National Endowment for the Humanities
“House by the Railroad”: A Painting and a Poem for the Common Core
Introduce your class to ekphrastic poetry with an exercise that asks them to examine Edward Hooper's painting House by the Railroad and Edward Hirsch's poem "Edward Hopper and the House By the Railroad." After a close reading...
Curated OER
Teach Peace Now
Help your learners discover empathy and understanding by investigating two sides of a situation. In this humanities lesson, pupils examine different pairs of shoes and hypothesize about who may have worn them. Discuss real life...
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Self-Portraits
Eighth graders practice the techniques of color, face proportion, emotion through color, and how to integrate handheld applications in Art projects in this Art lesson for the 8th grade classroom. Self-Portraits are used and emphasized in...
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Design Motifs and Eggs
Students create an Easter egg that displays at least one secondary color, one primary color, and one motif of design.
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MOSAICS
Visual arts lesson emphasizing pattern and design in individual student mosaics made with paper and reviewing line, shape, space, and color. The individual mosaics will be used to create a border for a group mosaic in another lesson.
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Celebrating Nature: The Landscape
Eighth graders identify and explore the painting style of Fauve artists. They examine the works of Matisse and Derain. Students discuss the non-traditional use of color in Fauve paintings. They create a landscape painting representing...
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Who are Artists and Illustrators?
Students study artists and their styles. They create a Kidspiration web as they discuss art work looking at shapes, texture and color. They list other things that they would like to explore artists.
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Put Me Into the Ball Game
Students examine and discuss Jackie Robinson's legacy by reading two articles about Jackie Robinson, one from 2007 and one from 1947. They analyze how he broke the color barriers sixty years ago and how he is honored today and how is...
J. Paul Getty Trust
Expressing Emotions through Art Lesson 2—Everybody Needs Somebody
Young scholars investigate drawings of couples. For this art history lesson plan, students examine the techniques artists use to convey emotions such as caring, love, and togetherness. Young scholars utilize these techniques to create...
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Imagery
Students write using imagery. In this descriptive writing lesson students write a descriptive paragraph about their favorite season. They use a chart to compile words related to their senses and emotions.
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Art and Propaganda
Young scholars examine the types of propaganda used throughout World War II. In groups, they view examples of different posters and artwork used to identify the human emotions the government was trying to appeal through. They develop...
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God's Dream
Students create a "handprint rainbow" to show that together people can make beautiful things. In this character education activity, students are read the book, "God's Dream," and discuss the emotions of themselves and the characters....
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Vincent Van Gogh
Students examine the life and works of Vincent Van Gogh. They complete a class KWL chart, and watch a PowerPoint presentation about the life of Vincent Van Gogh. Next, they use a digital photo of themselves to create a self-portrait...
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Let Your Motto Be Resistance: African American Portraits: Grades 3-5
Students explore the contributions of African Americans of the 20th century. In this African American history instructional activity, students examine portraits of Muhammad Ali, Romare Bearden, Lorraine Hansberry, Judith Jamison, and...
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Pieces of Mind: Remembering What Matters
Students watch the program "Pieces of Mind" from PBS and participate in a class discussion about PET scans and their advantages. Students then brainstorm activities a PET scan could be used for.
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A Difference of Mind
Students discover the individual variance in brain response to its four main functions. They perform activities related to each function at four stations set up in the classroom. They discuss their responses as a class.
Teach With Movies
The Glenn Miller Story (Film) - Teacher's Guide
Anthony Mann's 1953 film biography, The Glenn Miller Story, is the focus of a series of activities that introduce class members to Miller's life and music. Of particular interest to music students will be the cameos by many famous...
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A logical-mathematical look at a painting
Students view classical paintings. In this analyzing lesson, students view a Powerpoint of classical paintings and discuss the emotion, colors, and objects they see within the painting. Students list questions they would ask the artist...
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Aboriginal Art
Second graders explore Aboriginal Art. They choose paint colors to reflect a desired emotion. They paint a series of dots to create their images. They share their artwork and describe the image to their group members and then with the...
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Can You Feel the Book?
Students observe and demonstrate a variety of strategies for reading with expression. As a class they identify different expressions and emotions, then create expression cards. Students then discuss appropriate punctuation for the ends...
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Making Connections Activity: Seeing Connections Among Works of Art
Students view images from fine and decorative art galleries in the Museumlink Illinois website. They make connections regarding theme, mood, or emotional expression. They present their findings orally and display their images.
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What is Timbre?
Students analyze the differences in similar songs. In this music appreciation lesson, students discover the meaning of timbre and how it can drastically change similar pieces of music. Students sing two pieces of music with...
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Bee Kind Hearts
Students promote random acts of kindness. For this character education lesson, students record acts of kindness that they witness on paper hearts. Students create a chain of hearts to hang in the school.
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Character Education - Tolerance "The Big Orange Splot"
Students explore the character trait of tolerance. They listen to the story, The Big Orange Splot, discuss the concept of tolerance, and create a house out of a cereal box and other craft materials.