African Animal Pinch Pots

Investigate North Carolina pottery history by creating clay animal whistles, a traditional leisure activity in the region. They research a particular animal and jot down its attributes to include in their project. Find step-by-step...

Students read and explore a West African folktale. In this folktale instructional activity, students read the book The Clever Monkey Rides Again and examine West African proverbs. There are several related multi-subject extensions on...

Here's a collection of unit plans for middle school musicians. Topics include the mbira, opera, rhythm and culture, music in Africa, music in the movies, music theory and notation, blues and jazz, and the ocarina. Definitely worth a look.

Create clay whistles with your elementary or middle school learners. The project is outlined in great detail here, complete with step-by-step photographs, finished examples, a materials list, student handouts, and a rubric. Students...

Does the human body evolve as quickly as human culture? With a stellar 15-minute video, explore the trait of lactose intolerance. Only about 1/3 of human adults seem to still have the enzyme lactase and therefore, the ability to digest...

Learners study the anatomy of a face and use what they have learned about rendering faces and three dimensional objects to create thumbnail sketches of expressive faces on jugs.

Seventh graders observe and draw animals in their environment. They also examine the work of other artists. They choose one animal and create a clay model of it in its environment.

Children learn by doing. Here, they discuss cultural uses of containers, coil and slab techniques, functional aesthetics, and the principles of art and design. The entire process for making a coil pot is fully described here to make the...

Students create a piece of art inspired by traditional African pieces.

Study three of the basic principles of design: l) designs should create a rhythmic pattern made up of related shapes, 2) colors should be repeated so as to not force the eye to remain with a single part of the composition, and 3) a...