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Contemporary Chinese Ink Painting
Students explore China and analyze Chinese Ink Painting as well as incorporating poetry into artwork. With the theme of "Peace" as their foundation, in groups they practice painting bamboo with an original Quatrain poem.
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Antebellum North Carolina
Eighth graders examine pictures & documents relating to the Hayes Plantation (Edenton, NC). They also use various maps of North Carolina to help them analyze how James Cathcart Johnston used, modified and adapted to the physical...
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Lena Horne: Race and the American Artist
Learners examine how race played a critical role in Lena Horne's life. They conduct Internet research, participate in a class debate, write a letter, and create a presentation based on their Internet research.
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Portrait Analysis of Lincoln in Richmond, VA
Learners view and analyze a portrait of Abraham Lincoln made during his visit to Richmond, Va. Students determine the historical significance of his visit and create fictional newspaper accounts from various perspectives.
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Tall Tales
Students examine the characteristics of tall tales and how exaggerations are used. They create a character that is larger than life, they brainstorm attributes for their character, before writing a Tall Tale. They plan out their story,...
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Flannery O'Connor's "A Good Man is Hard to Find": Who's the Real Misfit?
Students read and analyze the short story, "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," by Flannery O'Connor. They write a one-page response, explore various websites, take an online interactive journey, and write a final assessment paper.
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The Story of Kwanzaa
Celebrate Kwanzaa with a game of Kalah, also known as Mankala or Owara. Using an egg carton and a set of beans, players take all of the beans out of one of his or her cups and move to the right, dropping one bean into each of the...
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Democracy Sense
Students define democracy and distinguish representative from direct or pure democracy. Then, with the focus on representative government, students will discuss and trace voting patterns in the United States.
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Is London Bridge Really Going to Fall Down?
Students discover what forces work together to hold up a suspension bridge. They see various bridges around the world, and learn the basic principles that enable each bridge to support itself. Groups design their own bridge, testing how...
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Martin Luther King, Jr.
Fifth graders research the highlights of Martin Luther King Jr's life. They gain an understanding of the Jim Crow Laws and The Civil Rights Movement, as well as becoming familiar with Dr. King's "I Have A Dream" speech. Groups of...
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Creating a Pot: Repetition as a Unifying Design Element
Students use subjects, themes, and symbols that demonstrate knowledge of contexts, values, and aesthetics that communicate intended meaning in artworks.
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Proverbial Picture Pages
Examine the meaning of the word proverb, and then choose proverbs from a list. The list is not provided, but there are several resources listed here to find a variety of proverbs. Then have your learners explain the meaning of each...
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Cubism a Fractured Reality - Still Life With Collage Elements
Pupils gain an understanding and awareness for the cubist style of artists. They create a multi-media composition showing multiple views of various objects and a variety of textures.
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Mesoamerican Codex Books
Fifth graders use visual art as a form of communication as they create a codex book based on their knowledge of Mesoamericans.
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Folktales (African American, Chinese, Japanese and Korean)
Students participate in a variety of activities that are concerned with comparing different cultures through the literary genre of folktales. The stories are used to stimulate student interest and provide a context for how a society...
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The Great Migration
Young scholars research the Great Migration and answer questions to discover where it took place, when it took place, who were migrating, and why in a 2 page paper. They use a map or atlas to plot out the routes and destinations of those...
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Due Process of Law and the Jim Crow Era
Students analyze eight case studies of Supreme Court decisions regarding due process of law and their impact on American society in the early 20th century. They digest that although the 14th amendment was intended to give federal rights...
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Adinkra Cloth
Learners explore traditional African culture, symbols and symbol making and printing, and create class adinkra cloth.
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Symbols of Freedom
Students display knowledge of historical facts regarding the American Flag as they use creative writing skills.
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Why Cladistics?
Students explore how biological classification is intimately associated with evolution.
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What Was Apartheid?
Students research and discuss the former system of Apartheid in South Africa and focus on worldwide anti-Apartheid movements. They identify anti-Apartheid songs and present the lyrics to the class.
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Using Cross-Genre Comparisons to Find the Message in Hip-Hop
Students analyze two cross -genre songs written in the early 1980s for lyrical content and social commentary. They consider the artistic merit of hip hop music in today's culture.
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Up, Up, and Away
Middle schoolers research hot-ballooning using Internet resources including an around-the-world balloon flight. They determine fact from opinion, examine point of view, and determine main idea, and details. They write a journal entry...