Curated OER
Lesson Plan: Letting Go
Why would an artist destroy his own work? Kids examine the Malagan practice of creating and then destroying art. They talk about the cultural and spiritual significance of this practice, as well as how it relates to consumerism in...
Curated OER
Power Figure Songye, Zaire
Students create power figures. In this visual arts lesson, students design and build their own sculptures that replicate those made by the Songye in Zaire, Africa.
Curated OER
African Power Figure Sculptures
Young scholars develop character, write short narrative about how it got its powers, and create a clay figure using modeling and assembling techniques to explore the concepts relating their figure to the African power figures.
Curated OER
Right About Now… and Then
Students discuss significant figures in music history and read an article about the Smithsonian's Hip-Hop exhibit. In groups, they develop and curate an exhibition of hip-hop music and history using artifacts that represent relevant...
Curated OER
Soliloquy Performances
Students investigate soliloquies. In this performing arts lesson, students discuss figurative language within soliloquies and then perform a soliloquy to the rest of the class.
Curated OER
Baked Polymer Clay 3D People Portraits
Students discuss methods of building forms with clay (ball and variations, snake, flat sheets). They draw a stick figure of what their sculpture may look like, including correct figure proportion.
Japan Society
Popular Culture and Japan’s Gross National Cool
From Manga to Godzilla and Pokemon, Japanese pop culture has been taking the globe by storm. This phenomenon is called "soft power." Learners will examine the differences between hard and soft power, as well as learn the historical...
Curated OER
Gargoyles: Ceramics
Study the symbolism and significance of Gargoyles throughout the Gothic era, and then make one. Kids visit three different websites to learn about these goolish protectors, then hone their sculpting skills while making one. They make...
National Arts Centre
Visual Metaphors in Scenic Design: Activity
As part of a study of how visual metaphors are used in set design, class members examine an image of designer Josef Svoboda's 3-D scale model for the opera Idomeneo, re` di Creta. They then find another example that employs a visual...
Curated OER
Aegean Art Cycladic Art 3200-1050 BC, Minoan Art 3000-1100 BC, and Mycenaean Art 1600-1100 BC
So exciting, art from the ancient mediterranean! Get ready to divulge interesting facts about the art and culture of the Minoans, Mycenaeans, Aegeans, and Cycladians. Each slide provides a map, images of art, and the cultural...
Curated OER
Asian Art
Art from early China, Korea, and Japan is historically significant. Present these stunning images to your class, while you explain art movements that define traditional Chinese, Korean, and Japanese time periods and culture. Note: This...
Curated OER
Egyptian Relic: Ceramics Lesson
Egyptian artwork is inspiring in so many ways. Learners discover the world of Egyptian relics as they make a ceramic version of their own. Multiple resource links and full instructions make this a fun and easy-to-incorporate art project...
Sandra Effinger
Bulletin Board Project
Imagine a project that informs and entertains. Replace book reports with a bulletin board that highlights all the important elements of a novel. Readers research the author, create a timeline of events in the story, write a...
Curated OER
Huichol Indian Yarn Painting
Create to understand the cultural significance and beauty of Huichol Yarn Painting. Elementary learners use glue and bright yarn to create images similar to those made by the native Mexican Huichol Tribe. Note: Images of this art form...
Curated OER
Retelling Information
This scripted lesson suggests using the journalist’s five W’s (who, what, when, where, why) to teach readers how to summarize a story and to how to distinguish between significant and supporting details. A template and rubric are...
Curated OER
Who's Who in Roman History
Students, in groups, produce a classroom documentary about important historical figures from the Roman Empire. They create posters to be part of a classroom timeline showing when each of these people lived and their impact on the empire.
Curated OER
Louisiana's Legendary Musicians
Students identify and interpret what legendary traditional musicians of Louisiana that allows them to hear new genres of traditional music. They also identify what it means to be a legendary artist and read, write, and create a project...
Curated OER
The Green Man
Students examine the significance and symbolism of The Green Man. They create a Green Man using a monochromatic color scheme.
Curated OER
Art and Culture
Students compare and contrast the ways in which human figures are portrayed in rock art made by ancient Native American artists and in the drawings and paintings of historic European and American artists. They use images to identify...
Curated OER
Baga Drum
Students draw and design a musical instrument that incorporates a human figure or animal. In this musical lesson plan, students will discover the differences between African drums. This lesson plan is designed for elementary, middle,...
Smithsonian Institution
Picturing George: A Pictorial Survey of the Life of George Washington
Students create pictorial biographies of George Washington. Working in groups, they research various portions of Washington's life, highlighting significant events. After presenting their projects to the class, they are displayed for...
Curated OER
Painters Word Search
For this painters word search worksheet, learners study the list of 54 significant painters' names and locate them in the word search in order to solve the puzzle.
Curated OER
"Sakura Sakura" and the Kumoijoshi Scale of Japan
Young scholars listen to a recording of "Sakura" and determine where it is from. In this global sound lesson, students view pictures of cherry blossoms and connect its significance to Japanese culture. Young scholars sing the score while...
Curated OER
Simile Stories
Fourth graders view song lyrics and identify similes in the song text. In this similes lesson, 4th graders define and identify similes on a worksheet. Students write their own similes using various adjectives.