Curated OER
Utilizing American Landscape Art to Create Creative Writing
Students visit the National Gallery of Art and form creative writing pieces based on what they have learned about American landscapes of the nineteenth century.
Curated OER
Learning Landscapes
Fifth graders analyze a landscape depicting Yosemite during the time of the Wild West. They compare their perceptions of the West from film and television to this representation. They observe the use of scale and color to depict size and...
Curated OER
Important Contributions to American Culture
Fifth graders explore the contributions of different cultures to the American landscape. Students work in groups and use a variety of resources to create a presentation about a group that emigrated to America.
Curated OER
Experiencing Nature
Students create their own landscapes based on the topography of their region after studying the artwork of Cincinnati-based artist William Sonntag and other "Hudson River School" artists.
Curated OER
Currier and Ives: An America Panorama Shaping the American Identity
Students look for similarities in basic divisions of compositional space. They compare Currier and Ives landscape lithographs with examples by Thomas Cole. Students compare the figural group style as seen in the works of Currier and Ives...
Curated OER
Shoes and the Backyard Landscape
Your shoes get a lot of mileage in familiar places. Represent the places you have traveled the most with an art project based on a print of Indian People Wear Shoes and Socks by Juane Quick-to-See Smith. Kids trace their shoes and...
Curated OER
Industrialization of the American Landscape - Language Arts
Young scholars examine poetry , editorials, and other writings during the Industrial Revolution. They perform a "chalk talk" to explain perceptions, ideas and observations of the working world. Students write poetry and essays modeled...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Educating European Immigrant Children Before World War I
As if surviving a journey to America wasn't enough of a feat for early 20th century immigrants, they then needed to settle into American life. Learn about the ways New York public education attempted to meet the needs of its students,...
Curated OER
American Revolution
Students review the events leading to the American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence. Using the internet, they examine many different political cartoons from the time period and discuss the political atmosphere. In groups,...
Curated OER
The West in Brochures
Students explore the daily life of the American Cowboy in the 1800's and compare it to the life of the Native Americans.
Curated OER
Wigwam
Students create models of wigwams. They discuss winter and summer villages and the types of wigwams. They construct a wigwam using information from the Native American website to follow the scale. They present their models to the class...
Curated OER
Discovering Fall
Young scholars explore the American landscape during fall. After viewing paintings of fall, learners imagine themselves there and what it would be like. They then build an understanding of the painter's use of detail and color...
Curated OER
Homes for Native Nations
Students define native and research natives from their country. In groups, they choose four nations and study the homes in the area, the landscape, and types of buildings. After discussing the meaning of a family, students illustrate...
Curated OER
Linking Lines to Landscape
Students evaluate art to enhance their core knowledge of fiction, American folk heroes, and the water cycle. In this art lesson, students complete a unit of activities to use art to study various topics of literature, history, and...
Curated OER
Streetfilms' Moving Beyond the Automobile
This is an exceptional series that you can use in an environmental or engineering unit. There are four lessons: "Sustainable Transportation," "Designing for Safety," "Changing the Landscape," and "Engaging in Policy." Each lesson...
Curated OER
The Lure of The West
Here is a fabulous series of lesson plans on four of the most celebrated artists of the Old Western period in American history. Learners study the works of Charles King, George Catlin, Albert Bierstadt, and Thomas Moran. The pack is...
Curated OER
Grand Canyon Suite
Take a trip to the Grand Canyon! Lesson one explores how Ferde Grofe painted a musical landscape of America when he wrote the Grand Canyon Suite. Learners then examine art that shows the Grand Canyon in lesson two. Finally, lesson three...
Curated OER
Lesson: Mathias Poledna: Crystal Palace
Film analysis takes critical thinking, connections, and context. Upper graders look at the film installation, Crystal Palace in terms of the film makers choices, presentation, and perspective of truth. After an analytical discussion...
Curated OER
North American Cultures
Students take a closer look at the geographic theme of place. In this geography skills lesson, students research their city and create murals that highlight its history, residents, landmarks, and resources.
Curated OER
The First Texans
Fourth graders discover the different groups of people who colonized Texas. They research their way of life and create an informative and creative booklet.
Indian Land Tenure Foundation
Relationships to Places
Young historians take a look at how the Indian tribes of California promoted a mindful relationship between people and the land. They begin to understand how the Indians were champions of conservation, and at preserving the natural...
Curated OER
People Behind the Parks
Explore U.S. geography with your class by viewing a documentary. Show a portion of the Ken Burns documentary "The National Parks," and identify the individuals responsible for keeping the parks in order. Elementary and middle schoolers...
Curated OER
Sitting Bull: Chief of the Lakota Nation
Students view the "Sitting Bull" video, complete vocabulary work, and discuss the video as a class.
National Geographic
Mapping the Americas
Celebrate the geography of the Americas and develop map skills through a series of activities focused on the Western Hemisphere. Learners study everything from earthquakes and volcanoes of the Americas and the relationship...