good Dishes" Called China?

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Students link monopoly as a result of geography and technology. They recognize technology as a determinant of economic success. Students recognize cultural diffusion based upon societal wants and needs. They compare and contrast methods...
Lesson Plan
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Jazz in America

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders explore Jazz in America. They examine greats in Jazz, such as Duke Ellington. They are also to discuss the cultural implications of the music itself.
Lesson Plan
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Splat! Boom! Pow! the Influence of Cartoons in Contemporary Art

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students relate abstract expressionism and cultural influences on 1960's art. They use images appropriated from comic books to create a painting in the abstract expressionist style by changing the scale of the comic and reducing content...
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Teach Engineering

Basically Acids

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Base your lesson plan on acids and bases on an informative resource. The first installment of a five-part module on the science behind Harry Potter has individuals investigate acid/base chemistry with the use of invisible inks. They also...
Lesson Plan
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Poet James Whitcomb Riley: Famous in His Own Day

For Teachers 9th - 12th
An engaging biography of "Hoosier" poet James Whitcomb Riley serves as a springboard for study of his unique dialect-based verse. Several activities illuminate differences between spoken vernacular and formal language. Learners record...
Lesson Plan
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Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the transcripts of the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates and create a platform for each candidate in the 1858 Senate race. They utilize the candidates' arguments to explore the historical and political impact.
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Lesson 9- Billy Wilder: Film Noir Inventor and Genius

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students study what influenced and inspired Billy Wilder while determining the plot, characters, and historical context of the film Double Indemnity. They investigate the stereotypes of Film Noir and how it shows the media messages of...
Unit Plan
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Jim Crow Lesson Plan

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Jackie Robinson's attempt to earn a spot on the 1946 Brooklyn Dodgers provides learners with an opportunity to examine the Jim Crow laws and revisit issues of segregation and integration. "The Unconquerable Doing the Impossible: Jackie...
Lesson Plan
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Patriots and Loyalists

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine portraits by John Singleton Copley and discuss how the subject's appearance communicates important information about his or her life. They write a diary entry from the point of view of a portrait subject.
Lesson Plan
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Legends

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students are introduced to the topic of legends. Using the text of Irving's novels, they gather information on different cultures. They practice using new vocabulary and their listening skills. They retell the stories in chronlogical order.
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Jazz In America - Lesson Plan 8

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders explore the current jazz scene and how it reflects American culture. They listen to jazz recordings of current artists and speculate on which direction jazz is likely heading.
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Early Jazz

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students gain an understanding of early jazz. They study Dixieland and the Roaring Twenties. They examine the American historical significance and cultural implications of early jazz.
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Jazz In America - Lesson Plan 6

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders explore cool jazz and how it reflected American culture in the 1940's and 1950's.
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Japan Society

Our Family and Other Families: Using Totoro to Teach Family Structure

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
What do families around the world have in common? Explore this theme through the popular animated film My Neighbor Totoro by Hayao Miyazaki. Over the course of two days, pupils view the film, pausing to discuss their own families and the...
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Music, Culture and War

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students see that music serves as a major conduit for the transport of knowledge. As they watch video, students tabulate the variety of music artists listed by different soldiers.
Lesson Plan
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Rockin’ the World: Rock and Roll and Social Protest in 20th Century America

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Young scholars explore protest songs. In this interdisciplinary lesson plan, students examine issues-based music by summarizing lyrics and revealing inferences, generalizations, conclusions, and points of view found in the songs.
Lesson Plan
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Stereotypes and Tonto

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Learners identify stereotypes, especially those applied to American Indians.  In this teaching tolerance lesson, students read an essay entitled " I Hated Tonto (Still Do)" and discuss the negative impact that stereotypes may have...
Lesson Plan
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Art of Cynicism

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students analyze selected pieces of art and infer how they reflect a sense of disillusionment, and/or cynicism in American society in the aftermath of the Vietnam War and Watergate scandal. Then they identify and place cultural attitudes...
Lesson Plan
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Understanding Ethnic Labels and Puerto Rican Identity

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers brainstorm a list of stereotypes associated with the Hispanic or Latin culture. In groups, they use the internet to research issues of importance to the Puerto Rican community. They focus on the cultures that speak...
Lesson Plan
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An Honest Cigarette Ad?

For Teachers K - 8th
Students recognize the intended audience for a certain advertisement They recognize advertising techniques aimed at the intended audience and create their own advertisements about the truth of cigarette smoking. Students begin to see...
Lesson Plan
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American Influences on Eugenics in Nazi Germany

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers examine the Eugenics movement in America. They discover the Nazi's belief in racial purity and how it relates to Eugenics. They also analyze how science has been influential in creating public policy.
Worksheet
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The American People

For Students 8th - 11th
In this 1920's America learning exercise, learners respond to 14 short answer questions about the stocks, working conditions, the Harlem Renaissance, and wealth during the decade.