Curated OER
Number Types: Where Vocabulary Meets Numbers
Rational, irrational, real, natural. All these words can refer to numbers. Who knew? Learners use the Visual Thesaurus and a semantic feature analysis grid to examine the different attributes of numbers. Step-by-step instructions for...
Curated OER
A Story on a Vase
Students analyze a scene depicting Herakles and the Hydra. In this Greek art lesson, students read Greek myths and choose one scene from a myth to illustrate. Students use tempera paint and a scratch technique using a wooden...
Curated OER
ABC Bookmaking Builds Vocabulary In the Content Areas
Students create an ABC book using vocabulary words from content areas. They use each word in context and create an illustration for each word to further demonstrate their knowledge of its meaning.
Curated OER
Dorothea Lange and the Relocation of Japanese Americans
Students consider the relocation of Japanese Americans during World War II. In this Japanese relocation lesson plan, students examine photographs by Dorothea Lange, the "Pledge of Allegiance," and a US government flyer from 1942. They...
Curated OER
A Story on a Vase
Students associate a hydria with Greek myths. In this Greek art and mythology activity, students examine a scene on a hydria, then choose a Greek myth to illustrate on their own painting.
Curated OER
Picture Books, Retelling, and Writing
Students create stories using only pictures. In this visual storytelling lesson, students read Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie de Paola and analyze the wordless story. Students create new text for the book by writing on...
Curated OER
The Amazing Maud Lewis
Students investigate cultural art from Canada by reading about Maud Lewis. In this Canadian history lesson, students identify the work of Lewis by visiting her magazine website. Students identify other heroes in Nova Scotia...
Curated OER
Words That Hold Court
Students research legal terminology used in the Supreme Court. For this legal terminology lesson, students study a quote from President Obama about the Supreme Court. Students make a list of facts about the Supreme Court and the justices...
Curated OER
Revolutions in Painting
Students analyze Abstract Expressionist artists and their art. In this art analysis lesson, students view the works by Jackson Pollock and Helen Frankenthaler and analyze the pieces. Students complete image based discussion and four...
Curated OER
Self Portrait Jars: Labeling Ourselves
Seventh graders create an alternative self-portrait. In this art lesson students study the artwork of Jaune Quick-to-See Smith. Students use her work as inspiration for a self-portrait in a jar form.
Curated OER
Spreading the Word
Students analyze the use of propaganda in the war against terrorism, focusing specifically on the attacks in Afghanistan, exploring the distinction between ideas spread to benefit a cause and those spread to damage an opposing cause.
Curated OER
Symmetry and Symbols
Students identify symmetrical and congruent elements in folk art. In this art and geometry instructional activity, students examine pictures of Masonic Plaque in the Form of a Royal Arch Tracing Board for evidence of congruent and...
Curated OER
In Daddy’s Arms I Am Tall Teacher’s Guide
Students read the book I Am Tall and complete several reading response activities relating to the poems in the book. In this reading response lesson, students focus on the subject of fathers and make speculations about what the poems in...
Curated OER
The Roots of American Culture
Students explore the notion of culture and the influence of Latino culture on the U.S. They work in small groups to identify ways that Latino and non-Latino U.S. cultures have engaged in cultural 'cross-fertilization.'
Curated OER
Antonym Review
Second graders improve their spelling skills by reviewing antonyms for specific words. They work aloud with words and find their antonyms. They complete their own crossword puzzle and an activity crossword puzzle.
Curated OER
Good Words are Better than Bad Strokes
Learners research negative campaigns and propaganda and then interpret characters from Julius Caesar in that light. In this negative campaign lesson plan, students take the character and create visual images to depict the characters in a...
Curated OER
Ancient Aztecs
Is it a calendar? A religious symbol? A political statement? One thing for certain is that Aztec sun stone designs remain an important symbol in Mexican cultural art. Young artists craft their own Aztec Sun design incorporating ideas...
EngageNY
Point of View: Comparing Esperanza's and Isabel's Perspectives About Life in the Camp (Chapter 7: "Las Cebollas/Onions")
Explore point of view and more with a Common Core-designed instructional activity. Learners experience different points of view by representing one of two characters from Esperanza Rising during a partner discussion. They must use...
Curated OER
Birthday Baroque
Students draw self-portraits and birthday announcements on classroom windows. They explore the portrait painting styles of famous artists such as El Greco, Rubens, and Rembrandt. They write write in large, backward block lettering words...
Curated OER
Box Bouquet
Students discuss the advantages and disadvantages of of annuals and perennials. They compare the structures of plants such as stems, roots, and leaves. They draw a chalk flower pot, cut it out and glue it to a background using Crayola...
Smithsonian Institution
Affirmation, Assimilation, and Acculturation: Middle School
Latin American culture is deeply embedded in American culture as a whole. From the Latin rock scene in San Francisco to the hip-hop world of New York, Latin American artists have influenced every genre of modern music. Learn about the...
Curated OER
Embracing Embossing
Students explore the technique of embossing through the use of aluminium foil and a three dimensional collage. In this embossing lesson, students create a sentence with the letters of the word stamp. Students discuss a plaque...
Academy of American Poets
Poems about Poetry
Learners of all ages hear the words “Today we’re going to start poetry” and begin their plans to drop out of school. It is not the teacher's fault! Use this resource to help young scholars understand the genre of poetry and why it is...
Curated OER
Word Play
Learners examine the history of Chinese American artist Xu Bing. In this multicultural lesson, students collaborate in small groups to identify letters in the artist's work, and brainstorm how they would create their own images from...