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Political Cartoons as Part of the Election Process
Young scholars explore the impact of political cartoons on American elections. In this presidential elections lesson, students discuss the election process and then analyze political cartoons that were published during presidential...
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Woody Guthrie and The Grapes of Wrath
Students examine American idealism. For this literature and music lesson, students analyze the lyrics of Woody Guthrie songs as well as the themes of Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath. Students examine parallels between the characters in the...
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The Most American Thing in America: The Chautauqua
Pupils explore the Chautauqua movement. In this Pennsylvania history lesson, students use primary documents to explore what the Chautauqua was and how it made a difference in the American way of life.
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Mandala Art
Students investigate art elements such as color schemes and proportion by creating their own personal Mandala Circle on paper or canvas. This also allows students to investigate mathematical concepts such as tesselations or social...
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Rock Art
Fourth graders examine and interpret rock art to illustrate its importance in the cultural heritage of a people and as a tool for learning about the past. They create their own rock art that is a symbol of their culture.
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Becoming a "Gringo" Immigrants, Language Learning and Acculturation
High schoolers examine the experience by immigrants coming to America who are Spanish-speaking. As a class, they define "Gringo" and read poems whose authors first language is Spanish. In groups, they participate in different sections...
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Ray Charles
Learners read the book Ray Charles by Sharon Bell Mathis. For this biography lesson, students read about the life of Ray Charles. Learners answer pre-reading questions about senses, strengths, and weaknesses they have. The lesson...
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The House on a Waterfall
Students analyze Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater house. in this architecture analysis lesson, students analyze the pictures of the home and discuss Wright's style. Students research the similarities and differences in Wright's work and...
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I See The Rhythm : The Study of Blues and Jazz
Students gain an appreciation for various types of music. Using the music of the past, they compare it with the music of today. In groups, they research periods in which blues and jazz were most popular and write their own piece of music...
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The Motown Dynasty (1969-1980) Part 2
Learners connect achievements of noted artists with their roles in the music industry. They identify many Black music industry leaders and their contributions with the Motown Sound.
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Creative Voices of Harlem
Students explore the Harlem Renaissance. In this American history instructional activity, students examine a poem by Langston Hughes and identify the characteristics of the Harlem Renaissance. Students research and report on a famous...
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Thomas Hart Benton: The Sources of Country Music
Students examine artwork by Thomas Hart Benton. In this interdisciplinary instructional activity, students analyze the painting The Sources of Country Music, listen to folk music, and examine how recording technology and the movies...
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Discovering National Parks
Students work to preserve American National Parks. In this environmental activism lesson, students research the history of the national parks and determine why they were created. Students then focus on protecting the land, using it for...
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Haring's Heroes
Students collaborate to create a painting in the style of Keith Haring. In this subway art lesson, learners study the distinct style of artist Keith Haring and design a large scale canvas on styrofoam. They study the details of Haring's...
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Antonio: 25 Years of Creative Collaboration
Students examine the works of two fashion illustrators. They use the internet to research the artists and share their information with the class. They create their own original work.
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Analyzing Photographs: From Theory to Practice
Students analyze photographic images and use cameras to document their own life. For this analyzing photography lesson, students apply formal analysis techniques to images, then create a documentary of photographic images with...
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Yes, There Really Was a Santa!
Third graders read a selection concerning Santa Claus and the orgin of the Jolly Old Elf in the United States. They also create their own version of a new and modern Santa Claus that remain in the American culture.
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Romare Bearden
Young scholars identify artwork by Romare Bearden and to explain his techniques. They look for cut and pasted papers and images, paint, ink and pencil designs, shapes and spaces and the rhythms therein. They listen to music by looking...
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Mexico: One Land, Many Cultures
Students, through a variety of activities, discover the geography and culture of Mexico. They make maps, read folktales, write a journal, create pinatas and other artistic pieces, and review the history of Mexico.
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Haring Cooperative Quilt
Students inspect visual arts by examining images on the web. For this art history lesson, students discuss the history of art after researching Keith Haring's work on the Internet. Students analyze the style of...
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West Virginia Def PB Wants You!
Students write, adapt, and compose a song related to the West Virginia State Museum. In this music instructional activity, students create a composition for a work of visual art. Students incorporate major and minor melodies.
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"Disco Sucks!"
Students examine why disco and other forms of music were not widely accepted.
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Santa Fe, New Mexico
In this vocabulary usage online/interactive worksheet, students use the words in the word bank to complete conversational sentences about Santa Fe, New Mexico. Students fill in 10 blanks and click the Check button to check their...
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World Smiley Day
In this World Smiley Day lesson plan, students complete activities such as reading a passage, matching phrases, fill in the blanks, choose the correct word, multiple choice, unscramble the words, sequencing, unscramble the sentences,...