Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Creative Voices of Harlem

For Teachers K - 4th
Young scholars explore the Harlem Renaissance. In this American history lesson, students examine a poem by Langston Hughes and identify the characteristics of the Harlem Renaissance. Young scholars research and report on a famous Harlem...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

If These Objects Could Talk

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine American Indian artifacts through historical, cultural and artistic lenses. They explore the philosophy behind the Smithsonian Institute's new museum to honor American Indian history and traditions.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Heroes of Harlem

For Teachers 6th - 11th
Students explore the artists of the Harlem Renaissance. Their research culminates in a Harlem Renaissance Fair celebrating the movement's cultural and artistic contributions to society.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Discovering National Parks

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students work to preserve American National Parks. In this environmental activism lesson, students research the history of the national parks and determine why they were created. Students then focus on protecting the land, using it for...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Pottery Techniques

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine Native American pottery. In this visual arts instructional activity, students analyze burnished and glazed clay pots. Students study how to create pots from online sources and respond to questions about the process....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Beautiful Works of Georgia O'Keefe

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students discover the art of Georgia O'Keefe.  In this art history lesson plan, students investigate the influential power nature has on art.  Students create their own works of art by observing local nature.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Antonio: 25 Years of Creative Collaboration

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers examine the works of two fashion illustrators. They use the internet to research the artists and share their information with the class. They create their own original work.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Life of a Navajo Weaver

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Students explore Native American weaving patterns and dance movements. In this Native Americans lesson, students view examples of weaving patterns on the Internet and compare the patterns to a Native American dance. Students demonstrate...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Analyzing Photographs: From Theory to Practice

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students analyze photographic images and use cameras to document their own life.  In this analyzing photography lesson, students apply formal analysis techniques to images, then create a documentary of photographic images with...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Talking Rocks

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders consider the differences between pictographs and petroglyphs. They create symbols from a story about their worlds. They make pottery art.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

If These Walls Could Talk

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students compare Neoclassical objects from the Getty collection to American civic architecture of the time. They discuss the moral and political ideas of the Enlightenment and articulate how these art forms influenced democratic thought...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Yes, There Really Was a Santa!

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders read a selection concerning Santa Claus and the orgin of the Jolly Old Elf in the United States. They also create their own version of a new and modern Santa Claus that remain in the American culture.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Isamu Noguchi/Stone Sculpture

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Young scholars examine the art and history of Japan and use it to help them conceptualize and create a work of art that reveals something about their own culture. They examine, interpret and analyze Noguchi's work and reveal ...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

George Lucas and the Power of Myth

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine the contributions of George Lucas to society. They analyze the concept of a hero, conduct Internet research on the life of George Lucas, develop a Hero Attribute Chart, and create an artistic rendering representing the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Community Symbols: Heroes and Leaders

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students research the importance of community leaders in portraits. In this art history lesson plan, students look at the painting "The Ascension of Simon Bolivar on Mount Jamaica" and discuss what they see in the portrait. Students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

If You Could Fly, Where Would You Go?

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Young scholars 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. Young scholars sketch their own "Where Would...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Breaking the Chains: Rising Out of Circumstances

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Study history through photographs. In this visual arts and history lesson, young scholars learn to analyze photographs to discover details about life during the Civil War era. Students write journal entries as if they are the...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Being Heard

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Examine the work of contemporary authors who use their writing to express opinions about the struggle against prejudice and oppression in our society. A short lesson on the Harlem Renaissance introduces learners to the most prominent...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Freedom, Power and the People

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students analyze how social change has affected artistic expression and popular culture. the explain the influence of media on contemporary American culture.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lon Chaney: Three Faces of Lon Chaney

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students watch the Lon Chaney episode of American Masters, read chapters from three original books on which Chaney's films were based, and use a reading strategy called Reader's Theater to adapt each chapter into a script. After...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Haring Cooperative Quilt

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students inspect visual arts by examining images on the web. For this art history lesson, students discuss the history of art after researching Keith Haring's work on the Internet. Students analyze the style of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

West Virginia Def PB Wants You!

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students write, adapt, and compose a song related to the West Virginia State Museum.  In this music lesson, students create a composition for a work of  visual art. Students incorporate major and minor melodies.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jamestown

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders read literature that explains several reasons the Virginia Company was established. In this history lesson plan, 5th graders use different learning styles; interpersonal, artistic, logical, visual, and auditory to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rock Art

For Teachers 1st
First graders create and share their own rock art. They listen and read stories: "Mathematics from Many Cultures" and "The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush."