Curated OER
It Ain't Necessarily So
Students examine characterization of African Americans in literature, popular culture, and opera. In this stereotypes lessons, students conduct research that requires them to analyze the origins and content of stereotypes perpetuated...
National Literacy Trust
Mark The Bard!
Commemorate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death with a packet of cross-curricular literacy lessons and activities centered around two of the Bard's most popular plays, Macbeth and The Tempest. Class members look for evidence of...
EngageNY
Launching A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Identifying the Characters, Settings, and Conflicts
Scholars form a drama circle and begin reading Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. They also use a play map to identify the setting, characters, and conflicts from the text.
Curated OER
Dogfighting Unit Lesson Five--The Media and Propaganda
Students consider the implications of dogfighting. In this character education lesson, students examine propaganda in advertising and then create their own anti-dogfighting advertisements.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Arabic Poetry: Guzzle a Ghazal!
High schoolers research the evolution and cultural significance of the Arabic ghazal form of poetry. They, in groups, compose an original ghazal poem and read it aloud to the class.
Curated OER
How Poets Evoke Social and Historical Representations
Students explore how poems represent the social, historical, and cultural times that they were written in. In this poetry lesson plan, students compare and contrast poems with music of the time and explore implications of writing poems...
Curated OER
Indegenous Cultures Magazine in Publisher
Fourth graders use Publisher to create their own magazine. In this online magazine lesson, 4th graders follow the instructions to create a magazine using text, pictures, and colors within the Publisher system.
Curated OER
Cultural Comparisons Interview
Students interview a family member and give an oral report. In this oral history lesson, students create interview questions relevant to an American historical period. Students interview a family member and present an oral report to the...
Curated OER
Looking North Of The Greek World: The Slavic Folk Poetry of The Balkans
Showing how folk poetry keeps alive national heritage is the stated goal of this proposal for a unit on the poetry of the Balkans.
Curated OER
Folktales: "The Storytelling Stone"
Students create a folktale after finding out the importance of folktales in different cultures. In this folktales lesson, students determine the definition of a folktale and read a "The Storytelling Stone." Students then discuss the...
Curated OER
Collage of Kwanzaa Colors
Students explore African cultures by creating a holiday collage. In this Kwanzaa art instructional activity, students identify the popular colors associated with the African holiday and create a collage using them. Students present their...
Curated OER
Is All Cinema Verité?
Learners explore the relationship between movies and culture, looking at movies as both a part of and a reflection of popular culture. They research the specific historical and cultural realities present during the run of a particular...
Curated OER
Freedom, Power and the People
Students analyze how social change has affected artistic expression and popular culture. the explain the influence of media on contemporary American culture.
Curated OER
The Last Meow
Young scholars explore the popular culture phenomenon of the musical 'Cats' and the T.S. Eliot poems that were its inspiration. They write original poems about animals, and read them aloud to their peers.
ReadWriteThink
Decoding the Dystopian Characteristics of Macintosh’s “1984” Commercial
Known as one of the most iconic advertisements of the 20th century, Macintosh's "1984" commercial has become more of a social statement. Present the ad to a new audience of viewers with a lesson focused on identifying dystopian...
Curated OER
VH1 Presents the 1980s - Lesson 3
Students identify different genres of music popular in the 1980s. They study musicians of the 1980s examples of the songs that they made popular. They utilize a worksheet imbedded in this plan to categorize the music.
Curated OER
The Cultural Geography of Africa South of the Sahara "Kente Cloth"
Students read several articles about West African strip weaving of Kente cloth. They explore the cultural context in which strip weaving occurs. They answer four comprehension questions and compose a magazine article about strip weaving.
Curated OER
A Song for Today - Lesson 3
Pupils analyze musical and topical elements in popular songs and compose song as a classroom effort. They write a short paragraph evaluating the effectiveness of the song in conveying the message of the lyrics.
Curated OER
Cinderella Folk Tales: Variations in Plot and Setting
Students examine plot and setting of Cinderella, and how it changes as it is translated into different cultures, discuss universal literary elements of the Cinderella story, and write narratives with original settings and plots...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Hamlet and the Elizabethan Revenge Ethic in Text and Film
Young scholars research the social context of Elizabethan England for Shakespeare's "Hamlet". They identify cultural influences on the play focusing on the theme of revenge and then analyze and compare film interpretations of the play.
Curated OER
Hold On to Your Hats
Elementary schoolers study the symbolism and influences found in advertising. First, they learn about the history and cultural significance of the Summer Official's Hat that was a symbol of status in ancient China. Then, they access...
Denver Art Museum
Alien Beauty
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," is a popular phrase in our society. The lesson here puts the phrase to the test as pupils explore what truly is beautiful through a study of some Japanese folk art. A careful examination of the...
Curated OER
Introducing Jane Eyre
"How can a magazine reflect a particular time and culture?" Using this prompt, your class explores the Victorian Era as it relates to Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. They can also play the "Victorian Women's Rights" game for the year 1840...
Curated OER
Grown-ups at Play
Students realize that adults entertain themselves at work and in their private lives and that much of adult play, like children's play, is part of adults' folklife and that they play in various folk groups. They consider the elite,...