Curated OER
The American Wilderness? How 19th Century American Artists Viewed the Separation of Civilization and Nature
The attitudes of European settlers toward the American wilderness, as reflected in art and literature, is the focus of this resource packet designed for teachers. Included in the unit overview you will find lists or paintings and works...
State Bar of Texas
Sweatt v. Painter
Is separate but equal actually equal? The 1950 Supreme Court case Sweatt v. Painter discusses the law of segregation and inequality. Scholars investigate the impact of the case on the desegregation of public schools across the nation...
Curated OER
An American Scene Painter
Students study the work of American scene painter Charles Burchfield. In this visual arts lesson, students research the nature paintings of Burchfield and then paint their own watercolor scenes in his style.
Curated OER
Latin American Film
Students explore the Latin American film industry. In this Latin American film lesson, students compare Latin American films to American films as they watch segments of "Que Viva Mexico!" Students research the painters on the film and...
Curated OER
The Harlem Renaissance: Black American Traditions
Students examine the time period of the Harlem Renaissance. As a class, they are introduced to five artists and discuss their art and techniques. Using the internet, they also research the philosophers of the time period and how...
Yale University
The Harlem Renaissance: Black American Traditions
Aaron Douglas, Meta Warrick Fuller, Palmer Hayden, William Johnson, and James Lesesne Wells, the painters and sculptors of the Harlem Renaissance, are featured in a unit study of artists of the Harlem Renaissance.
Curated OER
Romanticism 1800-1860
What do Roger Chillingworth, Dr. Heidegger, and Ethan Brand have in common? They are all American literature poster boys for Romanticism, advertising the dangers of valuing reason over feeling and intuition. Introduce your class to...
Curated OER
Immigrants Who Built America
Students research the lives of ten famous immigrant Americans. They conduct research, and match names with the accomplishments of famous immigrants on a worksheet.
Library of Congress
The Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance brought forth many American art forms including jazz, and the writings of Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes. Using a carefully curated set of documents from the Library of Congress, pupils see the cultural...
Curated OER
Frederick Remington
A simple, fifteen-slide presentation on some of American artist Frederick Remington's works is here for you. While there isn't any text associated with each slide, there are some fantastic examples of his work shown. He was both a...
Curated OER
Early American Portraits: a Strategy for Learning About Artists and Their Works
Learners study artworks from several different artists. They compare and contrast these works and examine the historical background of the artist and his or her times.
They develop the capacity to think critically and communicate their...
Curated OER
Colonial Identity
Learners research and discuss the origins of the American colonies and explore how colonists were still influenced by English culture. As a follow-up project, students produce a portrait of an individual.
Curated OER
Zora Hurston Teacher's Guide
Students explore American culture by reading classic literature in class. In this African-American history activity, students read the story Zora Hurston and the Chinaberry Tree while identifying the work and contributions of the real...
Curated OER
African-American Artists
Learners conduct research on a chosen African-American artist. They research how the artist's community influenced his art, analyze how themes are conveyed through the art, and create a collage depicting the artist's themes.
Curated OER
American Transcendentalism and Buddhism:
High schoolers study American transcendentalism through readings of Emerson and Thoreau. They make cognitive connections to the similarities to Buddhism in these writings. The connection of the literary movement is explained in the art...
Curated OER
Images of the Parks
Students explore U.S. geography by completing a research project about the National Parks. In this scenery image analysis lesson, students identify the different national parks in our country and observe paintings and images by famous...
Curated OER
Plum Stone Dice Game
Young scholars read about a Native American dice game online. They make replica games, and practice playing with them. They predict the outcome of the dice rolls by completing a dice throw chart.
Brooklyn Museum
Youth and Beauty: Art of the American Twenties
While the lesson is lacking in procedure, it does provide a wealth of information on artist Yasuo Kuniyoshi. Information on his life, art, and inspirations can provide you with insights into creating learning activities that convey the...
Curated OER
Dear Miss Florence: Writing Letters To the Boardinghouse for Artists
Imagine being one of the painters in 1910 at the Lyme Art Colony in Connecticut. Using the Florence Griswold Museum's on-line resources to gather information about the daily life of artists at the boardinghouse, learners write a letter...
San Diego Museum of Art
Atmospheric Perspective Watercolor Painting
How do artists create the illusion of depth and distance on a flat surface? Young landscape painters explore techniques like color saturation and detail placement that create atmospheric perspective.
Curated OER
Introduction To Acrylic Painting and the Work of Wayne Thiebaud
Seventh graders explore the basics of composition, acrylic painting techniques, and color theory, examine works of the American painter Wayne Thiebaud, and create still lifes using three pieces of candy.
Curated OER
Colonial Trades and Apprenticeships
Students examine and analyze culturally significant objects from colonial Boston. They construct a story around the life and work of Nathaniel Hurd from a list of keywords excerpted from a passage about Nathaniel Hurd. In addition, they...
Curated OER
The Civil Rights Movement
Young scholars compare and contrast African-American, Asian-American, Chicano and Native-American movements with the civil rights movement and are exposed to the sociopolitical and economic factors involved in the rise of social movements.
Curated OER
Unsung Heroes of the Civil Rights Movement
Students analyze historic rulings that played roles in the Civil Rights Movement. In this civil right lesson, students research Internet and print sources regarding Plessy v. Ferguson, Sipuel v. Board of Regents of the University of...