Explore the idea of democratic poetry. Upper graders read Walt Whitman, examining daguerreotypes, and compare Whitman to Langston Hughes. They describe aspects of Whitman's I Hear America Singing to Langston Hughes' Let America Be...

Young scholars take a virtual field trip to Memphis, Tennessee in their study of the blues, its characterisitics, founding fathers, and histororical influence on modern music. They compose blues lyrics that reflect present-day attitudes...

Learners explore the history of bark paintings in South America and produce their own version of these paintings.

Second graders discuss various types of music. They identify and explore Japanese music, and instruments. They make a koto.

Students identify and analzye various examples of Inuit art. Using the art, they discuss how it reflects traditions in the culture that are thousands of years old. They also examine the regional differences within the art of the Inuit.

Students explore the art of calligraphy through writing Chinese characters. They view a Power Point as an introduction to Chinese calligraphy and practice writing Chinese characters. In groups, they visit centers to explore the history...

Sixth graders discuss and identify shapes, spaces, colors, patterns, or tesserae in mosaics and compare them to cultural symbols of the Roman Empire. They design and create mosaics using paper.

Tenth graders participate in a lesson guided by an essential question: in what ways does choreographer, Mark Morris' work, "The Office," reflect Eastern-European traditional folk dance? During the lesson's first sessions, students...

Students participate in activities involving folk music using movement to illustrate the musical concept of tempo. The use of a game is used in order to help maintain student involvement in the lesson plan.

Students explore art history by conducting an in-class activity. In this sculpting activity, students examine previously created art sculptures in a textbook. Students utilize clay, sculpting tools and grey paper to create their own...

Learners write nursery rhyme rebus songs. In this music lesson, students practice writing rebuses as a class. Learners then create their own rebus based upon "The Bag I'm Taking to Grandma's".

Students write whatever comes into their minds quickly and extend that strategy to art. They draw whatever ideas come to mind and students create in a stream of consciousness style. They listen to different types of music while drawing.

Students create a ceramicpiece by using the sgraffito technique. For this ceramics lesson, students use clay to create a shape of a mask. Students add an underglaze to the mask and applies the sgraffito technique to create designs.

The students study collage as it is used in works of art. They create a collage based on a masterpiece. They critique student art work and research the work of Romare Bearden.

Seventh graders discover how to assemble and finish a lidded box-like form from slabs of clay between soft and leather hard. They gain an appreciation for ceramic art.

Learners identify and connect themes of selected nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and art to Harlem Renaissance jazz. They compare and contrast historical and fictionalized versions of the jazz scenes of the Harlem Renaissance. They...

Third graders explore the role of music in a variety of situations including life experiences, celebrations, functions and special events. They also identify ways in which the principles and disciplines taught in school are interrelated...

Students create an artistic representation of their identities. In this identity lesson, students discover the different facets that make up their own identities. Students work in small groups to find a favorite image and provide an...

Learners create a work of art that includes a red hat, either as a focal point or as an accent in the picture. The picture could be in color or black and white with the hat in red and they choose the medium that they want to use.

Students investigate a variety of sites to gather relevant information for a presentation about African American musical forms in this general Music lesson for middle school and high school. Resource links are provided to aid instruction.

Students create a paper mache bowl. In this paper mache lesson, students use wallpaper paste, newspapers, and paint brushes to construct a paper mache bowl. Students decorate their bowl with unique designs.

Students compose lyrics for a rap song. In this music activity, students choose a topic, such as "Our School," and use rhyming words to compose a rap song. Students perform the song for their classmates.

Learners build a barn or silo out of clay. In this sculpting lesson, students plan and design a barn or silo and follow step-by-step directions in order to create their finished product out of clay.