Curated OER
Balance in Visual Art
High schoolers examine works of art to develop an understanding of the importance of visual balance in works of art and nature. Students research artists and their artwork for examples of visual balance. High schoolers create works of...
Curated OER
The Meaning of Rock Art
Learners examine the significance of rock art. They discuss and view examples of historical rock art, and create a design on a rock that tells a story using African and American symbols.
Curated OER
Harlem Renaissance: Pivotal Period in the Development of Afro-American Culture
Students examine the time period of the Harlem Renaissance. In groups, they compare and contrast the type of art before and after the movement along with the state of society at the time. After reading a book on the topic of their...
Curated OER
Gaining Ground
Students explore African-American art by researching, preparing and presenting reports on particular artists. They analyze what they have learned through the lens of modernism.
Curated OER
Internet Art Research
Fourth graders choose two artists from a Yahooligans search of African-American artists, answer questions on an artist Biography Checksheet, and write an essay on the differences and siimilarities of the two styles.
Curated OER
Visualizing Jazz Scenes From the Harlem Renaissance
Students identify themes of selected nonfiction, fiction, poetry and art to Harlem Renaissance jazz and describe the impact of jazz on African-American literature of the Harlem Renaissance
Curated OER
Art Exploration-A Global Approach
A high school unit focuses on a discipline-based study of artworks from many times, places, and cultures. Addressing historical works of art as well as modern techniques, the unit illustrates how a traditional organizational structure...
Curated OER
Stolen Property or Finders Keepers
Students explore the questionable acquisition of priceless artworks gained as spoils of World War II. They become investigators and reporters looking into the matter of ownership of the world's greatest art.
Curated OER
Romare Bearden
Students identify artwork by Romare Bearden and to explain his techniques. They look for cut and pasted papers and images, paint, ink and pencil designs, shapes and spaces and the rhythms therein. They listen to music by looking at...
Curated OER
Breaking the Chains: Rising Out of Circumstances
Study history through photographs. For this visual arts and history lesson, students learn to analyze photographs to discover details about life during the Civil War era. Students write journal entries as if they are the African-American...
Curated OER
Medieval Ethiopia, Mali and Nigeria: The Influence of Culture in Africa
Students are introduced to the concept of cultural diffusion. In groups, they identify the culture of Mali, Nigeria and Ethiopia and work together to research how cultural diffusion has changed the country. To end the lesson, they...
Curated OER
Comparing Cultures Through Symbols
Students examine symbols used by the Plains Indians. Using examples of African art, they discuss what symbols they use that relate to the Native American symbols. They compare and contrast the two cultures and discuss as a class to end...
Curated OER
The Art of El Anasui: Creating a Mural with Discarded/Recycled Objects
Learners create murals that feature recycled objects. In this West African art lesson, students examine artwork by El Anatsui and his commentary on social issues. Learners then create murals in the style of El Anatsui using discarded...
Curated OER
Romare Bearden: Piecing Together A Viewpoint
Students examine the history of Romare Bearden and her artwork. The lesson consists of some virtual field trips and projects. The lesson is designed to be taught as either a social studies or art lesson. The teacher could also teach this...
Curated OER
Bearden Art-Making Workshop
Students are able to create their own collages using some of the same kinds of images and materials Bearden used. They put to use some of the Bearden techniques they observed in the reproduction/slide lecture and explore to...
Curated OER
A Bird's Eye View of the Caribbean: Art, Folklore, and Music
Students examine the Caribbean in terms of its music, art, and folklore. As a class, they listen to a folktale and discuss the difference between telling a story and reading a story. In groups, they write their own folktale and share...
Curated OER
The Art of Romare Bearden
Students are introduced to the art of Romare Bearden. Using a packet, they discover Bearden's theme of family and African-American history in his art. After viewing specific examples of his artwork, they identify the ways in which he...
Curated OER
Encoded Meanings
Students explore symbols in art and complete related activities. In this art symbols lesson, students compare symbols they recognize to those of an African culture. Students create a collaborative work of art with symbols that have an...
Curated OER
James Van Der Zee
Students recognize James Van Der Zee as an outstanding photographer who documented and reflected life in Harlem during the 1920s. They identify important aspects of Van Der Zee's life and artwork and compose and shoot their own...
Curated OER
Animal Encounters
Students use their visualizing and interpreting skills to produce original writings and artwork.
Curated OER
Impact on Your Essence
Learners are introduced to the use of symbolism and how it can change one's view of a piece of art. Using a piece of art, they view it as if they were the artist and create a symbol that accompanies it. They discuss the impact of two-...
Brooklyn Museum
Lorna Simpson: Gathered
Lorna Simpson is a photographer who has put together a collection of photos from the 1950s in order to challenge the idea that primary source documents are objective in their portrayal of history. Learners are introduced to Ms. Simpson's...
Library of Virginia
An Overview of American Slavery
The final lesson in a unit study of American slavery asks young historians to synthesize what they have learned about how slavery in America changed over time. Revisiting the many documents they have examined, they consider the economic,...
Akron Art Museum
Storytelling Resist
The illustrations of Ezra Jack Keats in The Snowy Day inspire young artists to examine shapes in illustrations and to use these shapes to create their own watercolor resist painting.