Upper graders use the potter's wheel to make Japanese style tea cups, which they will use in a Japanese style tea ceremony. They hone their sculpting techniques while exploring Japanese cultural and the history of tea. There are two...

Chinese and Japanese calligraphy is beautiful and significant in both culture and tradition. Engage your class in this expressive fine art form through a instructional activity on using, holding, and creating brush strokes common to...

Children learn by doing. Here, they discuss cultural uses of containers, coil and slab techniques, functional aesthetics, and the principles of art and design. The entire process for making a coil pot is fully described here to make the...

Students study rock art they use art materials, colored photographs and rock art examples to: differentiate between symbol, petroglyph, pictograph, and rock art. They interpret rock art to illustrate its importance in the cultural...

Here is a nicely designed lesson on ancestry and family history. In it, learners read an article entitled, "Where Were Your Ancestors in 1871?" Then, they make up a series of questions to profile their family and their community 100...

Small groups read assigned chapters from the book, Letters to Rifka, then work together to fill out comprehension worksheets associated with their chapters. This fine, 13-page lesson culminates with each group getting together to meet...

Students explore tableaux.  In this social studies and fine arts cross curriculum lesson, students work in groups of four to create "frozen" stage pictures (tableaux) representing vocabulary and concepts from a "From Farm to You"...

Make origami ducks with your class to reinforce geometry concepts and vocabulary; develop fine motor and visual translation skills; and enrich study of Japanese culture, the pond habitat, or migration. Create a whole group "worksheet"...

Students explore the game of checkers and the folk art that has been used to create checkerboards. They create their own checkerboards that reflect current culture.

Students create a stele to represent what symbols are the most important to them. In this symbols lesson plan, students learn about Egyptian symbols, and then put their own important symbols into model magic clay according to their size...

Upper elementary and middle schoolers examine the role of Chinese immigrants in America. They investigate literature, history and cultures of Chinese-Americans. This ambitious plan takes two weeks to complete, and it brings in elements...

Students are introduced to the applied arts and focus on the applied art of architecture. They examine how architecture communicates messages about the people in a community who use a building. Students study the facade of their school...

Students investigate art from Native American culture by creating fabric. For this native art analysis lesson, students identify the art of Plains Indians and discuss how it is represented in their fabrics, beads and decorations....

Students compare and contrast historical and contemporary photographs of important figures in African American history. In this photography analysis lesson, students learn key photography vocabulary and use a Venn Diagram to explore...

Students observe and compare 18th century British portraits with those made by John Singleton Copley. By conducting research they explore the cultural climate of the portraits in order to write a historically accurate story.

Young scholars explore the lives of early American Indians and settlers in Kentucky. They describe the agricultural practices of Indians native to Kentucky and develop a supply list for a group of settlers coming to the state to...

Here's a really cute lesson that utilizes all of your children's teddy bears. Each pupil brings their favorite teddy bear to school. The lesson has many wonderful suggestions for learning activities that can be done with the bears once...

Auntie Litter is here to educate young scholars about water pollution and environmental stewardship! Although the 15-minute video clip is cheesy, it's an engaging look at the water cycle and conservation. Learners start by illustrating...

Students examine the Native American belief of "Mother Earth". They read stories from Native American authors and reflect. They illustrate this concept through art and haikus.

Students compare paintings to make conclusions about American History in the Revolutionary War time period. Students share opinions concerning visual art. Other artwork can be used to entice inquiry as needed.

Who is the Donner Party? Find out why this group of pioneers lives in infamy. A lot of information is provided in this resource, but you will have to copy and paste the text to acquire the handouts. Learners will look at primary sources,...

First graders take a look at schools of the past and present, and try to conjure an idea of what schools of the future will look like. After taking a walk around their own school and taking note of the buildings and the things that are...

Students analyze the engraving of Paul Revere to make a judgment about the time period of the Boston Massacre. The objective is that one creates an account of the event from the perspective of a British soldier.

Students gain an understanding of how a bill becomes law. They access websites imbedded in this plan. They create a bill of their own, and share it with the class. They compare their simulated bills with real legislation.