Do you ever give your class the "teacher look"? Without saying a word, they become silent and engaged (hopefully). How do they know what you're thinking? Explore the concept of nonverbal communication and how it relates to our...

Gen Z, those born between 1997 and 2012, according to research, is the "most racially and ethnically diverse generation in U.S. history." Gen Z high schoolers are challenged to consider how they identify themselves. They select a photo...

High schoolers study child labor in the 19th century through one painting and multiple photographs. In discussion and writing, they consider the differences between photography and painting as mediums for expressing these attitudes.

Students examine American attitudes toward war as revealed in Civil War photographs and WWII homefront posters. They analyze and discuss photos, explore the National Archives website, and organize a statement of their findings.

The second and third movements of the Eroica, Beethoven's Symphony No. 3, provides listeners with an opportunity to connect to French Revolution and to Napoleon Bonaparte. As they listen to the music, individuals draw what their ears...

Imagine advertising for a product but not being paid to do so. Welcome to the world of Viral Messaging. Class members first view a T-Mobile flash mob video that went viral and has been seen by over 14 million viewers. After analyzing the...

As part of a study of the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, young historians imagine the feelings of those who lived during the attack by creating a word cloud of 10 words they think express the emotions of people at that time....

Arthur Sze's poem, "The Shapes of Leaves," encourages young scholars to notice and speak for others who "do not speak." The instructional activity begins with pupils writing about a tree that they really like. The class then examines an...

Third graders analyze the life and work of Keith Haring. In this art criticism lesson, 3rd graders view images of his artwork, produce an anthology of his life's work and discuss his achievements. Students will recreate some of his work...

Students create a pen and ink drawing using words to determine values choosing a work with high emotional content and incorporating words that describe the picture's content placing words together tighter, made bolder, etc. to achieve...

Fifth graders investigate human emotion by analyzing photographs they have taken.  In this human face lesson plan, 5th graders collaborate in pairs to take pictures of another student while they are expressing different emotions....

Students examine the elements of composition in various artworks. They analyze and discuss paintings, explore "The National Gallery of Art" website, identify the shape of compositions in paintings, and draw a diagram.

Students create an iMovie that expresses the meaning of a protest song from the 1960's or 1970's. They investigate the emotional and political overtones of the times and use images to interpret the song's meaning.

Fifth graders discuss feelings and depression and brainstorm ways to seek help. For this health lesson, the teacher leads a discussion about emotions focusing on when emotions are balanced and when they become unbalanced and a person can...

"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson is a great story to share with your class, and this lesson focuses on just that story! The eighth in a fourteen-lesson series on short stories, the plan has learners study some vocabulary, read the...

Students investigate the concept of friendship and how it is developed and based upon some different emotions. They examine samples of masks that display emotional responses. Then students have class discussion about emotions and the...

Kids evaluate world history events that show perseverance by creating artistic images. They investigate historic photographs and images which conjure up the feelings of perseverance, then utilize acrylic paints to capture the...

Students are introduced to the concept of composition in visual art. They examine various compositional structures and practice identifying the focus of various pieces of art.

Students analyze photographs from an historical perspective. They examine photos on the Study of Spanish-Speaking People of Texas website, complete a worksheet, and write an essay.

Pupils closely analyze a true event or moments associated with their life, then present the scene, and personal emotions and/or actions generated by that incident in a free verse poem. They learn the difference between words defined as...

Pupils discuss and define the idea of a powerful image. In groups, they use the Internet and magazines to search for images they deem as powerful. They develop a hypothesis to why some people believe an image is powerful while others do...

Students discuss their opinions about war.  In this political science instructional activity, students use a video about war to analyze their own ideas about war.  They discuss the terminology Shakespeare used in reference to...

Young scholars are introduced to the importance of journal writing. After creating their own journal, they write their thoughts and feelings about different subjects. If they choose to they can share their writings with the class to...

There are not many more apt examples of ethics gone awry than William Golding's Lord of the Flies.. Ninth graders focus the ethics of decision making with the examples provided in the plot. They focus on the...