National Gallery of Canada
Urban Scenes
Select a theme together to guide and inspire works of art. Class members view images of art and discuss the images of cities. After choosing a theme, individuals create posters that reflect and contribute to the theme. They can use paint...
Curated OER
How Was the White House Designed?
Students examine how the initial design of the White House was chosen. They analyze various designs, explore websites, list the characteristics of each design and compare them, and answer discussion questions.
Teach Engineering
Biomimicry and Sustainable Design - Nature is an Engineering Marvel
Discover how copying nature can be beneficial to humans. Scholars read articles about examples of biomimicry and its potential applications. Along the way, they learn about Nature's Nine Laws and how they relate to biomimicry. This is...
Curated OER
Au Marche Sandaga a Dakar
A 3-day French lesson plan targeting food shopping vocabulary. It is designed for elementary French learners pretending to communicate with merchants in a small village outside of Dakar. The plan follows a class reading of the picture...
National Gallery of Canada
The Ideal Trophy
Invite your pupils to represent a club, team or other group with a trophy of their own creation. Learners examine the Taylor Cup by Laurent Amiot and then prepare trophy designs. When the sketches are complete, pupils sculpt...
Curated OER
Smart Design
Share pupil responses to an interactive slide show about a design initiative intended to help the world's poor. The class works in groups to brainstorm ideas, and then prepares sketches of their own design solutions. Each rendering...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Popsicle Bridge
Using popsicle sticks and glue, groups must work together to design and build a bridge that can support weight and is aesthetically pleasing. The lesson plan begins by learners reading about different features of bridge architecture,...
Curated OER
A Walk on the West Side
Students comprehend what makes up the physical community. Read and construct scale drawings and models. Explore the history of infrastructures and how the contributions of science, math and industry have led to the development of their...
MENSA Education & Research Foundation
Utopia/Dystopia: The American Dream
America was founded by dreamers, and the American dream still resonates in our country today. Track the American dream from its Puritan beginnings to its optimistic descendants with a instructional activity that focuses on speeches...
Curated OER
Cities
Students examine U.S. Census figures. In this urban centers lesson, students compare city populations across the span of 50 years. Students create line graphs based on the data.
Curated OER
Progressive City Planners
Young scholars plan cities. In this environmental racism lesson, students design imaginary cities taking into consideration the amenities and environmental hazards that exist. Young scholars discuss city planning challenges.
Curated OER
The Birth of a City
Third graders understand the role of rules and laws in our daily lives. They research the basic structure of the United States government. They participate in a simulated City Council meeting.
Curated OER
Our Designs For The World Trade Center Site
Students design specific structures appropriate for the World Trade Center site. For this architecture design lesson, students use the Internet to research the original structures at the World Trade Center site and use painting or...
Curated OER
Book Cover Design
High schoolers design book covers. In this graphic design lesson plan, students are introduced to designing book covers. High schoolers develop skills on how to promote their designs to clients. Students then create their own book covers.
Curated OER
Exploring A Streetcar Named Desire
Students investigate the dramatic elements of a Streetcar Named Desire. In this drama lesson, students explore the theme of the Tennessee Williams play as they read the play and watch performances of some of the acts. Students then write...
Federal Reserve Bank
Beatrice’s Goat: A Lesson on Savings Goals
Youngsters learn the meaning of saving and how to reach savings goals by first reading a story of a young Ugandan girl who is gifted a goat, and then discovering the opportunity costs of savings decisions made by her and her family.
California Academy of Science
Optimal and Sustainable: Renewable Energy Revamp
More than 100 cities around the world have shifted from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. Scholars investigate a city wanting to make this switch, but needs help determining how to make the shift. Groups consider all options,...
Curated OER
Understanding Tiananmen Square
William Bell's Forbidden City is used as the basis of a study of China, Chinese culture and government, and especially of the events in Tiananmen Square in 1989. Class members select a topic for Internet research and then prepare a...
Curated OER
Sim's Cities
Students investigate city management and government by creating a fictional city in groups. For this civics lesson, students create rules and a mascot for their fictitious city which they create from poster board cubes....
Curated OER
Emerald City
Students read "The Wizard of Oz." They list descriptive words and information about the Emerald City. Students plan, design, and build their own 3-dimensional Emerald City. They create a dazzling Emerald City with recycled produce trays...
Curated OER
Paper Architecture - Designing Human Spaces
Learners design, then construct an architectural structural model of a two-person dwelling. Then, Students, in groups, plan a city layout.
Curated OER
Life As A Tree
Third graders design a plate to represent the three parts of a tree. In this tree parts lesson plan, 3rd graders learn about the functions of each part and design the plate to resemble the rings of the tree.
Judicial Branch of California
Public Service Announcement: Civic Responsibility
Get your message across. Scholars use their prior knowledge and artistic skills to create public service announcements. The project is designed to explain the importance of civic harmony and the responsibility of all citizens to...
Curated OER
Understanding Space Travel
High schoolers study the unique environment of the moon and Mars. In this space science lesson, students design a city located in the outer space. They create a computer aided design, models or drawings of their cities and share them...