Curated OER
Menorah Banner Lesson Plan
Learners investigate Chanukah, the Jewish Festival of Lights and examine the role of the Menorah during the celebration. They determine how dreidel, latkes, and the daily lighting of the Menorah are special to Jewish families. Finally,...
Curated OER
Mongolian Herders' Homes Lesson Plan
Students investigate the lives and homes of Mongolian nomadic herders. They determine how the climate, available building supplies, and cultural traditions influence how the homes are built. Using art supplies, they make a replica of a...
University of Chicago
Using Artifacts for Clues About Identity
Learn about the ancient Near East through a close examination of ancient artifacts. Lead your class into analysis by first observing an artifact as a class. Pupils can then work in pairs to analyze the other artifacts and compile a list...
Stanford University
Voices of the Struggle: The Continual Struggle for Equality
As part of a study of the Civil Rights Movement from 1868 to the present, class members examine first person narratives, the Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education, and other significant events in civil rights history....
Scholastic
The First Thanksgiving Feast for Grades 6–8
It's time for the feast! Young historians complete their study of the First Thanksgiving by completing an online activity, watching a slideshow, and examining a First Thanksgiving timeline. After answering text-dependent questions to...
National Endowment for the Humanities
The Beauty of Anglo-Saxon Poetry: A Prelude to Beowulf
Riddle me this! What do kennings, caesura, and alliteration have to do with the Nowell Codex? Introduce class members to Anglo-Saxon poetry and prepare readers for a study of Beowulf with a series of activities that...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Animal Farm: Allegory and the Art of Persuasion
Introduce your class members to allegory and propaganda with a series of activities designed to accompany a study of George Orwell's Animal Farm. Readers examine the text as an allegory, consider the parallels to collective farms...
Curated OER
Siesta Pillow
Students investigate the culture of Mexico through the medium of visual art. They conduct research using a variety of resources. The information is used as inspiration for creating their own pillows with the use of fabric markers.
Adult Fiction by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Ghost Boys: Educator Guide
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,...
Curated OER
Lesson: Creative Containers
Even functional everyday objects can be highly ornate and thoughtfully designed. Art analysts look at the form and function of an Inca jug used to transport liquid. They consider this jug in relation to other jugs fashioned throughout...
Curated OER
Sport as Social Ritual
Students become familiar with the sport that became a social ritual in ancient American cultures, examining its importance. They gain an understanding of how contemporary sports have acquired importance within modern American culture.
Curated OER
World War I Art and Artists
Students examine the art of World War I. In this World War I art lesson, students research paintings and artists of the era. Students role play the artists they research and explain their lives and paintings to their classmates.
Curated OER
Art Imitating Life
Students investigate art to discover the role of women in history. In this fine arts lesson, students examine art pieces from the Internet and identify the time period and the civilization it came from. Students discuss their observations.
Curated OER
Abraham Lincoln and the Arts
Young scholars engage in a study of history and how the figure of Abraham Lincoln has evolved into a national cultural icon. They discuss the importance of his life and how he influenced the political landscape of America in the past and...
Curated OER
Lesson Plan for "Little Red Riding Hood"
Grow young performers with storytelling. Elementary schoolers listen to the story "Little Red Riding Hood" by Mike Lockett, highlighting dialogue as they listen, and then act out the story. This is based on a story told by Mike Lockett...
Curated OER
Lesson: Michael Blum: National Identity at a Distance
Immigration, refugees, and cultural change due to the movement of people around the globe is discussed. Learners examine the work of Michael Blum to gain an understanding of how national and cultural identities shift due to immigration....
National Endowment for the Humanities
Chronicling America: Uncovering a World at War
As part of a study of World War I, class members read newspaper articles from the time that urge American involvement, non-involvement, or neutrality. Using the provided worksheet, groups analyze the articles noting the central argument...
Global Oneness Project
Freedom to Change
Here's something unusual and thoughtful: have your scholars do some pensive reflection themselves before tackling how such meditative techniques are used in prison rehabilitation programs. They watch the...
Curated OER
1920s Variety Show
To better understand the cultural achievements of the Harlem Renaissance and become familiar with its major figures, class members examine a painting by Aaron Douglas and a poem by Langston Hughes and compare how the artists develop...
Curated OER
African Artist El Anatsui as a Reflection of African Culture: Human Rights Issues and Activism Through Art
Students explore global issues through visual art analysis. For this African art lesson, students examine works by El Anatsui and discussing their human rights themes. Students then design lesson plans based on their findings.
J. Paul Getty Trust
Expressing Emotions through Art Lesson 4—Everybody Celebrates
Young scholars create a celebratory hat after viewing images of artwork depicting people celebrating an event. In this artistic perception lesson plan, students discover why people celebrate their accomplishments and how to express...
Curated OER
Global Music Patterns- Islamic Art
Young scholars compose music using Islamic patterns. In this cultural arts lesson, students examine Islamic art and analyze the patterns. Young scholars incorporate various Islamic patterns into a musical composition.
National Gallery of Canada
Build Me a Legend
Legends are full of imagery and action. Transfer a scene from a legend to a three-dimensional art piece. Class members first view Inuit art and discuss legends. They then build scenes that include action, setting, and characters.
Curated OER
Stained Glass Art - Activity 1
Students examine stained glass art techniques in this introductory lesson provided by Oregon Public Broadcasting. The unit emphasizes student created representations of stained glass art.