Launch a discussion of the creative process with a short video that features the daily ritual of Slobodan Dan Paich, a San Francisco artist. Slobodan models his approach to tea painting and shares his reflections on the...

Parades, ceremonies, and rituals are common to most traditional cultures. Kids analyze a carved piece entitled, Death Cart to understand the significance of these events. They then create floats, carts, and costumes for a class parade...

The wood sculpture Nkisi Nkondi is said to have been used to aid in conflict resolution. Learners pretend they are journalists reporting on a conflict in which the figure was used to resolve an issue. A creative and interesting use of...

Who wouldn't love to get a letter from a blue bird? Elementary art enthusiasts analyze the social and historical context of Ason Yellowhair's Navajo piece, Bird and Cornstalk Rug. They examine the construction and images on the rug...

A series of six lessons that focus on the importance of journaling and sketching awaits your ninth graders. The lessons get into the intricacies of responding to life experiences and events, the creative process, and an exploration of...

Archaeologists, historians, and scientists all work together to create a timeline of our past. Engages learners in a series of activities that all filter through the NOVA video, "Mysteries of the First Americans." Each activity is...

The creative process is the focus here. High schoolers make works of art that reflect elements of the creative process. They study the works of Robert Harris, and working as a class, they create a photo montage that includes images...

A portrait The Radcliffe Family circa 1742 is inspiration for creative writing and empathetic reasoning. Your class discusses the period in which the piece was painted, then imagines what life was like for one of the people seen in the...

What's the connection between singing and a state quarter? Creative thinking and observation, perhaps. Pupils will observe and take note of all the characteristics found on the Tennessee state quarter. They will then use their...

Students participate in an activity designed to stimulate creative thinking, encourage cooperation, and help students get acquainted using newspapers and masking tape. Students must design and create an outfit for a member of their group.

Young scholars investigate the concepts associated with the ancient civilization of Egypt. They conduct research using a variety of resources and list the facts that are included as part of a creative project. The facts are drawn on a...

What a great lesson, upper graders are sure to love. They explore costume design and the relationships between theatre, culture, and history. They research three time periods, write a response about two of them, then create a composit...

Third graders participate in decision-making situations. In this social studies lesson students make connections between rules and laws and the purposes for those rules and laws. Students use critical and creative thinking skills to...

A creative instructional activity shines a spotlight on Christmas celebrations throughout six different countries. Scholars read an informative text and share their new-found knowledge with their peers. After hearing about each country,...

Darwin kept a travel diary as he voyaged to South America, noting the politics, geography, cultures, animals, and interesting facts he encountered. Your class will do the same. Each student chooses a country to research and keep a five...

Students, while examining inventions and innovators, identify, differentiate and discuss five Canadian inventors/innovations. After applying creative thinking strategies to a promotional piece, students brainstorm patents.

Explore the beauty of Chinese Calligraphy. This well-developed lesson plan will take your class on a journey through the history of Calligraphy, engage them in technique and style, then challenge them by having them create new strokes to...

His ears, head, and designs are all an exaggerated form of art. Learners examine a South American sculpture in terms of how exaggeration was used to convey meaning. They then work through the design process as they create similarly...

Our art often reflects who we are as individuals and as part of a larger community. The painting Hopi Eagle Dancer reflects the history and culture of the artists who created it. Critical thinkers analyze the piece and then compose...

More space, in this case, means more status. Kids consider the status assigned to Tlingits via house partition. They discuss a carved piece that shows household space partitioned by status. They then write their own clan stories and draw...

The four-faced Hamat'sa mask is the inspiration for a instructional activity on ceremonial art and the process of initiation. The class examines images of the piece, then discusses how the mask represents ceremonial initiation. They...

After reading about the history and recycling of paper, creative crafters collaborate to think of a new process for making recycled paper. A complete teacher's guide and student worksheets are included. There is no written procedure for...

Explore gender stereotypes by analyzing how male and female characters are depicted in comic books. Using the provided Comic Book Analysis sheet, students record the attributes of male and female comic book characters. Then the whole...

Students become more familiar with the setting of the lesson plan. They know who Dr. de Bono is and what he invented. Students know the lessons ground rules. They have sparked their creativity to be stimulated.