Swing Squares - Activity 1

How many values can one colored pencil create? This is the question your budding artists are going to find out. They choose three colored pencils, use the provided boxes to create a light-to-dark value strip, and then answer three...

Upper elementary schoolers listen to and reproduce the rythm of Mary Lou William's musical piece, "Scratchin' in the Gravel." The swing song was written at a time that women did not play jazz. She broke the rules by playing and writing...

What a great way to explore biodiversity on the school playground! Young scientists examine a small natural area outside, roughly a square meter, and record and gather the specimens they find. Multiple activities guide learners through...

This was written for ESOL learners, but could work for any elementary class. Learners read about the American dance style known as Square Dancing. They explore its use in literature, write a friendly letter about it, and then use their...

Students discover the "rule of thirds" technique used in photography through the investigation of magazine and newspaper pictures and an in-class discussion. The work of photojournalist Jeff Bizzel is emphasized.

Students perform square dancing steps. For this square dancing lesson, students view a video to learn the basic steps.  Students discuss the history of the dance and perform with partners. 

Students investigate the benefits of dance and participate in dances. In this dance lesson, students investigate a number of dances such as square dancing and clogging that are native to Appalachia. They use math concepts to determine...

Youngsters explore visual arts by participating in a geometry identification activity. They read the book The Very Busy Spider and identify the techniques spiders use to create webs. Have you ever noticed that their webs are geometric...

Learners research gold leafing techniques and the history of gold artifacts in this three-day introductory lesson provided by Oregon Public Broadcasting. Emphasis is placed on group research and presentation.

Students work together to paint a square set on a piece of asphalt. In pairs, they use the square set to participate in a variety of square dances. To end the lesson, they decorate the squares to help them remember the correct steps to...