Curated OER
Investigating the Harlem Renaissance
The work of Langston Hughes opens the door to research into the origin and legacy of the Harlem Renaissance and how the literature of the period can be viewed as a commentary on race relations in America. In addition, groups are assigned...
Curated OER
The Body Talks
Young historians examine the gestures of human subjects represented in Mannerist, Baroque and Renaissance paintings. After they play charades and attempt to match dialogue with body language, learners create a drawing that includes...
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
Heroes Portrait
Eighth graders investigate art appreciation and Renaissance portraits through time. They create a portrait.
John F. Kennedy Center
Musical Harlem: How Is Jazz Music Reflective of the Harlem Renaissance?
Bring jazz music and the Harlem Renaissance to light with a lesson plan that challenges scholars to research and create. Pupils delve deep into information materials to identify jazz terminology, compare types of jazz and jazz musicians,...
Curated OER
National Gallery of Art: Leonardo da Vinci
Students study a portrait of Ginevra by Leonardo da Vinci. In this art appreciation lesson, students study this unique double-sided work by Leonardo da Vinci and are asked to create their own double-sided piece of art.
Curated OER
The South, the North and the Great Migration: Blues and Literature
Here is a complex lesson plan that interweaves the history of the Jim Crow South and the Great Migration with the study of poetry, art, and blues music from the Harlem Renaissance. The plan helps young historians develop a deep...
Curated OER
Smile For Leonardo
Students engage in a lesson that focuses upon the artwork of Leonardo Da Vinci. They are introduced to a biographical sketch of the artist with the guidance of the teacher. Students recall an emotional experience and think of the feeling...
Curated OER
Jazz In America
Students gain a fundamental understanding of the role of jazz in the Harlem Renaissance. They explain its historical significance and cultural implications.
Curated OER
The Birth of a Dynasty
Students view a video about the rise of the Medici family of Renaissance Italy. They complete a chart comparing Medieval Europe to Renaissance Italy.
Curated OER
West African Art
Students engage in a lesson that is concerned with the concept of West African Art. They conduct research using a variety of resources. They focus upon the history, geography, economics, and political systems. The information is used to...
Curated OER
Greek Vase Painting Project
Students create authentic Greek paintings on clay tiles using knowledge learned about Greek art and painting techniques. This lesson is highly adaptable and can be accomplished in less than a week if focus is altered and less time is...
Curated OER
Louisa May Alcott: The Candle and the Mirror
Students discuss the life of Louisa May Alcott and create an outline of a biography of her life and times. In this Louisa May Alcott lesson, students explore the Transcendentalist involvement in the abolitionist movement, relating...
Curated OER
The Lost Frescoes
Students explore the life and art of Giotto and his use of perspective in his drawings. They then write a short paper about how political support needs to be generated for community action to save objects of art. They investigate what...
Curated OER
Romare Bearden and the Face Collage
Fourth graders create a collage from magazines and newspapers to create a face. After finishing the face, they use mixed media to complete the background. They write their own description and examine the life and works of Romare Beardon.
Curated OER
Marian Anderson: From Page to Stage
Students become immersed in a compelling anecdote of the civil rights movement through the experience of constructing dramatic scripts. An added goal is to equip students, through this "hands-on" experience, to critique dramatic...
Curated OER
Digital Portfolio
Students work together using The Tool Factory Workshop to create memories for the entire school year. They (sixth graders) help the kindergarten with field day, grade level parties, local field trips, learning computer applications, and...
Curated OER
Not Everyone Lived in Castles During the Middle Ages
Students complete a variety of online activities surrounding their study of the Middle Ages. They focus on the various levels of the class sytem and then role play a member of a given class.
American Documentary
American Aloha: Hula Beyond Hawai'i
In this lesson plan, students will examine Hawaii's issues of colonization, authority, authenticity and cultural identity, and understand the distinction between native and non-native Hawaiians. This lesson plan includes links to videos,...
Curated OER
Japanese Objects as Cultural Artifacts: A Model Lesson Using Textiles
Middle schoolers complete a unit on the cultural significance of textiles in the Japanese culturre. They analyze cotton, line, silk, and wool fabrics, examine various fabric creation and decoration techniques, select an object and write...
![Arts Now Learning: Mona Mesa: What Is Your Opinion? [Pdf] Lesson Plan](https://d15y2dacu3jp90.cloudfront.net/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/FPO-knovation.png "Arts Now Learning: Mona Mesa: What Is Your Opinion? [Pdf] Lesson Plan")
ArtsNow
Arts Now Learning: Mona Mesa: What Is Your Opinion? [Pdf]
For this lesson, 1st graders look at a print of "Mona Lisa" by Leonardo DaVinci and talk about what they see, searching for visual clues to help them form an opinion. They discuss the importance of portrait paintings during the...
PBS
Pbs: Language Arts: Lesson Plans: Language Arts: Shakespeare's Sonnets
The purpose of this instructional activity is to help students cope with unfamiliar language in Shakespeare's sonnets and to help them understand and appreciate both what he says and how he says it.
ArtsNow
Arts Now Learning: Self Portraits With the Touch of a Finger [Pdf]
In this lesson, students will explore self-portraiture by looking at classical portrait paintings, such as Diego Velazquez's La Infanta Margarita or Raphael's Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione. A close look at these works reveals...