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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African American Literature in Art

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students compare art and literature by examining a contemporary painting by Glenn Ligon and the essay by James Baldwin that inspired it. They write an essay about a personal experience that relates to the theme of being an "outsider."
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Rise and Fall of the Jim Crow Era

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore African American history by researching the Jim Crow laws. In this Civil Rights lesson, students define the Jim Crow laws, the reasons they were put into place, and how they were ultimately defeated. Students write a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Colored Pencil Repoussé

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Artists employ a basic metalworking technique by embossing lines and textures into a soft metal. They look for examples of embossed metals in historical and contemporary examples. This fascinating process has been used by many cultures...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: Looking Closer: The Artwork of Shinique Smith

For Teachers 9th - 12th
A critical discussion regarding the nature of Shinique Smith's second-hand clothing art is the foundation for the lesson. Critical thinkers fully analyze the meaning behind her work, taking close consideration of where the clothing came...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Harlem Renaissance

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students investigate the African American culture in the 1920's and the Harlem Renaissance. They read and analyze poems written by poets of the Harlem Renaissance, listen to jazz music and identify the characteristics of the music, and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson 12- Quincy Jones:What Makes an American Master?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students study the life of Quincy Jones and research black music for selected decades of the 20th Century. They discuss the qualities that help one create and sustain a successful career. They design a timeline of what their future...
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Lesson Plan
Syracuse University

Harlem Renaissance

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The music and literature of the Harlem Renaissance defined American culture, including its poetry. Using a poem from the period, individuals explore its musical qualities and how it is reflective of the period. Then, they use what they...
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Lesson Plan
John F. Kennedy Center

Harriet Tubman: An Informative and Impressionistic Look

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Informational text and impressionistic art lead a lesson about Harriet Tubman. Working in teams, scholars examine a variety of resources. They analyze, compare, and contrast the work.  Using their research findings, pupils create an...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Deep like Rivers: Four African American Poets of the 1920s and 1930s

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine work by outstanding African American poets from the time period of the 1920s and 1930s. They study aspects of American and African American social, cultural and artistic history that influenced the content of some of the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

CULTURAL COMPARISON OF NATIVE AMERICANS AND PILGRIMS

For Teachers 1st
First graders explore the practices and products of the two cultures. They build log cabins and teepees or Hogans, make costumes, use vocabulary and Native American symbols to write stories, create art products such as pinch pots and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Invisible People: American Art and Literature Represents the Marginalized and Disenfranchised

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers view various pieces of art and sculptures which demonstrates people who are marginalized and invisible. While viewing the art, they are read excerpts of different pieces of literature in which they determine why the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Parallel Studies in American/Afro-American Literature, Part II -- Black and White Images in Alienation

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students begin the instructional activity with a review of the elements of poetry. Individually, they read a variety of poems and literature one white and one black author focusing on decay, sterility and alienation. They identify...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Harlem Renaissance: Pivotal Period in the Development of Afro-American Culture

For Teachers 9th - 10th
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...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Say It Loud!: A Celebration Of Black Music In America - Lesson 5

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify many genres of Black music. They listen to examples of black artists playing songs of social concious, then identify issues that are addressed by today's Black artists.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African American Heritage in Arkansas

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students research and write about three African American composers from Arkansas: Scott Joplin, Florence Price and William Grant Still.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Say It Loud!: A Celebration Of Black Music in America - Episode 3: Can I Get A Witness: Lesson 2

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students watch a video on spiritual music, then engage in a discussion about the artists and styles mentioned in the video. They discuss vocal improvisation, and engage in a call and response to "This Little Light Of Mine.'
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African American Scavenger Hunt

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
In this African American music history worksheet, students research the history of African American music. Students then answer the fifteen questions.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Expressions - Activity 1

For Teachers 6th - 11th
Students create wax sculptures of a full body using mathematical calculations and information gathered from a video in this excellent art project. The lesson can be used along or within the unit provided.
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Lesson Plan
Brooklyn Museum

HIDE/SEEK: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Visual arts lessons don't always mean the children need to make art. Here, they will practice using their visual literacy skills to analyze four images through the compare and contrast method. The first two images deal with gender...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Black and Blue

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students create print advertisements that persuade viewers to visit African-American history museums by detailing their artistic, cultural, and historical benefits.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Zora Hurston Teacher's Guide

For Teachers 1st - 4th
Students explore American culture by reading classic literature in class. For this African-American history lesson, students read the story Zora Hurston and the Chinaberry Tree while identifying the work and contributions of the real...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Motown Dynasty (1969-1980) Part 2

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students connect achievements of noted artists with their roles in the music industry. They identify many Black music industry leaders and their contributions with the Motown Sound.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Langston Hughes: Artist and Historian

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners examine the life and works of Langston Hughes. In groups, they research the characteristics of the Harlem Renaissance and how Hughes' poems relate to the era. They use the themes in his writings and relate it to the Great...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Say It Loud!: A Celebration Of Black Music In America Music In America

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners study early New Orleans Jazz music and recognize Louis Armstrong as an early jazz artist. They recognize the elements and roots of Jazz.