Curated OER
A Fair Trade
Students examine a piece of art to find objects and symbols used by the artist. In this visual art lesson, students look at Jaun Quick-to-See Smith's, "Trade Canoe for Don Quixote." They look for symbols and items that show the artists...
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Colored Pencil Repoussé
Artists employ a basic metalworking technique by embossing lines and textures into a soft metal. They look for examples of embossed metals in historical and contemporary examples. This fascinating process has been used by many cultures...
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Birch Bark Biting
Fifth graders create birch bark biting art pieces. In this aboriginal art lesson, 5th graders produce art using birch bark. Students present their art pieces and explain their designs.
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Exploring Louisiana's Land Down Under - The World of Kate Chopin's The Awakening.
Visit 19th century Grand Isle, Cheniere Caminada, and New Orleans! Meet the inhabitants, learn about their history and culture, and view landmarks and industries! After reading Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, class groups research the...
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Geography of South America
Young explorers study South American geography. They study maps and create a physical map of the Andes themselves! They also research the geography, environment, and the culture of the Andes and present a report to the class.
Denver Art Museum
Descriptive Haiku
Even though this is technically an art activity, haiku poetry is actually the main focus! Learners view photographs of Japanese tea caddies. They list five descriptive words for the caddies, then write haiku poems using the caddies as...
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Talking Rocks
Artists imitate the symbols used by tribes of the Southwest or use their own word pictures that communicate something about themselves. This lesson is a perfect blend of visual art and social studies. Students create a beautiful piece of...
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Communication - Found Art
Students describe the function of art in daily life in various cultures. They describe ways that works of art produce feelings that enable viewers to reflect on their own responses to art.
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Exploring the Roots of Modern Dance in America
Students develop an understanding of how African culture impacted modern dance in the United States.
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Art Attraction: Researching the Great Masters and their Works
Pupils fill out worksheets where they analyze and provide information about different artists, visual art, art techniques, design, and more. For this art lesson plan, students complete 8 worksheets.
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Jewelry: Then and Now
Fifth graders identify specific works of art as belonging to particular cultures, times, & places, recognize & apply elements of art, learn techniques for working with each material, critique artwork, & discuss how artwork...
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Ethnic Art: African. Mexican and Caribbean Perspectives
Students study artistic aspects of their culture. They compare ethnic cultures through arts and crafts and produce quality works of art from the knowledge that they have gained. They develop the vocabulary required to verbalize or...
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They Put On Masks
Eighth graders examine Native American art. In this mask making lesson, 8th graders compare mask making traditions among different cultures. Students watch a demonstration of mask making and construct a mask of their own.
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From Corn To Tortillas
Students investigate the food known as the tortilla. They research the growth cycle of the corn plant and how tortillas are made from it. The importance of the tortilla according to the Hispanic culture is explained to the students. The...
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Ceramics: A Vessel into History
Students view ceramic vessels from different time periods and cultures, and discuss their meanings, functions, and original contexts.
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Paper Masks/Heads
Students examine the processes and beliefs used by different cultures to create works of art. Using the internet, they research the types of arts used by cultures that have been transmitted to future generations. They use recycled...
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Mexico
Students complete a unit about the geography and culture of Mexico. They compare and contrast the weather of their own city and Mexico, read books about Mexico, count in Spanish, color in a flag of Mexico and the Mexican Coat of Arms,...
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Playing the Cardboard Dulcimer
Second graders create cardboard dulcimers. They discover that sound is produced by vibrating strings and analyze the pitch produced by changing the sizes and length of the strings of the instrument. They also discuss the history of the...
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Exploring Color Vocabulary
Young scholars explore color terms and related meanings and metaphors in cultural and literary contexts. They use the main colors to explore synonymous color terms and related metaphorical meanings of color words. Students recognize...
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Stories Behind Pacific Northwest First Nations' Images
Learners investigate Canadian culture by examining mascots of the 2010 Olympics. In this Canadian history lesson plan, students read a Vancouver Olympics guide to identify three Canadian mascots and their importance to the First...
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Everything American
Eighth graders complete an American slideshow. In this American culture lesson, 8th graders take digital photographs of things they believe contribute to American culture. They create a slideshow showing these photographs.
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The Art of Nonviolence: Martin Luther King, Jr., Gandhi, and Concepts of Nonviolence in Indian Art
Students make connections between nonviolent ideals and art. In this visual arts lesson, students discuss the successes of the American Civil Rights Movement and discuss Gandhi's influence on the movement. Students then examine images of...
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Hawaiian Leis
Third graders examine the Hawaiian culture through the different types of Hawaiian flowers and discover how to create Hawaiian Leis. Students make flowers out of tissue paper to create their leis.
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Sneetches
Students engage in a lesson that uses guided questions in order to help create cultural awareness among students. The use of gender is considered and the students reflect upon the answers of questions to learn social skills.