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Pranks With Paint
Students consider what they already know about graffiti and explore the pranks and work of a graffiti artist. They research a famous painting and create original artwork by adding thoughtful graffiti to it.
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How To Make a Mummy
Students explore the process of mummification through a British website. They read about why the process began and how it is done. They can follow along in the process in how to make a mummy as well.
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For Public Display
Students compare three works of art to understand how juxtaposition can express a point of view. They brainstorm topics of interest to them and their respective communities that could act as a springboard for curating individual exhibits...
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Classifying Plants and Insects
Art and science come together in a activity based on Flower Still Life by Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder. Learners classify plants and insects in the painting by color, leaf shape, size, reproduction, and season of...
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Do We Control Nature, or Does Nature Control Us?
Student examine the theme of man versus nature in art. In this man versus nature instructional activity, students examine various pieces of art and discuss the theme as it is depicted. They discuss whether the themes shown in the artwork...
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Artifacts 2: Artifacts in Context
Students explore world history by completing artifact worksheets. In this archaeology lesson, students identify the importance of finding clues when researching historical information by utilizing artifacts. Students research the...
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Who? What? Where? When? - Story Elements
Second graders see how to identify and describe character, setting, and plot in various stories from picture books and story videos. They use picture books and story videos to practice identifying and describing the story elements.
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Short Story Lesson Plan
Young scholars read and discuss the short story, "The McWilliamses and the Burglar Alarm," by Mark Twain. They assume the role of the main characters in the story and write a humorous letter of complaint using a business letter format....
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The Immigrant Experience in America
Students explore immigration in the United States. In this immigration instructional activity, students read about Ellis Island and tenement houses as they conduct research regarding the topic in order to write an essay.
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What is History? Timelines and Oral Histories
Young scholars consider how we learn about the past and discuss how the framing of history is always done by the person who is telling it. They construct a personal and class timelines, compare two or more accounts of the same event and...
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Learning From Document - Public Laws
Students research primary sources about the Bracero worker program. In this primary source lesson, students investigate two public laws along with other documents to determine if the Bracero worker program was implemented properly. They...
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Telling Time Timeline
Use the Internet and library resources to compose a telling time timeline -- a visual history of time. Students will develop research skills and gain perspective about telling time by discovering the history of clocks and time.
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No Bones About It
Students act as paleontologists, examining pictures of dinosaur skeletons and applying their knowledge of the relationship between skeletal features and survival, to create 'Paleontology Reports' about their perceptions of the lives of...
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Coming to Terms with the Past
Students explore Holocaust survivor Simon Wiesenthal. They conduct research to examine how the post-Holocaust period has been handled historically and hold a teach-in to promote continued awareness of the Holocaust's impact.
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A Work Of Faith
Students study about different types of religious art; they then select representative works from different faiths to create their own exhibit. They research a specific religious art tradition and create an exhibit of works of art from...
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Right About Now… and Then
Students discuss significant figures in music history and read an article about the Smithsonian's Hip-Hop exhibit. In groups, they develop and curate an exhibition of hip-hop music and history using artifacts that represent relevant...
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Photojournalism
Students choose a historical or present-day event to portray through photographs. They narrate this event with photographs and text to communicate its significance in history or our current daily lives.
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The World of Puppets
Students visit given web-sites to find out what puppets look like in different countries and then make a puppet and write a play for it.
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Disappearing Sand
Students discover what sand looks like, how sand dunes form and what minerals can be found in sand. They also examine how beach erosion occurs. They explore how to stay safe at the beach.
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Expedition Stories
Students use the Internet to research and discover information about expeditions that were formed to observe the transit of Venus. In groups, they work together to present information about the expeditions and create a visual aid.
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Triangle Fire and Labor Movement
Tenth graders, in groups, explore the garment industry before, during, and after the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire to learn about the Labor Movement, unions, and some of the people who impacted working conditions for both adults and children...
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Communication Comparisons
Learners investigate various methods of communication. In small groups, they conduct Internet research, compare/contrast three methods of communication, and complete a graphic organizer.
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Sultan's Lost Treasure
Students view a video clip about a sultan's lost treasure. They examine artifacts and determine their characteristics. They complete a worksheet to end the lesson.
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Photographs of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake
Fourth graders study the details of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake including the fires that lasted for three days. They participate in discussion describing what they feel the city looked like after the earthquake and fires. They...