Lesson Plan
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Contemporizing Myths

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students examine Rembrandt's "Abduction of Europa." In this Greek art lesson, students discuss how the artist has taken an ancient Greek myth and contemporized it. Students read origin myths and choose a scene to illustrate in a...
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Portrait of Nadine Dumas

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Students explore a portrait and then create their own portrait as a gift.  In this bust art activity, students use model techniques to create a three dimensional bust portrait.  Students analyze the elements of the design...
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Sculpting a Message: From the Counter-Reformation to the Present Day

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students discuss persuasive messages in art. In this art history lesson, students research 17th- century European sculptures to find the messages given. They create their own sculptures and write press releases to explain their art. 
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Imagining China Through Words

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students create a drawing from a written description to examine images of China in European art. For this art analysis lesson, students create a visual image from a written description of an object. Students compare their image to the...
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A Bug's Journey

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students research the art of John Baldessari. In this art history lesson, students examine Baldessari's drawing of a beetle and discuss the characteristics of these bugs. They write a story from a bug's perspective and create their own...
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Comic Theater

For Teachers K - 5th
Students explore stock characters and pantomime. In this comic theater lesson, students examine an ancient Greek statuette depicting a comic actor and an ancient Roman lamp decorated with a comic mask. Students pantomime short scenes and...
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Chariot of Triumph

For Teachers K - 2nd
Young scholars examine the tapestry "Chariot of Triumph." In this symbolism lesson, students analyze the symbols in the tapestry and what they represent. Young scholars create their own design for a tapestry by using various symbols that...
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Referencing the Classical Past

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore the concept of myths conveyed through art. In this art history activity, students examine "Three Goddesses" and discuss the state of the world at the time that Nollekens created the sculptures as they analyze the...
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Picture a Character

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
How would Jean-Etiénne Liotard paint the characters from "The Little Mermaid?" What would the main character from "The Little Match Girl" look like from Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes' point of view? After examining various paintings...
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Language Arts: Conversing with an Object

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students sharpen their creative writing skills by writing dialogues with unfamiliar objects while visiting local museums. They select an object in the museum, such as a painting, and create conversations between the people or animals...
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Funky Illuminated Fairy Tales

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students create their own fairy tale.  In this book making lesson, students write a fairy tale and turn it into a book. They use decorated initials and borders to make it look like an illuminated manuscript.
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Paper Making

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders create and design paper as an exploration of the history in making paper from pulp. Students will work in pairs or alone to create a piece of paper from raw materials.
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Sacred Places: California Missions from Different Perspectives

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students create a project poster displaying photos, drawings, and journal writings that incorporate the major themes of California's missions, and use perspective and point of view both visually and in writing.
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Life of a Navajo Weaver

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Students explore Native American weaving patterns and dance movements. In this Native Americans lesson, students view examples of weaving patterns on the Internet and compare the patterns to a Native American dance. Students demonstrate...
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Composition and Line

For Teachers K - 5th
Learners examine the use of composition and line as they create original drawings.  In this composition and line lesson, students recognize the art vocabulary associated with line and composition.  Learners illustrate the shape...
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Create an Illuminated Alphabet Word Book

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students create a class alphabet book. In this letter recognition lesson, students use line and color to draw an object whose name begins with a specific letter. Students use adjectives to create a sentence describing the object or...
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Our Illuminated Alphabet

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students examine artwork and create their own.  In this writing and illustrating lesson, students view illuminated letters from the Getty Museum's collection and discuss art vocabulary.  Students examine the visual elements in...
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Giants of the Past

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students create a paper sculpture based on ancient Greek statues. In this visual arts lesson, students read the book, The Mysterious Giant of Barletta and use cardstock to create their own statue. Students write a narrative story told...
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Historical Context: Discovering a Painting

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers analyze a work of art.  For this historical context lesson, students research the time period in which the art they observed was created.  High schoolers consider differing opinions about a work of art. 
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So You Think You're Tough

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders learn how to classify animals. In this invertebrates lesson, 4th graders discuss how we classify thinks into groups and move into a discussion about classifying animals. Students learn about the differences between...
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Explore More About Bottle Construction

For Teachers 5th - 10th
Students explore Green Construction. For this lesson based on the experiences of Peace Corps volunteers, students gain insight into alternative construction in Guatemala. They examine the pros and cons of using alternative building...
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You're Invited to a Ceili: Exploring Irish Dance

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students recognize a Ceili as an Irish dance of celebration and investigate Ireland while studying the dance.  In this Irish dance lesson plan, students search the geography of Ireland, read poetry, identify costumes, draw and...
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Seasoning the School Year

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students observe the changes a class tree goes through as the seasons change and record observations in journals. They investigate changes in the weather, changes in the length of the day, and how that affects people. They create...
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Teen Immigrants: Five American Stories

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students watch the PBS program "In the Mix" about teen immigrants. They discover the number of immigrants in America and their problems moving to this country. They answer questions as the film plays.