Lesson Plan
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Giving Voice to History

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students examine the plight of Japanese Americans during World War II. In this World War II lesson plan, students participate in a mock evocation simulation, research primary and secondary documents about internment camps, and share...
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Immigrating to America

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students study the American immigration experience. In this Ellis Island lesson, students research primary documents from the immigration station, take a tour of the station, and then prepare and perform dramatic presentations based on...
Lesson Plan
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Medieval and Renaissance Art: Botanical Symbolism

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students study the significance of flowers in art from two periods. In this Medieval and Renaissance art lesson, students research the presence and meaning of botanical illustrations in twelfth, thirtieth, and fourteenth century...
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Rhythm and Art: Elements of Art

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students discover the three elements of art. In this visual arts lesson, students examine line, shape, and color of works by Torres-Garcia and Picasso. Students then identify the elements of art in works by other artists.
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Writing an Original Fable

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students discover how to write fables. In this writing skill lesson, students review the literary elements of fables and take all of the steps in the writing process to create their own fables.
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First Rhythmic Composition

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Students apply fractions to counting rhythm in music. In this algebra lesson, students interrelate the concept of math into music as they fill out a chart identifying the names and symbols of music notes and their equivalent values in...
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Mandalas, Polygons and Symmetry

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students create a geometric pattern using mandalas, polygons and symmetry. In this geometry lesson plan, students analyze the mathematics involved in making the mandalas, including the shapes and symmetry. Students create their own...
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Greek Mythology: Cultures and Art

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Young scholars examine literary arts. In this Greek mythology lessons, students read Greek myths and select characters from the myths to study. Young scholars create watercolor illustrations of the characters, write short stories about...
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Writing Folktales

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students consider the structure of folktales. In this writing skills lesson plan, students list the attributes of folktales that they read in class. Students then complete handouts based on the elements of the tales as well as types of...
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Chinese Instruments

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students explore Chinese instruments. For this Chinese instrument music lesson, students listen to a performance by Liu Fang and describe the sounds they hear. Students classify western and Chinese instruments according to their...
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Understanding Tenement Life

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students look at life for immigrants in the 19th century. In this immigrant lesson, students discuss how the poor German, Irish, Italian, and Jewish immigrants lived in tenement housing. They research the reasons they came to America...
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You're Invited to a Ceili: Exploring Irish Dance

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students recognize a Ceili as an Irish dance of celebration and investigate Ireland while studying the dance.  In this Irish dance instructional activity, students search the geography of Ireland, read poetry, identify costumes,...
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Creating Comic Strips

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Learners recognize the elements needed to create a comic strip. In this comic strip lesson, student understand that comic strips need words and pictures. Students find differences and similarities in comic strips. Learners describe how...
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Comparing Tales through Performance

For Teachers K - 4th
Students compare and contrast versions of The Three Little Pigs. In this fairy tale lesson, students read 3 versions of the fairy tale and dramatize them in order to analyze the similarities and differences.
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Exploring Neighborhoods through Art

For Teachers K - 2nd
Young scholars explore neighborhoods. In this color and social studies cross-curriculum lesson, students listen to Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson, then compare and contrast neighborhoods. Young scholars mix primary...
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Harriet Tubman

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students detect specific characteristics in the paintings of Jacob Lawrence. In this collage lesson, students utilize the style of Jacob Lawrence to create works about Harriet Tubman and her life.
Lesson Plan
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Historical Figure: A Monologue

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders develop their speaking skills. For this monologue lesson, 4th graders watch their instructors model a monologue regarding Abraham Lincoln. Students apply these skills as they research a historical figure from their state...
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Making a Rainstick

For Teachers K - 4th
Young scholars construct a rainstick. In this music lesson, students investigate the history of the rainstick by reading the book Bringing the Rain to the Kapiti Plain by Verna Aardema. Young scholars express their feelings about the...
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Mountains: A Drama Exploration

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Learners dramatize the formation of mountains. In this earth formation dramatization lesson, students read Anne Issacs', Swamp Angel, and research the how the layers of the Earth move to form landforms. They work in groups to dramatize...
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Oceans-A Fact Haiku

For Teachers K - 4th
Students create haiku poems. In this poetry lesson, students listen to the sound of the ocean from an audio file and write a haiku poem about oceans.
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Making a Quilt

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students use vocabulary to describe the quilt making process. In this quilting lesson, students collect needed materials, sequence the steps for quilting and create an original peace quilt. Students write about their quilts.
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Portrait of a Place, Portrait of a Family

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Young scholars act out stories based on lives of famous people from Harlem. In this memoirs lesson, students compare the life of the people in Harlem in 1930 to the people of today. Young scholars explore how "home" is different for...
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Reliving History Through Slave Narratives

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students read slave narratives and retell the stories to the class, identifying sensory details. For this slavery lesson, students discuss the importance of sensory details, then read the slave narratives looking for specific examples. ...
Lesson Plan
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One Story, Many Tales

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students compare and contrast various versions of the fairytale Cinderella. In this folktale activity, students read The Korean Cinderella and The Egyptian Cinderella and analyze the differences between the two stories. Students identify...