University of Minnesota
Beautiful Brain: Do You See What I See?
Can art play tricks on your eyes, and can a still painting really appear to vibrate? The second instructional activity in a four-part series discusses the way our beautiful brains translate visual images. It highlights the style of...
University of Minnesota
Beautiful Brain: Strangest Dream
Do words change or add meaning or interest to a work of art? The final lesson in a four-part series on the beautiful brain as a work of art focuses on art analysis. Scholars write a story about exploring art from the inside. Reflections...
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This Ain't No Tea Party!
Create food-safe bowls with your class, then organize a meal for the community using the class's bowls to serve. This lesson is based on the Empty Bowels Project, where school kids gain an understanding of global hunger through community...
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Birch Bark Biting
Fifth graders create birch bark biting art pieces. For this aboriginal art lesson, 5th graders produce art using birch bark. Students present their art pieces and explain their designs.
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Exploring Egyptian Culture and Pyramids
Students access a variety of Egyptian Culture and pyramid related resources on the Internet. They explore various websites, read articles, create an Egyptian art figure, construct a model of a pyramid, and describe the mummification...
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Exploring Our Cultural Heritage Through Art
Students research the art of selected cultures. In this visual arts lesson, students compose essays after they conduct independent research on the art of a culture. Students also create art proposals that feature the attributes of the...
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Greek Mythology: Cultures and Art
Students examine literary arts. For this Greek mythology lessons, students read Greek myths and select characters from the myths to study. Students create watercolor illustrations of the characters, write short stories about the...
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Culture Box
Sixth graders are asked what is culture? They find out their family history and all the nationalities represented in their family. Students discuss their culture with the class. They create culture boxes with a design that integrates...
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Enduring Cultures
Students research the art, dance or a game from the Pacific Northwest Coast Aborigines. In this Canadian Cultures lesson, students view a PowerPoint about the Inuits. Students choose a game , type of artwork or dance to research....
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CULTURAL COMPARISON OF NATIVE AMERICANS AND PILGRIMS
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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My Own Cultural Traditions
Students complete a worksheet on personal traditions. In this cultural traditions lesson, students discuss what a cultural tradition is and why they are important to the members of the culture. Students distinguish between cultural...
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Comparing Cultural Holidays
Third graders explore art that reflects their cultural background. For this writing and research lesson students compare and contrast the Halloween with El Dia de los Muertos. Students study the visual art of these holidays. Then...
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Building Bridges for Young Learners--Culture
Young scholars explore the concept of "culture." In this cross curriculum literacy and world history lesson, students listen to a letter written by a child from Namibia, then compare and contrast life in Africa with their own life. Young...
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Hispanic Arts: Visual Arts, Dance and Music
Students observe global cultures by listening to music and watching videos. In this Latin American dance instructional activity, students define merengue, salsa and other dances from the Hispanic culture while listening to Latin rhythm...
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Ofelia Romero The Maya Culture and Civilization
Fifth graders investigate the Mayan culture, number system, alphabet, hieroglyphics, history, civilization, artistry, and sports in this series of lessons.
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Culture Collage
Young scholars investigate their cultural heritage and make observations on how much influence their past has on their current values and lifestyle. They brainstorm a list of things that represent a certain country or cultural heritage...
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African Artist El Anatsui as a Reflection of African Culture: Human Rights Issues and Activism Through Art
Students explore global issues through visual art analysis. In this African art lesson plan, students examine works by El Anatsui and discussing their human rights themes. Students then design lesson plans based on their findings.
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VH1 AIDS: A Pop Culture History Lesson 3
Young scholars investigate the relationship between music and culture, and how music conveys thoughts and emotions. They write their own song.
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Art of Mask Making
Students make an African mask. In this culture and heritage lesson, students view samples of African masks and learn about the importance of these masks. Students visit the African Art Museum website to view the styles of mask making. ...
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Understanding Native American Culture
Ninth graders explore Native American culture. In this early Americans lesson, 9th graders will visit several stations around the room and examine native American artifacts then draw comparisons to other cultures. Students will then...
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AIH-14: Changes to American Indian Cultures
Students explore American Indian cultures and changes caused by European exploration in North America.
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How Do Artists Get Their Ideas? Culture and Environment as Sources of Ideas
Students share the difficulties they have in determining what to write or draw for a project. In groups, they view examples from three different artists and discuss how their personal experiences affected their art. They brainstorm a...
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Important Contributions to American Culture
Fifth graders explore the contributions of different cultures to the American landscape. Students work in groups and use a variety of resources to create a presentation about a group that emigrated to America.
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The Affects of Environment on Native American Culture
Young scholars research the culture of the Native Americans. In this U.S. History lesson, students are given the major geological areas where the Indians lived prior to the arrival of the Europeans, then they create a notebook that...