Syracuse University
Harlem Renaissance
The music and literature of the Harlem Renaissance defined American culture, including its poetry. Using a poem from the period, individuals explore its musical qualities and how it is reflective of the period. Then, they use what they...
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Give It All You’ve Got Heroes and Visual Art
Sure, your young artists probably know Van Gogh and Picasso, but are they equally as familiar with Frida Kahlo and Andy Warhol? Small groups examine the work of famous artists. Then, they create their own hero portraits in Cubist style...
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Harlem Renaissance
Students investigate the African American culture in the 1920's and the Harlem Renaissance. They read and analyze poems written by poets of the Harlem Renaissance, listen to jazz music and identify the characteristics of the music, and...
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The Renaissance, Background
Students are introduced to the Renaissance by viewing a PowerPoint presentation. In this Renaissance lesson, students locate the important countries and cities of the Renaissance. Students compare how it was in England from the rest of...
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Harlem Renaissance: Pivotal Period in the Development of Afro-American Culture
Students examine the time period of the Harlem Renaissance. In groups, they compare and contrast the type of art before and after the movement along with the state of society at the time. After reading a book on the topic of their...
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The Harlem Renaissance
Students locate Harlem on a city map of New York City. As a class, they are given information and take notes on the Harlem Renaissance. They are read two poems by different authors and write a paragraph about what they believe it means....
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The Magnificent Medici
Learners watch a video about the internal power struggles of the Medici family of Renaissance Italy. They compare the Medici family to the Mafia and produce a written response to the film.
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Breaking the Codex
Young scholars work with an online multimedia show to study the life of Leonardo da Vinci in Renaissance Italy. They explore different writing systems and create an advertisement for one of Leonardo da Vinci's inventions.
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Leonardo Da Vinci A Team Doncumentation Activity
Students examine the life and works of Leonardo and produce a portfolio of information which may include written reports, art works, and invention models.
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Using the Patterns and Symbols of Mali Mud Cloth to Convey Identity
Students participate in relating the role of the arts in defining identity. They examine the community in West African society and how members of that community define their role. They view how artifacts, music and performance can...
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World History People Review
Who's who in World History? Help your historians keep track of major figures with this World History People Review, where students match 96 world figures to the appropriate descriptions. The matching questions are grouped by historical...
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Michelangelo: Artist and Man
Students are introduced to Michelangelo in this A&E influenced lesson.
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Arcimboldo Style Self Portraits
Students view and discuss Renaissance art, including the work of Arcimboldo. They create their own self portraits through imagery and symbolism in the Arcimboldo style.
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Medieval Ethiopia, Mali and Nigeria: The Influence of Culture in Africa
Learners are introduced to the concept of cultural diffusion. In groups, they identify the culture of Mali, Nigeria and Ethiopia and work together to research how cultural diffusion has changed the country. To end the lesson, they...
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Power of Symbols in West African Art
Students examine and analyze symbols used in the Asante community of Ghana and look at the history of power struggles in West Africa. They discover how to express meaning and power as they create their own symbols and short stories...
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Review of Landscapes, Portraits
First graders examine the term landscape painting, and compare several landscape paintings in their use of color, line, and shape. They create winter landscapes on paper, then observe two Renaissance portraits.
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Leonardo da Vinci
Students examine the life of artist Leonardo da Vinci. They tour his birthplace via a virtual tour. They explore his many different paintings and sculptures. They discover his personal history and discuss his most famous painting, The...
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Art, Art, Everywhere
Learners create a PowerPoint presentation documenting the art of a chosen artist. After a brief presentation by the instructor, students use the internet to research and document the works and life of their chosen artist. They...
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Graphing X, Y, Z
Seventh graders explore how proportion controls the image of a drawing. They examine a coordinate plane and discuss plotting. Student experiment drawing an object one size, and then drawing an identical object on a different scale.
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Cubism - David Hockney
Identify Cubist works (namely the works of Picasso and the Cubist-inspired works of David Hockney), then express or create a work showing a time frame.
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Using West African Gold Weights and African Masks as a Way of Communication
Eighth graders discuss how communication, or lack thereof, can have either a favorable or detrimental effect on a community. They study and interpret proverbs as a means of teaching a lesson. Finally they discuss symbolism and design a...
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Power and the Communication of Values in West African Art of the Past and Present
Ninth graders examine art from West Africa from the past and present. In groups, they compare their community to the one depicted in the artwork and note the similiarities. To end the lesson, they discuss the concept of power and how...
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Invention Convention
Fifth graders recognize the work of Leonardo da Vinci. They invent a new machine for the 21st century and make a model of the invention.
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Invention Convention
Invent a new machine for the 21st century and make a model of the invention in this cross-curricular lesson about Leonardo da Vinci. Young inventors will use various art supplies to create their models. The lesson includes resource links...