Curated OER
Northern Renaissance Art
The 15th and 16th centuries marked one of the most interesting periods in European art history. The deep symbolism, allegory, rich imagery, and iconography can be found in this extensive and well-organized slideshow. From El Greco to...
Curated OER
The Art of the Italian Renaissance
Feast your eyes on some of the most beautiful and important art of the Renaissance, including paintings, sculptures, and architecture. The slides take care to detail the characteristics of each art form, but the presentation really lends...
Curated OER
Coil Vessels with Symbols
Eighth graders explore symbolism in Renaissance art, use ceramics vocabulary, and demonstrate craftsmanship in working with clay.
Curated OER
New York State Testing Program: English Language Arts Book 2
Practice listening and writing skills with this resource. This is a test created by the New York State Testing Program. Learners listen to a passage called "Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa" twice and write responses to the selection. They...
Curated OER
Use of Symbolism to Convey the Author's Message - The Negro Speaks of Rivers
Students identify the literary devices, symbolism, and first-person narration in the poem A Negro Speaks of Rivers. In this poem analysis lesson, students discuss African Americans and the Harlem Renaissance. Students watch a video about...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Jacob Lawrence's Migration Series: Removing the Mask
Describe, analyze, compare and contrast poets from the Harlem Renaissance. Critical thinkers analyze the imagery, characterization, tone, symbolism, and historical context of Jacob Lawrence, Helene Johnson, and Paul Laurence Dunbar. A...
Curated OER
The Harlem Renaissance
Students, after researching/analyzing the movement "Harlem Renaissance" and Africa as well as reading literature from that time period, create lists of the major characteristics of the movement and its important writers. They bridge the...
Curated OER
The Geography of Renaissance
Students use the internet to research the geography of the Renaissance. Using maps of Europe, they identify at least three key cities during the time period and discuss the main types of transportation. They research the various customs...
National Endowment for the Arts
Teacher's Guide: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
A 10-lesson unit takes high schoolers through a novel study of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. To start, students learn about Fitzgerald's background and gain historical context that prepares them for a reading of the book. The...
Curated OER
Murals, Memories, and Making Art
Fourth grade reading students study art works by famous artists. They use various tools for learning about the artist, and they present their information by writing and speaking about the artist. They also create artwork in the style of...
Curated OER
Art & Culture Influence Each Other
Young scholars compare and contrast the effects of culture upon the community and visa versa. In groups, students create Chumash style artwork and proportioned sculptures. They examine the perspective of the Renaissance Period and...
Curated OER
Ceramic Relief Portrait
Eighth graders use draped slab and slab method to create a relief sculpture, adding coil and slab decoration. They study facial features and form them in clay. They study symbolism in Renaissance relief terra cottas.
Curated OER
Music in West Africa
Students explore power and the symbols of power in West African music. They discuss the music of West Africa and compare it to African American music of today. In addition, they investigate musical instruments of Africa, identify the...
Curated OER
Who Am I? My Coat of Arms
Fifth graders put their coat of arms on a HyperStudio card. They explain in three paragraphs why they selected the pictures.
Curated OER
Making Akan Gold Weights and Understanding their Proverbial Meanings
Students examine a variety of gold weights used by the Asante in West Africa. In groups, they discuss the purpose of the gold weights and practice saying proverbs associated with different pieces of art. To end the instructional...
American Documentary
American Aloha: Hula Beyond Hawai'i
In this lesson, high schoolers will examine Hawaii's issues of colonization, authority, authenticity and cultural identity, and understand the distinction between native and non-native Hawaiians. This lesson includes links to videos,...