The 1920s: The Rise of Consumer Culture

Upper graders use the potter's wheel to make Japanese style tea cups, which they will use in a Japanese style tea ceremony. They hone their sculpting techniques while exploring Japanese cultural and the history of tea. There are two...

A 13-minute audio guide begins the second lesson of a unit on Zora Neale Hurtson's Their Eyes Were Watching God. Once they have listened to the guide and read Chapter 1 of the novel, kids discuss the story as an example of oral...

Music and culture are intimately linked. Ask your learners to find connections between jazz and the culture of the 1920s though a jigsaw activity and writing assignment. All pupils read one of three articles and get together in mixed...

Learn about Mexican culture while simultaneously strengthening reading, writing and computer skills. In order to get the most out of Esperanza Rising, pupils should have prior knowledge of Mexican culture. Therefore, there are links to a...

Students locate Japan on a globe, name the major physical features, and describe the physical environment. They survey the differences and similarities between the life and culture of Japanese young people and American young people.

When your class thinks of medieval history, they probably think of European castles and knights. But they may not know that the Heian period in Japan, which coincided with the Middle Ages in Europe, saw a significant development in...

Looking at art is the first step to analyzing it. And, if you can analyze art, you can analyze anything. Kids examine several pop art pieces that represent consumerism in modern culture. They discuss multiple facets of each piece and...

The history and tradition of the samurai are analyzed as cultural norms that changed to reflect the times. The class will examine sets of samurai armor and clothing to describe how their role changed over an eight-hundred year period....

"Can a museum be a catalyst in a community? Can a museum house artists and allow them to be change agents as communities re-think themselves?" Watch as curator Thelma Golden re-imagines the museum as a think tank and explores the...

Students locate on a world map the places of cultural origin of many of the items in their homes. They analyze the cultural diffusion that explains how those items got where they are today. By identifying those items, one can see into...