William Shakespeare penned some of the richest and most fascinating works of literature—or did he? Middle schoolers read three brief informative passages and conduct additional research to evaluate the claim that Shakespeare did not...

Your class can create colorful book boxes with recycled boxes. Versatile and fun, this project can be adapted to various lessons: book reports, history projecs, science collections, and more!

The Oscar for the Best Adapted Screenplay acknowledges a writer's excellence in adapting material found in another source. What do your class members know about adapted resources? Find out with an assessment that asks readers to...

A writer has the responsibility to defend the less fortunate members of society. At least that was the view of Victor Hugo, author of Les Miserables. The novel is the subject of a study guide from Orlando Shakespeare Theater....

What does it mean to rebuild and recover after a major event? Your class will explore this theme while they discuss and discover the events surrounding September 11. They will also look at other examples and then create art pieces that...

What is technical knowledge? The class explores what technical knowledge might mean to an Olympic athlete. They catalog the different types of information that athletes would need to compete in various Winter Olympic sports and develop...

Artists employ a basic metalworking technique by embossing lines and textures into a soft metal. They look for examples of embossed metals in historical and contemporary examples. This fascinating process has been used by many cultures...

Students survey bebop, cool jazz, and hard bop. They explore how bebop, cool jazz, and hard bop reflected American culture and society in the 1940s and 1950s.

Students survey free jazz and fusion. They explore how free jazz and fusion reflected American culture and society in the 1960s and 1970s.

Young scholars design and create a sculptural relief using modeling clay.They create latex rubber molds and then produce relief sculptures using Sculptamold.

Students perform square dancing steps. In this square dancing lesson, students view a video to learn the basic steps.  Students discuss the history of the dance and perform with partners. 

Students explain the value of different genres of art. In this art lesson, students describe the differences in various genres of art and make comparisons between them. Students choose an art genre and create an original work of art...

Young scholars review art history in the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. In this art history lesson, students discuss art vocabulary emphasizing landscape, portrait, and still life. They visit the museum and create their own pictures. 

Students examine art elements in a late-19th-century self-portrait painting. In this visual arts lesson, students analyze the painting "A Centennial of Independence" and identify the color, shape, and symbols in the art piece. Students...

Young scholars investigate drawings of couples. In 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...

Students analyze the work of Diego Rivera. They participate in a class discussion, critique various paintings, write a short story based on a Rivera mural, and create a class mural.

Students create and perform Corridos which are oral tradition ballads. In this Passing Down Family History Through Oral Tradition lesson, students interview family members using a predetermined list of questions. In addition, students...

Sixth graders research ancient Greek pottery online and by watching a video. Then they make a vase design on newsprint and transfer it to cardboard, using crayons and India ink to create a design from their own life.

Students collect artifacts which are part of their family/community history. They gather at home and share in the classroom at a specified time when extra care and supervision might be provided.

Students examine ceramic vessels from different time periods. In this ceramic vessel instructional activity, students work in small groups to look at images of ceramic vessels from a number of time periods. They identify the...

Students research the manufacture and history of the violin. They also examine the lives of a famous violin player. They write in response to a piece of music they heard earlier in the instructional activity.

Young scholars create an art piece that expresses their opinions while circumventing hypothetical government restrictions in this lesson on art and government censorship. Emphasis is placed upon historical instances of censorship around...

Students are introduced to how to use the iMovie software. Individually, they write down their personal beliefs and feelings to use in their movie. To end the lesson, they use the elements of design to develop and create their movie to...

Students study the meaning of The Republic and the symbols of the Republic. They learn definitions and look at images that are meant to be a lesson that comes before a museum visit. They look at images of artwork from this era of French...