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Artists in Colonial America
High schoolers visit the Memorial Art Gallery's exhibit, "About Face: Copley's Portrait of a Colonial Silversmith." They complete a worksheet based on the career of John SIngleton Copley as a colonial American artist. They experience the...
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Reading Stories in Art
Students study how artists tell stories using visual images by identifying and comparing elements of narrative (setting, characters, and plot) in a painting and a Greek vase.
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Picturing History: John Singleton Copley and British Portraiture
Young scholars observe and compare 18th century British portraits with those made by John Singleton Copley. By conducting research they explore the cultural climate of the portraits in order to write a historically accurate story.
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Colonial Trades and Apprenticeships
Students examine and analyze culturally significant objects from colonial Boston. They construct a story around the life and work of Nathaniel Hurd from a list of keywords excerpted from a passage about Nathaniel Hurd. In addition, they...
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The History of The Cyclorama and Moving Panorama
Here is a activity designed to acquaint learners with two amazing forms of entertainment from the 19th century: The Cyclorama and the Moving Panorama. After seeing what these two contraptions were all about, pupils make their own version...
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Dreamcatchers
After reading a Native American legend about dreamcatchers, why not make some. This resource provides several good links that explain the legend of the dreamcatcher and step-by-step instructions for making them with the class. Tip: If...
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Patti Smith: Dream of Life
How do artists affect and how are artists affected by the time periods in which they live? Learners examine the life and work of controversial and influential cultural artist Patti Smith as they seek answers to this essential question....
Teach-nology
Plural Nouns in Use
Transforming singular nouns that end in "y" into their plural form is the challenge presented by this 10-sentence noun worksheet.
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Picturing First Families
Learners complete a variety of activities as they study Washington, D.C., the Presidency, and George Washington. They take a virtual trip to Washington, D.C., and visit the National Portrait Gallery, the White House, and the Library of...
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Colonial American Trade, Currency, and Economy: The instability of a colonial economy
Students view an image of Nathanial Hurd's "Table of Conversions." They will work in small groups to complete a worksheet. Students participate in a discussion about colonial Boston's economy. This instructional activity is a precursor...
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The Figure of Paul Revere. Romanticizing Colonial American History
Learners compare paintings to make conclusions about American History in the Revolutionary War time period. Students share opinions concerning visual art. Other artwork can be used to entice inquiry as needed.
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Dominic's egg
Learners visit the Art Discovery museum for four consecutive weeks. Each session includes a tour of the galleries and a hands-on studio component. During the four sessions students work on both individual and collaborative projects. ...
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Photographs and History
Students prepare for a visit to the National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC, to preview a photo exhibit (specifically of James Van Der Zee). This lesson could be adapted when viewing any photo exhibit.
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The Lost Frescoes
Students explore the life and art of Giotto and his use of perspective in his drawings. They then write a short paper about how political support needs to be generated for community action to save objects of art. They investigate what...
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Missing Masterpieces
Students investigate a fictitious crime involving stolen art masterpieces. They work collaboratively in teams to solve the fictitious crime. Students return the stolen paintings in a Microsoft PowerPoint "portfolio" to their owner. They...
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Life as a colonial silversmith
Students study the life experiences of people who lived in colonial Boston prior to the American Revolution. They define key terms including Loyalist and Patriot. They write a journal entry as Nathaniel Hurd, a silversmith.
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Considering Media And Meanings
Students study reproductions of prints or murals. They interpret artworks supporting their conclusions with evidence in work and from contextual information. They focus especially on significance of artist's choice of mural or...
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Poetry--Homeless People
Eighth graders create a poem about homeless people using images they saw on websites. After reading the book "The Outsiders", 8th graders make connections of real life homeless people with characters in the book. Students search the web...
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Paul Revere and Point of View
Students analyze the engraving of Paul Revere to make a judgment about the time period of the Boston Massacre. The objective is that one creates an account of the event from the perspective of a British soldier.
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Colonial Silver and Tea
Students examine silver pieces from colonial Boston in order to determine the social context of these objects. They compare signs of social status in colonial Boston with those of today by looking at the associated visuals.
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Aston Hall: A Jacobean House
In this history worksheet, students write down the evidence they see at Aston Hall to support 6 different statements about the hall. They then use their notes to answer 3 questions.
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ICT Activity 2
Students use the internet and follow links to a bookmarked site. They view the National Gallery web site to become familiar with some of the contents of the Gallery. Students gather around the computer to find the bookmarked site. They...
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Drawing Into the Imagination
Sixth graders examine the work of artist Saul Steinberg by visiting online galleries of his work and looking at photo reproductions. After viewing and interpreting Steinberg's work, they write and illustrate fantasy stories which are...
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Impressionism
Eighth graders conduct Internet research as well as visit museum Web sites to become acquainted with the period of Impressionism. After completing their research, they sketch ideas for a landscape painting in the Impressionist style...