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Writing about Art:Comparing Portraits
Students compare and contrast an academic and Impressionist portrait. In this art history instructional activity, students look at two different styles of painting and write a paragraph as if they are the subject in the painting. They...
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Breaking the Chains, Rising out of Circumstances
Students research, write, and draw about Roman versus American slavery. In this slavery lesson plan, students look at the Roman portraits of slaves, its influence on Western European art, and compare Roman slavery to American slavery.
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Putting a Spin on Current Events
Middle schoolers discover propaganda. For this Greek mythology lesson, students discuss meanings of ancient art work with their class. Middle schoolers investigate the dishonesty behind propaganda.
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Contemporizing Myths
Students examine Rembrandt's "Abduction of Europa." For 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
Students explore a portrait and then create their own portrait as a gift. For this bust art lesson, 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
Students discuss persuasive messages in art. In this art history lesson plan, students research 17th- century European sculptures to find the messages given. They create their own sculptures and write press releases to explain their...
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Imagining China Through Words
Middle schoolers create a drawing from a written description to examine images of China in European art. In this art analysis lesson, students create a visual image from a written description of an object. Middle schoolers compare their...
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A Bug's Journey
Students research the art of John Baldessari. In this art history lesson plan, 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...
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Comic Theater
Students explore stock characters and pantomime. In this comic theater lesson plan, students examine an ancient Greek statuette depicting a comic actor and an ancient Roman lamp decorated with a comic mask. Students pantomime short...
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Chariot of Triumph
Students examine the tapestry "Chariot of Triumph." In this symbolism lesson, students analyze the symbols in the tapestry and what they represent. Students create their own design for a tapestry by using various symbols that represent...
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Referencing the Classical Past
Learners explore the concept of myths conveyed through art. For this art history lesson, 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
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
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
Students create their own fairy tale. In this book making lesson plan, 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
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
Young scholars 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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Seasoning the School Year
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
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.
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Life of a Navajo Weaver
Learners 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. Learners demonstrate...
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Getting to Know You
Students participate in tactile and visual exploration. In this tactile and visual exploration lesson, students listen to John Archambault's, Grandmother's Garden, and sing the song, "Friends Are Like Flowers." They participate in ice...
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Composition and Line
Students 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. Students illustrate the shape...
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Create an Illuminated Alphabet Word Book
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
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
Students create a paper sculpture based on ancient Greek statues. In this visual arts activity, students read the book, The Mysterious Giant of Barletta and use cardstock to create their own statue. Students write a narrative story told...