Sand mandalas are transitory art forms that are created by a group for the purpose of healing. Upper graders learn how Tibetan monks create these amazing works of art, and study symbolism and metaphor. Then pupils work together in a...

Get the scoop with a fun, engaging newspaper project. After analyzing the parts of a newspaper, including the headline, subtitles, and pictures or images, young journalists get to work by writing their own stories in a newspaper article...

Children gain first-hand experience with Native American agriculture while investigating the life cycle of plants with this engaging experiment. Focusing on what the natives called the Three Sisters - corn, beans, and squash - young...

Have your learners use their surroundings as inspiration for an art project. Class members first examine and discuss art. They then choose an area and spend five days taking down observations in written and sketch form. These...

The spirit of the Civil Rights Movement lives on in a more literal than figurative way in Ghost Boys. A focused lesson plan features Jewell Parker Rhodes' novel about ghosts of slain black teenagers, including the main character, Jerome,...

High schoolers study the issue of gender. Here, they are invited to view works of art, and read pieces of literature through history to show how the issue of gender has evolved over time. The works of Robert Harris are used extensively...

Giving gifts has been a part of the human experience since modern man walked the earth. Upper graders explore the culture of gift giving in Mayan times through an artistic analysis. They analyze gift giving and palace life as seen on an...

Indian art depicts an amazing pantheon of gods and goddesses, each having interesting powers and purposes. Young art historians use the provided images to analyze a carved sculpture of a monkey-god. They then brainstorm the attributes...

Jewell Parker Rhodes, the author of Ghost Boys, wanted to bring the historical legacy of Emmett Till and the current topic of racial prejudice into today's young readers' mindsets. Use a reading guide and set of discussion questions to...

High schoolers explore Canadian perspectives on culture and spirituality. The works of Robert Harris are utilized, as are many works of literature appropriate to the study. The four-lesson plan series culminates in the creation of a work...

Discover the functional works of art found in everyday life. Modern architecture is the focus of this highly visual presentation. Works from architectural masters such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Frank Gehry, and Le Corbusier are featured. A...

Art often captures an event or emotion from a specific time and place in history. Explore Painting of Bear and Sun Dances with your class to study how dance and celebrations were important aspects of Native American life. After...

What will become of the giraffes of Amali? Pupils participate in a large scale role-playing activity to study the art of conflict mediation. The lesson plan engages participants in the struggle between two countries and the animals...

Have you ever gone looking for one thing but ended up discovering something else? That is exactly what happened to Gaylen, a character in The Search for Delicious. Gaylen begins looking for a food to label as delicious, but...

It's the art of the image!  As part of a study of the 2020 Presidential race, groups analyze an image of a candidate, first from an objective point of view and then subjectively. They then prepare a presentation detailing what they...

Students, after researching the traditional mola art of the Kuna Indians, explore and experiment with colorful fiber arts associated with the Kuna Indians. They work as a class to create a vibrant Mola Mural to showcase contemporary and...

Youngster learn the importance of cooperation and sharing through a fun art project! Following a brief introductory discussion in which the class brainstorms how they can use their hands to share, youngster get divided into pairs to...

High schoolers are have begun to learn  the art of diplomacy with each other, but do they understand how diplomacy works at a global level?  The second in a series of four lessons, guides scholars in evaluating primary sources....

Students turn cardboard boxes into outdoor dramatic play. In this early childhood visual arts lesson plan, students explore cooperative and dramatic play outdoors by challenging children to create a train from cardboard boxes.

Prestige and status have been symbolized in many different ways throughout human history. Young art historians analyze an ancient Panamanian medallion for symbols of prestige and status, and then generate a list of other symbols of...

A unit on the 49th state covers a variety of topics from the geography of Alaska to Native American myths.  Academics work to analyze information found in primary source materials including old newspaper articles and artifacts....

While this resource is about architecture, it isn't about art. It demonstrates the differences between Romanesque and Gothic architecture to show changes in the socio-political spectrum of the time. Images and good discussion questions...

Have your class examine a very old piece of art as they consider history, chronology, geography, culture, and tradition. They discuss the concept of ritual as it is associated with religious practices and research the spread of...

A traditional textbook chapter focuses on feudal powers in Japan, and includes vocabulary, note-taking tips in the sidebar, main ideas, and follow-up assessment questions. It also incorporates opportunities for art...