Learners explore the various societal and cultural "lenses" which color their perspectives and life experiences by reading the short story "What Means Switch" by Gish Jen. They discuss how the cultural ideas and beliefs affect the...

Third graders create a self portrait using correct proportions and details. After completing their portrait, they exchange their portrait with that of a classmate and offer constructive criticism of the portrait and suggestions for...

Young scholars create a powerpoint presentation documenting a decision they must make regarding Japanese internment during World War II. Working in groups, students are given scenario regarding internment. Using various resources,...

Students identify three of the essential elements of music: rhythm, melody and harmony. They discover a simple song which will illustrate these three elements separately and bring them together in a final form. They analyze and critique...

Students respond to the song, "This Land is Your Land" in writing and create an original painting in the style of folk art. They identify the characteristics of folk art and identify how the works of folk artists reflect the culture of...

Students investigate the concept of Chinese dance and how it developed. They practice some of the dances and conduct research the contributions of major choreographers. Students describe the history and cultural significance of each dance.

Students compare postcard samples from Los Angeles, CA and Austin, TX. They examine them to find common elements they share (tone, mood, romanticized themes, artistic elements, etc.) They create postcards to show the "real" Austin.

Students assess the diversity of the photographs taken by a Czech photographer, that illustrate how existed in 1920's Texas. Then students compare and contrast these photographs with more current photographs of Texans and evaluate in...

Students examine the arts of the Middle East, Asia and Africa. After viewing films, they discuss the views of the various characters and identify the differences in the cultures presented. They also use the internet to evaluate various...

Sixth graders are introduced to the technique of Arashi Shibori and its history. In groups, they discover how to perform this process and examine how to do hachimaki. To end the lesson, they make their own hachimaki to wear and share it...

Students visit the Allen Memorial Art Museum to view Asian works of art and read the story Kogi's Mysterious Journey by Elizabeth Partridge. They discover the history of Gyotaku and its transition into an art form. They then examine the...

Pupils explore the concept of geometric symmetry. In this geometric symmetry lesson, students walk around their school and take pictures of objects that demonstrate symmetry. Pupils use Microsoft Paint to draw the lines of symmetry on...

Young scholars study family structure. In this family structure lesson, students read the book The Family Book and discuss families. Young scholars create a bulletin board of family photos and draw their families on paper. Students dance...

Students study the complex relationships between art, artists, and the political establishment in the 19th and 20th centuries. In this art and history instructional activity, students study various photos, paintings, and sculptures and...

Students examine the poetry of Emily Dickinson and the diction in her poetry. In this poetry analysis activity, students read Dickinson poetry and analyze the diction in the poems. Students journal about the poetry and rewrite their own...

Students develop a business card to market them.  For this developing a business card to market them lesson, students design a business card to represent them.  Students create a logo or graphic design that is professional and...

In this English learning exercise, learners read "Site for Beautiful People Only," and then respond to 1 graphic organizer, 47 fill in the blank, 7 short answer, 20 matching, and 8 true or false questions about the...

Fourth graders examine how trees help to absorb the pollution that is emitted from automobiles. They review the process of photosynthesis and determine how forest management is important on their reservation. They think about the...

Learners create decorative objects and discuss their importance in form and function. In this art history lesson, students discuss Chinese porcelain objects with mounts later added by the Chinese. Learners recreate an example of this art...

An exploration of Chinese Aesthetics. Includes images and descriptions of artifacts, the history of Chinese art, and lesson plans.

Chapter 1 of the seventh edition of "Sight Sound Motion" by Herbert Zettl. It includes the table of contents, author information, the preface, and a brief prologue. The topic of this chapter is Applied Media Aesthetics. He talks about...

The term 'aesthetics' concerns our senses and our responses to an object. If something is aesthetically pleasing to you, it is 'pleasurable' and you like it. If it is aesthetically displeasing to you, it is not pleasurable and you don't...

A Wikipedia Encyclopedia article that defines aesthetics and discusses it in a number of contexts, including literature. A broad definition of the term is provided at the top of the page, and then links are provided to discussions of the...

The word aesthetic may seem difficult to understand, but learning through sensory experiences is not. Here are some goals and activities for teaching aesthetics to very young children.