Curated OER
Taiko Drumming and Folktales - Activity 1
Students discuss how sound has been used throughout history and cultures, including present day in their own lives, through the study of Taiko Drums in this introductory lesson. Resource ideas are provided.
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Neoclassical Influences
Students identify artists of the Neoclassical period and how they were influenced by major historical events during the Enlightenment as well as identify the Neoclassical style.In this Neoclassical art lesson plan, students discuss...
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Passionate Pilgrims- Two Poets And A Painter
Learners engage in a lesson that looks at the culture of Japan to isolate the practices of painting and writing in several different traditions. They conduct research about the lives of the artists using a variety of resources. The...
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A Moroccan Fairy Tale vs. European Folk/Fairy Tale
Second graders explore world geography by reading two different fairy tales. In this cultural storytelling instructional activity, 2nd graders read Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and the Moroccan story The Girl Who Lived with the...
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An Ancient Greek and Roman Festival
Third graders label a map of ancient Greek and Roman civilizations and do a written report on one element of these two cultures. They participate in discussions of food, farming, daily life and government (among others). Students use the...
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Social Studies: Manifest Destiny or Bust
Fifth graders explore the westward movement between 1800 and 1861 in the United States. They write narratives from the standpoint of those cultures that were repressed during this period, such as Native Americans, slaves, or Mexicans. ...
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Robin Hood: England's Man of Mystery
Students study the tale of Robin Hood to further their knowledge of character traits, improve their vocabularies, and increase their knowledge of the Medieval Ages. In this Robin Hood lesson, students complete 14 lessons that help them...
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Theft of the Mona Lisa
Students combine interpretation of the Mona Lisa's visual elements with research information about the artist, and others affected by the painting. Students note that the constructed interpretations differ based on the cultural and...
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Nutrition: Banquet for the Bunch!
Students define nutritiion and diet by exploring the food pyramid. They examine the food of different cultures. After listening to a story about the pyramid, they draw pictures of their breakfasts. Students examine magazine photos...
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The Many Faces of Cinderella Tales
Fourth graders compare the story of Cinderella as it is told in various countries and cultures. After reading the fairy tale in three different forms, they use a website Venn diagram in order to compare and contrast each telling of the...
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Beowulf Lesson Plan
Students analyze the text of Beowulf. In this epic poetry lesson, students explore the themes and imagery in the text to evaluate their meaning. Students analyze the Old English language and examine the cultural and historical context of...
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Time to Read
Students identify how the literary elements of theme, point of view, characterization, setting, and plot illustrate the effects of a certain disease on a community. They identify the aspects of the book that are specific to the...
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Social Studies: Heroes in American Culture
Students examine heroes and discuss their characteristics, values, and actions. They produce Powerpoint presentations on real-life and fictional heroes. Students interview veterans for an oral history project.
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Lifestyles of the Tribe, or Tomorrowland?
Eighth graders identify with and analyze through writing various Indian cultural values and how they fit in the modern world. Students organize data utilizing Educational software programs and present their opinions and inferences in a...
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Come With Me To Africa
Students are introduced to the geography of the continent of Africa. They conduct Internet research, explore maps and identify animal species and a variety of human cultures for a sampling of African countries. Students create graphs,...
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Ancient Civilizations: Medieval and Early Modern Times
Seventh graders gain an understanding of the history of Mongolian culture through making inferences about Mongolian artwork
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Land of the Rising Sun
Students survey aspects of traditional and modern Japanese customs and beliefs in the seven lessons of this unit. Both the culture and the geography of the country are studied in this unit.
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Art And The Afterlife
High schoolers discuss various cultures and their beliefs of the afterlife in this study of Japanese art. The final evaluation is done through the creation of student collages illustrating their beliefs of the afterlife.
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Islam in America
Students examine the cultural and religious diversity within the United States. Using the differences, they discover they are a source of growth and change as well as conflict. They identify the changes that occur when new immigrants...
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Spontaneous Britishstrokes
Students are introduced to Chinese painting and they examine how Daoist phiolosophy influenced artistic style. They discuss how art and artistic technique as a reflection of Daoist culture. Students discuss how art is a reflection of...
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Old World and New World - Why Contact Took So Long
Students use a globe to determine why contact between the old world and the new world took a long time. In this map skills lesson, students analyze routes between regions to determine why it took so long for the old world and the new...
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Common Good in Aztec Culture What Is Sacrifice?
Young scholars examine contemporary examples of sacrifice while listing the reasons and benefits of these acts. They discuss the idea of when a sacrifice is a violation of human rights. They write a personal goal to make a small sacrifice.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Understanding the Context of Modernist Poetry
Students examine the historical, social, and cultural context of modernist poetry. They explore websites, complete a chart, compare/contrast rural and urban life, watch a video of early New York, and complete a writing assessment...
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Documents of Diversity
Eighth graders explore the cultural diversity in their own families. They examine the cultural profile and historical development of their own community through developing a walking tour, in booklet or web-based form.