Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Vietnam and the Long-term Effect of War

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers examine the effects of war on civilians. In this Vietnam War lesson, students research and discuss the reasons the Vietnam War began, why America became involved, and what some of the long-term effects of this war were.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Extra, Extra Write All About It!

For Teachers 7th - Higher Ed
Students examine photographs from newspapers and write a headline and story for one of the examples. In this news writing lesson, students analyze a photograph as a class and discuss it. Students analyze photographs and example headlines...
Lesson Plan
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Exploring Photographs

For Teachers 8th - Higher Ed
Students explore the basic tools for analyzing images using description, reflection, and formal analysis. In this photography analysis lesson plan, students analyze a photograph as a class and then in small groups. Students write...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Bug's Journey

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scholars examine the artwork of John Baldessari that was inspired by a 16th century drawing of a beetle. They analyze a drawing of a beetle, discuss the insect's characteristics, and write a story from the perspective of a bug....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Methods of Mystery

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Students utilize the scientific method to discover the age of an item.  In this historical dating lesson plan, students compare and contrast a 400 year old cabinet to one made within a few years by using carbon dating....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Looking at French Decorative Arts

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students compare the role of a marchand-mercier to that of a modern-day business counterpart and write a persuasive letter. In this French art lesson, students discuss the role of the marchand-mercier in French design and role-play his...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Newsworthy Images

For Teachers 7th - Higher Ed
Students examine images from newspapers and create their own photos to tell a story. In this photojournalism lesson, students analyze a photograph using the elements and principles of art then create a photographic image that tells...
Lesson Plan
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Looking at Portraits: Literary Monuments

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Students examine artworks, research literature, create drawings, and make a 3-D model for a monument to a literary figure. In this literary portrait lesson, students discuss and analyze the sculpture Study of a Monument to Alexandre...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Looking at Portraits - Portraits in Line

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students use Van Gogh’s Portrait of Joseph Roulinas inspiration for their own portraits of friends in the classroom. In this portrait instructional activity, students analyze the Van Gogh portrait and discuss his techniques. Students...
Lesson Plan
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Flat Shapes in Three Dimension

For Teachers 3rd - Higher Ed
Young scholars explore sculpture. In this lesson about finding sculpture ideas in movement and rhythm, students make 3-dimensional shapes. Young scholars create a sculpture paying attention to balance, rhythm and repetition. Students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Writing About Art: Comparing Portraits

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Students write a composition comparing and contrasting two portraits. In this comparing and contrasting lesson, students will observe two portraits and compare them through their writing. They then will write a letter to the artists...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

About Life: The Photographs of Dorthea Lange - Images of Children in Dorothea Lange's Photographs

For Teachers 3rd - 9th
Students examine how visual artists tell stories with their work. In this visual art lesson, students study two of Dorothea Lange's photographs to find elements of art and narrative content, use descriptive language when discussing...
Lesson Plan
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About Life: The Photographs of Dorothea Lange

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students use art to analyze a period in history. In this lesson plan about the effect of art on history, students study many different pieces of photography by Dorothea Lange. Students will observe photographs from certain time periods...
Lesson Plan
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Looking at French Decorative Arts

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Students research the history of trade in porcelain wares from Asia and the quest to re-create true hard-paste porcelain in Europe and art in French society. In this French art lesson, students research and discuss the possible...
Lesson Plan
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Looking At French Decorative Arts: A Tapestry Fit For A King

For Teachers K - 2nd
Young scholars create a tapestry based on the Chariot of Triumph tapestry. In this visual arts lesson, students examine images of the original tapestry, determine the meaning of symmetry, and discuss symbolism in this art form. They draw...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Journal Response to Art

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders observe various photographs by Dorothea Lange and write reflections in a journal. In this photography lesson plan, 4th graders interpret photographs and do a variety of writing responses to the photographs they observe.
Lesson Plan
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Looking At French Decorative Arts: Symbols in Marquetry

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students create a design based on an animal symbol from another country. In this design lesson plan, students study a French cabinet and research and discuss its symbols. Students will then create their own marquetry design based on an...
Lesson Plan
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The Photographs of Dorothea Lange

For Teachers 7th - Higher Ed
Students research social-documentary photography using Dorothea Lange’s documentary projects. In this photography analysis lesson plan, students analyze examples of photographs by Dorothea Lange and research one or more of...
Lesson Plan
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Making Furniture That's Fit for a King

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students study the furniture made in the 1600s and 1700s for wealthy Parisians and the King of France.
Lesson Plan
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Still-Life Painting: Arranging Nature

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine and paint still life paintings. In this still life painting lesson, students look at pictures of European still life paintings and determine the characteristics when using an opaque medium. They use an opaque medium to...
Lesson Plan
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Still Life Painting: Arranging Nature

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Students choose meaningful objects for a still-life arrangement and paint it using watercolors and write an artist’s statement. In this still life art lesson, students identify and analyze the characteristics of a still-life...
Lesson Plan
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Still Life Painting: Arranging Nature

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers paint their own still life painting. In this still life painting lesson, students analyze still life paintings and paint their own.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introducing Mythology

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students look closely at a poster of a Rembrandt painting and/or a transparency of a Greek vase, both of which represent the mythological story of the abduction of Europa. Studnets consider how two artists interpreted the same subject in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Looking at Body Language

For Teachers K - 12th
Students examine Dorothea Lange's photograph of a migrant mother and consider how artists express emotions, ideas, and physical conditions through gesture, pose, clothing, and expression.