Curated OER
Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Words: Art, Art History, Language Arts, Creative Writing
Learners write a story inspired by Vincent Van Gogh's "Starry Night" and then try their hand at their own rendition of this famous piece of art. In a twist, students incorporate the stories into their paintings.
Curated OER
Impressionism - Printmaking
Students examine the history of printmaking and the artists who developed these processes. They combine the monotype printmaking process with other media to create mixed-media works, and write a story about their pictures.
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Lady Sings the Blues
Students explore women and music in the 20th century. In this music instructional activity, students study the relationship between literature and music through The Color Purple and music by Ethel Waters, MA Rainey, Bessie Smith, Billie...
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The Forgotten Soldiers: Their Glory Remembered
Students watch a video and then role-play what it would have been like to be a member of the 54th Massachusetts regiment during the Civil War.
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Echoes of Blue and Grey: Weekend Warriors
High schoolers view a video about the Civil War and then describe famous battles from the perspective of either the Union or the Confederate side.
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Sidewalk Chalk Painting
Students study the history of sidewalk chalk art. They then brainstorm ideas of possible sidewalk art and draw ideas on paper. They then transfer their ideas onto the sidewalk using chalk.
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REEL POLITICS: HOW HOLLYWOOD EXERCISES ITS FREEDOM OF SPEECH
High schoolers list the five best films of the year, in their opinion; brainstorm a list of criteria for a "good" film. They compare their own lists with the nominees in this year's Academy Awards; consider patterns in Academy Award...
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This is America
Young scholars explore world geography by viewing a documentary film in class. In this national parks instructional activity, students view the Ken Burns documentary about the subject and identify the contributions of individuals in...
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The Oregon Trail
Fourth graders discover the significance of the Oregon Trail in Idaho history. In addition, 4th graders conceptualize the Oregon Trail in relation to their own lives. They engage in a wide variety of curricular activities, culminating in...
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Mysteries of Egypt
Students investigate the Egyptian civilization. In this cultural lesson, students watch the film Mysteries of Egypt and create a replica of an ancient Egyptian artifact.
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Portraits, Pears, And Perfect Landscapes: Investigating Genre in the Visual Arts
Differentiate between the various genres in the visual arts world, particularly in Western painting. Your class can view and discuss, in small groups, paintings published on the National Galleries website. Then each student individually...
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Portrait of a Place, Portrait of a Family
Learners act out stories based on lives of famous people from Harlem. In this memoirs lesson, students compare the life of the people in Harlem in 1930 to the people of today. Learners explore how "home" is different for different...
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Writing a Play about Immigrant Life in America
Students research why immigrants came to America and the processes involved in the settlement. They write a script for a short play explaining the causes for immigration and situations that immigrants found themselves in.
J. Paul Getty Trust
Picturing a Story: Photo Essay about a Community, Event or Issue
Picture this. Class members follow in the footsteps of W. Eugene Smith, Dorothea Lange, James Nachtwey, and Lewis Hine by creating their own photo essay about a local event or issue.
Curated OER
THE POLITICAL DR. SEUSS
Learners identify literature that conveys themes and lessons as they apply to various life situations and experiences. They discover some of the themes of Dr. Seuss's major books by viewing excerpts from and examining a selected film's...
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Activating Students Through Storytelling
Fourth graders produce a podcast of a elements of a Chinese folk tale. In this Chinese folk tale and podcasting lesson, 4th graders watch as the teacher performs Peach Blossom Spring: A Chinese folk tale. They decide on who will stay in...
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Compare and Contrast Composers
Students identify various pieces of music that are familiar to them and define how the music made them feel. Then they select their favorite piece of music heard and the activities in which they like to do. Students also attend a...
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20th Century Civil Disobedience
Students write from varying perspectives in the American South about the civil rights movements in the 1950s. In this civics lesson plan, students view video clips and take notes. Students discuss the film and listen to a lecture on...
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The Photographs of Dorothea Lange
Students research social-documentary photography using Dorothea Lange’s documentary projects. In this photography analysis instructional activity, students analyze examples of photographs by Dorothea Lange and research one or more of...
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Letters from the Japanese American Internment
Students examine letters of Japanese-American children during internment in World War II. They discover what it was like in the camps and how they were treated once they were released. They also view photographs of the camps.
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Todd Duncan: The First Porgy
Students view a video and conduct research about Jim Crow laws and their effects on race relations.
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"War of the Worlds": A Broadcast Re-Creation
Why did Orson Welles' 1938 Broadcast of a adaptation of H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds cause such a panic? To answer this question, class members listen to the original broadcast and research the panic that resulted. They then engage...
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European Newscast
Middle schoolers work in cooperative learning groups to create and perform a newscast about a European country. This geography-based technology instructional activity concludes with class presentations and student critiques.
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Portraits That Capture Character
Students explore the definition of a portrait. In this portrait analysis lesson, students discuss two of Dorothea Lange's portraits and create their own portraits of their classmates.