Curated OER
Lesson: Urban China: Contemporary China
The urbanization and consumerism of modern China is the hot topic up for critical analysis. Kids view a series of photographs that specifically describe Chinese modernization, urbanization, consumerism, and waste. They discuss each...
National Gallery of Canada
Urban Scenes
Select a theme together to guide and inspire works of art. Class members view images of art and discuss the images of cities. After choosing a theme, individuals create posters that reflect and contribute to the theme. They can use paint...
Curated OER
Lesson: An Exploration of Places and Spaces Part I
The concept behind this lesson is fantastic. Learners explore how different locations and situations affect them as individuals, focusing heavily on the impact of the urban environment. They question how location can make them change...
Curated OER
Lesson: Mathias Poledna: Crystal Palace
Film analysis takes critical thinking, connections, and context. Upper graders look at the film installation, Crystal Palace in terms of the film makers choices, presentation, and perspective of truth. After an analytical discussion...
Art Institute of Chicago
Urban Space
The use of perspective is clear in Paris Street; Rainy Day by Gustave Caillebotte. Pupils study and discuss this example, marking the vanishing points and horizon line of a photocopy of the piece. They then create their own urban scene...
Little Kids Rock
The Latin Rhythms of “Despacito”
When you hear the first few beats of "Despacito," the unrivaled Latin pop hit of 2017, you can't keep your feet from moving! A music analysis lesson plan examines the intoxicating hit by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee and introduces the...
Washington University in St. Louis
Teaching Jazz as American Culture
Jazz and the City, Jazz and the Civil Rights Movement, Jazz and Gender, Jazz and Literature, Jazz and the Arts, Jazz and Film. Here's a packet of unit plans organized around themes that reflect American culture. Each unit examines how...
Curated OER
The blues highway: An integration of music with geography
Students analyze the movement of the blues from rural Mississippi to urban Chicago and how place and the environment affected the development of the blues. They define the blues, where it originated and how and why it moved to Chicago....
Curated OER
Reaching for the Sky
Students consider features of skyscraper using descriptive words, reflect on notion of skyscraper as orientation point in a city, and explore New York Times Building in Manhattan by reading and discussing article, "Pride and Nostalgia...
National Gallery of Canada
Urban Panorama
How can a photographer use images to represent a topic? Over the course of three days, learners discuss various photographs and practice their picture-taking skills with an outdoor, panoramic photography session. They use the images...
Curated OER
What is Art?
Students become familiar with the art and architecture and history of the Chicago World's Fair. In this public arts project lesson, students compare and contrast fine art and public art through a study of the exhibits at the...
Curated OER
Exporing Our Community
Students explore attributes of the community in which they live. They compare rural, urban and suburban communities and attempt to classify their own community. Each group illustrates their assigned area by drawing buildings, trees,...
Curated OER
Online —On Stage—and Action
Use your tablets to participate in a culture-sharing project with a class in a foreign country. Your class can communicate and share ideas with a class in another country, swapping information regarding language and culture. Together you...
Curated OER
Proud Pilgrim Hats
Students research authentic information about the clothing worn by urban European immigrants who came to live in the Wampanoag village of Patuxet (now Plymouth, Massachusetts) in 1620. They recognize the types of hats worn by men and...
Curated OER
Paris, a XIXth- Century City
Students plan a visit to Musse d'Orsay to examine Paris in the 19th century. In this visual arts lesson, students explore the Haussmanian period and urban life in the 19th century. Students discuss the relationship between...
Curated OER
Rise of the Modern City
Students analyze art that depicts the modern city and the effects the modern world had on artists. In this art analysis lesson, students view examples of modern city art and answer questions for each example. Students research Derain's...
Curated OER
Building Relations
Young scholars examine the relationships between particular landmarks and their home cities. They create posters illustrating the various connections and write scripts that could be used by tour guides.
Curated OER
The Blues: The Father of Rock And Roll
Middle schoolers examine influence The Blues had on Rock and Roll and the concomitant social, political, and economic factors and movements during the post-World War II period. Students then research and create multimedia reports on...
Curated OER
National Dairy Month
Students make ice cream, make lists of dairy products, discuss cows, and more to celebrate National Dairy Month. In this dairy lesson plan, students also sing songs about dairy.
Curated OER
Critical Consumerism: Videos and Teen Culture
Young scholars analyze music videos as a study on teen culture. In this teen culture lesson, students view music videos and track a different aspect of the videos for male representation, female representation, racial representation,...
Curated OER
WebQuest on 1940/1950 Harlem
Students perform a WebQuest to fin out why Harlem was an attractive place for African Americans to live. Small groups perform the research together, and report to the class.
Curated OER
Map Making Exercise
Students complete a Web Quest in order to determine why Harlem was an attractive place for African Americans to live. They study a map of Harlem in the 1930's.
Curated OER
Lesson: Lisa Signal: Altering Perspectives
Kids make big artistic gestures, just like the abstract artist, Lisa Signal. They use her work as inspiration for making simplistic, abstract, statements in an artistic way. They analyze her work, then walk through an unfamiliar...
Curated OER
Mount Auburn Cemetery
Students use photos, maps and reading materials to examine the history and role of Mount Auburn Cemetery. They analyze the landscape of the cemetery, consider how it affects visitor's emotions and feelings and then design an original...