Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jefferson vs. Franklin: Renaissance Men

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate the achievements of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. They conduct Internet research, identify their achievements, and participate in a 'competition' that compares/contrasts the two men.
Instructional Video6:03
The School of Life

Philosophy - Montaigne

For Students 11th - Higher Ed Standards
You can reach achievement with an ordinary, moral life without the proper education of past philosophy! So says Michel de Montaigne in a short analysis video that succinctly explains his views on academia, the virtue of a good...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Leonardo Da Vinci A Team Doncumentation Activity

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students examine the life and works of Leonardo and produce a portfolio of information which may include written reports, art works, and invention models.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Art and Anatomy: The Vitruvian Teen

For Teachers 12th
Twelfth graders create an artistic version of a Vetruvian teen. In this anatomy lesson, 12th graders design an experiment to test the theory of the ideally proportioned man. They present their findings in class.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Paul Robeson: The Renaissance Man

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars research the life of athlete, actor, singer, cultural scholar, author, and political activist, Paul Robeson. They answer the question, "Which was most important to American culture -Robeson's work as a scholar, a...
Instructional Video13:12
Crash Course

The Roaring 20's

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Discover the roaring and contradicting nature of the 1920s in the United States. The video provides an overview of laissez faire capitalism in the decade and the nation's dramatic increase in productivity, as well as a variety of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jefferson vs. Franklin: Renaissance Men

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students list a variety of interests and achievements of Franklin and Jefferson. They take a position that one or the other's interests and achievements were more wide-ranging or that they were equivalent. They write out their findings.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Parachutes

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students examine how parachutes work, and research and discuss the first man to envision and sketch the first parachute. They analyze air resistance, drag force, drop time, and terminal velocity.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jefferson's Blood

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students view the video "Jefferson's Blood" and complete a series of activities, dealing with both Thomas Jefferson's public and private life, in order to better explain Jefferson as a man and politician.
Instructional Video11:27
1
1
Crash Course

Straight Outta Stratford-Upon-Avon - Shakespeare's Early Days: Crash Course Theater #14

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Who would've guessed that a boy from the sleepy town Stratford-upon-Avon would grow up to become one of the greatest playwrights of all time? Scholars only know a few details about Shakespeare's early life, but that information is the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Invention Convention

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders recognize the work of Leonardo da Vinci. They invent a new machine for the 21st century and make a model of the invention.
Lesson Plan
National Gallery of Canada

Reading Symbols

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Introduce your upper-elementary students to printmaking. Class members view prints, select and research symbols in a piece, and create their own sets of prints using styrofoam trays. Pupils can wash off the paint on their trays to make...
Lesson Plan
National Gallery of Canada

My First Print

For Teachers K - 3rd
Practice printmaking with a fun lesson plan. After observing images, class members use the listed materials, such as stamps and sponges, create their own prints. They experiment with layering, pressure, and paint colors.
Lesson Plan
National Gallery of Canada

Designing Balance

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Teach your artists how to incorporate balance into their work through discussion and action. After viewing and discussing several works of art, learners design a balanced image for a T-shirt and follow the step-by-step instructions to...
Lesson Plan
National Gallery of Canada

Emphasizing Prints

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Focus on how an artist creates emphasis on certain areas of a work with an examination of several works of art and a printmaking project. Follow the discussion suggestions and step-by-step printmaking instructions to successfully...
Instructional Video12:55
1
1
Crash Course

Just Say Noh. But Also Say Kyogen: Crash Course Theater #11

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Wigs, masks, demons, and Buddhism—what's not to love? All of these elements play a role in Japanese theater during the Middle Ages, a topic the informational video covers in depth. An engaging host shares an exhaustive overview of the...
Instructional Video13:26
1
1
Crash Course

Where Did Theater Go? Crash Course Theater #18

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Oh, the drama! According to Plato, poetry is a false representation of reality and, to him, poetry included drama. The Puritans also despised theater, a topic the informational video explores. The narrator describes the controversial...
Instructional Video13:15
1
1
Crash Course

Rules, Rule-Breaking, and French Neoclassicism: Crash Course Theater #20

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
School children are not the only ones who have rules to follow! During the neoclassical period, the French established five main rules for plays. A video on theater history outlines those guidelines, as well as other elements of theater...
Instructional Video11:50
1
1
Crash Course

Why So Angry, German Theater? Crash Course Theater #27

For Students 9th - 12th
Believe it or not, German theater did not become established until years after theater in other European countries. A video describes the history of German theater starting in the late seventeenth century. After a discussion, viewers...
Instructional Video12:04
1
1
Crash Course

Shakespeare's Tragedies and an Acting Lesson: Crash Course Theater #15

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Who doesn't love a play where most of the characters die? Such deaths are a defining characteristic of many of Shakespeare's tragedies, the topic of an informational video on the Bard and his works. Along with outlining the plot elements...
Instructional Video11:45
1
1
Crash Course

Get Outside and Have a (Mystery) Play: Crash Course Theater #10

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
In the Middle Ages, theater left the church of moved outside to a secular stage. An interesting video describes the transition from pulpit to public venue, discussing common plot lines and other aspects of medieval drama. Animated...
Instructional Video12:39
1
1
Crash Course

Japan, Kabuki, and Bunraku: Crash Course Theater #23

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Kabuki and Bunraku may sound like new age exercise routines, but they're actually types of Japanese theater. An informational video describes the history of theater in Japan during the nineteenth century. The resource includes a...
Instructional Video12:05
1
1
Crash Course

Federal Theatre and Group Theatre: Crash Course Theater #42

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Method acting got its start in the 1930s. A video, the 42nd video in the Crash Course Theater and Drama playlist, describes the theater scene during the 1930s, including the introduction of method acting. Information on Waiting for...
Instructional Video11:27
1
1
Crash Course

Antonin Artaud and the Theatre of Cruelty: Crash Course Theater #43

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Despite spending many years in a sanatorium, Antonin Artaud became a well-known playwright. Video 43 from the Crash Course Drama and Theater playlist describes the life work of the French playwright with a focus on the theater of...