The final lesson in the "What Makes Democracy Work?" series examines the connections between imagination, literature, and democracy. Class members listen to a podcast, read an excerpt from Azar Nafisi's, The Republic of Imagination, and...

How do authors convey their points of view? Using the resource, scholars read an excerpt from a primary source document about the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Then, they complete graphic organizers to analyze the author's point of view.

One step at a time. Scholars complete the end of unit assessment by reading pages 70–75 of World without Fish and analyzing each paragraph one at a time. They highlight key words leading to author's point of view and complete a...

Literally, what's the meaning? Scholars read pages seven through nine of Flush and discuss literal and nonliteral meaning with figurative language. Learners work in triads to identify and define unfamiliar words. They then complete a...

Fishing for words. Scholars search for unfamiliar words in pages 27-29 of Flush, place them in their word catchers, and complete part of Noah’s Point of View graphic organizer. After identifying figurative language, learners analyze...

Scholars read chapter two of World without Fish to learn more about the fishing industry. Learners discuss in triads what it means for fishing to become an industry. They then write the gist of pages 28-33 on sticky notes and answer...

Read along with me. Two learners read the parts of Noah and Lice in Flush as the rest of the class follows along. Readers look for unfamiliar words and the use of figurative language in the text. They complete graphic organizers and...

It is all down the drain. Scholars read chapter one of Flush and write any unfamiliar words in their word catchers and identify the narrator and point of view of the story. Pupils complete a point of view anchor chart and use Thought,...

Eighth graders research and investigate the following topics: color, light, perspective, composition, and artists' styles and lives. A class discussion of the different topics follows.

Art forms, especially government-sponsored "poster art", very effectively conveyed specific cultural values during World War II. Understanding the role that visual images play in expressing issues and ideas is critical to developing...

Students consider what makes a famous painting realistic, then examine a theoretical debate about how Renaissance masters created their true-to-life images. They create their own realistic drawings.

Students examine the changing view of women during the 20th century. Using art, literature and music, they identify the various perceptions used throughout history. They also predict what women's' perceptions are going to be in the next...

Students look through one eye and trace the outlines of objects seen through a window to create a drawing with natural and correct perspective.

Students explain what is near and far in respect to the horizon line on a 2-d surface. They blend and use oil pastels correctly and explain the concept of a horizon line.

Pupils identify different viewpoints in society. They describe the characteristics of some of the individuals involved in the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. They listen to a historical narrative and identify issues of inequality.

Students explore issues surrounding language norms, including the distinction between prescriptive and descriptive norms, the differences between norms for spoken English and those for written English, how word meanings change, and...

Second graders discuss what characteristics friendship has and the traits that make people unique.  In this friendship lesson, 2nd graders talk about what friendship looks like in the media.  In groups, students think about...

Students investigate the industrial developments of the twentieth century and the development of urban environments. In this industrial art instructional activity, students compare and contrast graphics and analyze industrial...

Students discuss a landscape art print and its composition. They create a landscape underdrawing with foreground, middleground and background as well as repeated elements for rhythm. They add a watercolor wash and lights/darks for...

Students explore how editorials use various devices to convey a message to a reader. They select key news topics from 2002 and write their own editorials.

Students critically analyze news coverage of Palestinian-Israeli violence by comparing information from a variety of news sources. They compose expository essays reflecting on how to obtain accurate, unbiased, and credible information.

Students explore visual arts by examining a diorama in class. In this geography lesson, students examine an island off the coast of New Zealand and identify the physical attributes of the land. Students answer study questions...

Students decorate cups or bowls with thematic designs that represent Chinese culture. For this decorating lesson plan, students will decorate their cups or bowls and then “sell” these works of art to partners role-playing as French...

Students read about Jim Frankoski and his art to examine various elements in environmental art. In this art analysis lesson, students analyze the location of photographs and how images create illusions that capture new viewpoints.