John F. Kennedy Center
Folktale Theatre
Introduce your middle schoolers to a performance and movement activity that uses their favorite stories from fairytales and folklore. They practice basic acting skills, create dialogues with a partner, and then as guided practice,...
Smithsonian Institution
A Life in Beads: The Stories a Plains Dress Can Tell
Young learners discover how the Sioux and Assiniboine tribes preserved native culture through the making of traditional dresses, identifying the resources used to make the dresses and discussing behind the meaning behind some...
Curated OER
Ready-Set-Go-Whoa!
The Apaches: People of the Southwest offers readers a chance to employ the “Ready-Set-Go-Whoa!” strategy (an adaptation of the KWL) to test what they know and summarize what they learn as they read Jennifer Fleischner’s nonfiction...
Poetry Class
Writing a Monologue
The works of Carol Ann Duffy, Scottish poet and Britain's 2009 poet laureate, serve as a model for a writing activity that asks class members to select a character card, brainstorm lists of words, phrases, actions, and items associated...
Curated OER
Labyrinths
Whether studying metaphors or Greek mythology, this labyrinth project is a fantastic lesson plan to add to your unit. It includes two versions of the labyrinth; making it with yarn or stone. If your materials are limited, you can even...
Curated OER
Northwest Coast Indians: Spring and Summer Salmon
Here is a fabulous lesson about the cultures of the Northwest Indians. Through an exploration of a story about the Salmon People, learners study the practice of harvesting salmon and the cultural importance of salmon to the Northwest...
AMCO
Clay Face Masks
Let your class explore their sculpting skills with a lesson on making clay masks. Each step in the process is fully described alongside a helpful image. Kids of any ages will be able to construct fantastic representations of the human...
Curated OER
History in the Painting
Students examine the topic of art history. They identify objects that were created long ago and the artists that made them. They create a tile design of their own to be displayed at school.
Curated OER
Activity Plan 5-6: Art History 101
Learners learn to appreciate art. In this early childhood lesson plan, students read about different artists and imitate their style to develop creative thinking, and language and literacy skills.
Curated OER
Cultural "Art"-ifacts
Seventh graders explore how culture is reflected through art. After researching the art of a specific culture, 7th graders create replicas of art objects that reflect the ideals, values, and history of the culture.
Curated OER
Helen Frankenthaler Biography
Learners examine the abstract art of Helen Frankenthaler. In this art analysis lesson, students complete a criticism of the aesthetics of the art, analyze the color use in the art, and research the history of abstract art.
Curated OER
Artful Boomerangs
Students create and decorate a boomerang. In this boomerang lesson, students research the history of the boomerang and the three different types. They create their own boomerang and decorate it with a collage of pictures.
Curated OER
Mosaic Pavement Panel
Students analyze Mosaic art and identify the tessellation process. In this Mosaic art instructional activity, students read information about Mosaic art and the tessellation process. Students compare mosaics from various civilizations...
Curated OER
Rembrandt: His Life and Times
Young scholars review important facts about the famous 17th-century Dutch painter Rembrandt. They compare two of Rembrandt's self-portraits and discuss the style of each. Students create an exhibit guide describing the overall theme...
Curated OER
Giving Voice to History
Students examine the plight of Japanese Americans during World War II. In this World War II lesson plan, students participate in a mock evocation simulation, research primary and secondary documents about internment camps, and share...
Curated OER
Art Show with the Masters
Students contribute to a classroom art show. In this art appreciation lesson, students research the lives and works of artists from different ages. Students write reports, recreate artwork of their researched artists, and participate in...
Curated OER
Michelangelo: Artist and Man
Students are introduced to Michelangelo in this A&E influenced lesson.
Curated OER
Book Illustrations and Their Illustrators as Artists-K-3
Help learners construct relationships between written narratives and book illustrations, and between the narratives in formal visual art and the subject of the visual art. Look at Caldecott winning books and focus on the pictures drawn....
Curated OER
Stained Glass Windows
Students create an intricate stained glass pattern. They study the history of stained glass windows, whose use began during the Middle Ages when they were created to teach people about their faith. They recreate a window design found in...
Curated OER
Bricks
Students are introduced to how bricks are made. As a class, they discuss the history of brick making in the Appalachian mountians area and its importance to the economy. Individually, they make their own bricks out of clay and paint them...
Curated OER
The Art of Construction
Students research the architecture. in this architecture lesson, students examine buildings from the point of view of the architect or builder. They draw their own building and have a classmate build it.
Curated OER
VH1 Classic Presents: Paul McCartney: Chaos and Creation in the Backyard, Lesson 3
Students in a guitar class perform the Beatles song, Eleonor Rigby and study it's melodic and harmonic structures. They discover the process of arranging the song for a 4-part guitar ensemble.
Curated OER
VH1 AIDS: A Pop Culture History Lesson 2
Students examine messages in popular music, and observe the musical elements of the Rhythm and Blues and Rap genres.
Curated OER
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young: Exploration of Live vs. Recorded
Students examine the differences between live and recorded music using the music of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.