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Reliving History through Slave Narratives
Helpful for an American literature or history unit, this lesson prompts middle schoolers to examine slavery in the United States. They read slave narratives that were part of the Federal Writers' Project and then conduct their own...
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Child Safety
Explore reading comprehension and child safety in this young adult literacy lesson. High schoolers practice using context clues to figure out word meanings after observing a teacher model this process. They read an article about child...
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Regions of the United States
Your learners practice writing ideas on paper and logically presenting them in an organized manner. They brainstorm ways to write down ideas while creating a travelogue about a particular U.S. geographic region. When they present...
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Outstanding Women
Research the lives of famous women in this social studies instructional activity. Middle schoolers use various sources to research a famous woman and create a presentation about the accomplishments of the woman. They can find the central...
Shakespeare Uncovered
Merely Players
“. . . one man in his time plays many parts,/His acts being seven ages.” Jaques famous speech from Act II, scene vii of As you Like It sets the stage for an examination of the roles people play. Class members not only consider the roles...
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Chinese Instruments
Students explore Chinese instruments. For this Chinese instrument music lesson, students listen to a performance by Liu Fang and describe the sounds they hear. Students classify western and Chinese instruments according to their...
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Life of a Navajo Weaver
Young scholars explore Native American weaving patterns and dance movements. In this Native Americans lesson, students view examples of weaving patterns on the Internet and compare the patterns to a Native American dance. Young scholars...
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West Virginia Def PB Wants You!
Students write, adapt, and compose a song related to the West Virginia State Museum. In this music instructional activity, students create a composition for a work of visual art. Students incorporate major and minor melodies.
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Swing your Partner: The Basics of Square Dancing
Students perform square dancing steps. For this square dancing lesson, students view a video to learn the basic steps. Students discuss the history of the dance and perform with partners.
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Celebration and Satire- Beginning Level
Students examine art elements in a late-19th-century self-portrait painting. In this visual arts instructional activity, students analyze the painting "A Centennial of Independence" and identify the color, shape, and symbols in the art...
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"The Nutcracker" From the Royal Ballet
Learners explore "The Nutcracker" ballet. They conduct Internet research, watch "The Nutcracker" performed by the Royal Ballet, tell the story to a younger child, and write a letter to the person who first reviewed "The Nutcracker" in 1892.
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From Vienna: The New Year's Celebration
Students research the history, art, music, and architecture of Vienna and make an oral presentation based on their findings. They listen to segments of the Vienna Philharmonic New Year's celebration and design a musical extravaganza in...
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The Monkey Dance: Exploring Balinese Culture
Students explore Balinese culture. In this Balinese integrated fine arts lesson, students listen to a podcast of "The Monkey Dance," taking notes about important features of the dance. Students participate in a jigsaw cooperative...
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Minnesota-China Connections: Jade Sculptures
Students study Chinese jade carvings and then carve an animal from soap in a similar fashion.
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The Violin and Its Masters
Students research the manufacture and history of the violin. They also examine the lives of a famous violin player. They write in response to a piece of music they heard earlier in the lesson.
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Breaking the Chains: Rising Out of Circumstances
Study history through photographs. In this visual arts and history lesson, students learn to analyze photographs to discover details about life during the Civil War era. Students write journal entries as if they are the African-American...
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Metallic Sounds
Young scholars differentiate between metallic and non-metallic sounds. In this music lesson plan, students listen to the audio clip of "March" and march in time with the music. Young scholars identify the metallic sounds in the music...
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Objects of Adornment
Students examine the portrait of two historical princesses. In this art history instructional activity, students define the term "adornment" and discuss the characteristics of each painting. Students compare and contrast the objects worn...
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19th Century Chandelier
Young scholars discuss the lines, shapes, and patterns used to decorate a 19th century chandelier. For this visual arts lesson, students examine the lines and identify the patterns on the chandelier. Young scholars create a papier-mache...
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Putting a Spin on Current Events
Students examine the symbolism on a 17th-century cabinet. In this symbolism lesson, students view samples of a 17th century cabinet and identify it's symbols. Students create their own cabinet by using various art supplies and paint...
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Contemporizing Myths
Students examine Rembrandt's "Abduction of Europa." In this Greek art lesson, students discuss how the artist has taken an ancient Greek myth and contemporized it. Students read origin myths and choose a scene to illustrate in a...
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Chariot of Triumph
Students examine the tapestry "Chariot of Triumph." In this symbolism lesson, students analyze the symbols in the tapestry and what they represent. Students create their own design for a tapestry by using various symbols that represent...
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Self Portraits
Young scholars examine Charles-Antoine Coypel’s Self-Portrait and discover what he shows in that piece of artwork. In this self portrait lesson plan, students will study a self portrait and discuss what they notice about it and what...
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Ceramics: A Vessel Into History
Young scholars examine ceramic vessels from different time periods. In this ceramic vessel instructional activity, students work in small groups to look at images of ceramic vessels from a number of time periods. They identify the...