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Weaving Project
Students practice artistic weaving. For this Colonial arts lesson, students weave pieces using lint from their home dryers. Students replicate the weaving process early Americans used. Students are also challenged to weave using the...
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Searching For The American Dream
Ninth graders explore the meaning of the American dream and how it has been explained in various forms. After reading various immigrant accounts, 9th graders use poetry and writing to explain how different cultures view the American...
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Music
First graders use their Didgeridoo they made in art class to play music as a group. After watching a video, they practice a piece of music with their classmates. They also disucss how the Aborigines used the same instrument in cultural...
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Virtual Visits
Students rate a variety of kid-friendly museum Web sites for both their educational and entertainment value. They reflect in writing about the overall success of each site to pique their interest in art, science, history or culture.
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Puppetmania: Using Puppets in the Classroom
Students create puppets to teach concepts such as history and weather. In this Puppetmania lesson, students manipulate their puppets to show a range of emotions, facial expressions, and actions. Students design puppets and learn about...
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Paper Molas
Students examine different cultures and their artwork. They create a mola of their own. They also analyze other molas for different types of design principles.
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Taiko Drumming and Folktales - Activity 1
Students discuss how sound has been used throughout history and cultures, including present day in their own lives, through the study of Taiko Drums in this introductory lesson. Resource ideas are provided.
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Leather Mardi Gras Mask
High schoolers examine different masks from Mardi Gras. They discover the culture of the area and create their own mask. They use leather to make the mask three-dimensional.
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Make A Pinata
Students work cooperatively to create pinatas using balloons, old newspapers, flour, water, tempera paints, string, scissors, and candy in this excellent lesson for the Elementary classroom. This can be ties into a unit of study on...
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Stain My Days Blue
Students read several poems related to the life and culture of the Appalachia region. They are introduced to the poetic forms of simile, alliteration and onomatopoeia and respond to the poems through journal entries and poetry of their own.
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Japanese Stone Lanterns: Culture and Decoration in the Japanese Garden
Students examine and discuss the many decorative elements in the Japanese garden. They learn about Japanese gardens and lanterns and create their own model out of clay.
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Defining American Culture Photographic Parallels
Students assess the diversity of the photographs taken by a Czech photographer, that illustrate how existed in 1920's Texas. Then students compare and contrast these photographs with more current photographs of Texans and evaluate in...
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How To Make a Rainstick
Students research the uses of rainsticks in ancient native cultures. The teacher discusses the ceremonies rainsticks were traditionally used in. The students then construct their own rainstick.
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Contemporary Figure Heads
Pupils will compare historical figureheads to determine their purpose and meaning for the sailing vessels. They will use plaster to carve and create figureheads that are contemporary representations of themselves and their culture.
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Amazing Artists
Students examine how social and cultural factors affect artists. In small groups they select a specific artist, and conduct research. Students then use a digital camera and digital video camera to create a mini-movie about their artist.
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Literature: The Russian Cinderella
Fifth graders compare and contrast the Russian fairytale, Wee Little Havroshechka" with the Anglo-Saxon "Cinderella." In groups the discuss and then write their own versions of the Cinderella story. Students write about the differences...
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Lesson Connections
Second graders relate music to history and culture. Also, they listen to songs and identify some characteristics of the music in their own terms. Also listened to is "Chinese Instruments Montage," and then compare what they heard with...
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History Hall of Fame
Students create an American History Hall of Fame for various cultures that have been forgotten in American History.
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The Rhythm of Life - Episode 2 - Melody
Young scholars complete a unit on melodies from various cultures. They watch an online program, analyze various melodies, write a short original melody, complete a worksheet, and compare/contrast three versions of "Amazing Grace."
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Cultural Cups
Students create their own drinking vessel from papier-m??ch??. They experiment with different shapes for drinking vessels and different patterns for them.
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See What I Hear
Students investigate the link between music and visual art by applying principles of design to convey the emotions/expressions in different types of music.
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Irises
Learners create realistic and impressionistic drawings of irises in an attempt to better understand the importance of the iris in Japanese culture and art. Lesson extensions are provided for this one day lesson.
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Ceramics: A Vessel into History
Students create a ceramic vessel, discuss their artistic choices, and identify elements derived from historical examples. In this ceramics lesson, students identify symbols and imagery that are connected to a specific...
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An Indian Village: Tepees
Students examine tipis. In this Native American culture instructional activity, students discuss tipis and their construction as they make them out of cardboard.