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Oral History: Interviewing Elders
Sixth graders examine oral history traditions. They interview family members about their childhoods and compare them to their own. Students use the collected information to make posters, letters, essays, or poems about their research.
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Giants of the Past
Students create a paper sculpture based on ancient Greek statues. In this visual arts lesson plan, students read the book, The Mysterious Giant of Barletta and use cardstock to create their own statue. Students write a narrative story...
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Look Before You Think: How To Appreciate a Painting
Learners develop an elementary understanding of the history of art. They study the basic elements of a painting including perspective, composition, color, light and symbolism. They look at each selected painting and analyze it, moving...
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Dalai Lama Tibetan Mandala Lesson
Students explore world history by reading a children's story in class. In this Tibetan culture lesson, students identify the Dalai Lama and his contributions to both Western and Tibetan society. Students read the story The Mountains of...
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Cleopatra
Students explore, analyze and study Abstraction through an ancient Greek sculpture and then create a self-portrait utilizing geometric shapes. They actively seek how to connect the past to the present through the medium of sculpture via...
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Symbolic Patterns
Learners identify patterns and what they represent on an ancient Egyptian wall fragment. Artists often repeat shapes, lines, and forms to create patterns. Several examples of repetition and pattern appear in this wall fragment.
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Pop Up Card
Students design and create pop-up greeting cards for a special occasion in this art lesson for Kindergarten through 8th grade classrooms. The lesson includes resource links for pop-up "arm" ideas and can be accomplished in one day.
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Henri Rousseau Fantasy Jungle
Students discuss the life and artistic style of Henri Rousseau, identify traits of artistic perspective, and create paintings using simple shapes and oil pastels in this 4th through 6th grade Art Lesson. Resource links are included with...
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Thanksgiving History
First graders gain knowledge about the first Thanksgiving, how the pilgrims lived and the differences between our Thanksgiving today and the Thanksgivings of the past. They recognize different parts of the word Thanksgiving.
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Japanese Lacquerware Art Lesson
Students are introduced to the traditional form of lacquerware painting in Japan. Students imitate Japanese lacquerware techniques using paper plates, gesso and tempera paints.
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Using Primary Sources in the Classroom
Scholars study a historical photograph to make predictions of what happened right after the picture was taken. They research a variety of different topics and use primary sources to answer questions about common food, fashion trends, and...
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Painters, the Salon, and Critics, 1848-1870
Learners study the Beaux-Arts System. For this art history lesson, students explore French art between the years of 1848-1870. This lesson was written to accompany a field trip to the Musee d'Orsay.
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Orville and Wilbur Wong and the Fantastic Flying Machines
Upper elementary and middle schoolers examine the role of Chinese immigrants in America. They investigate literature, history and cultures of Chinese-Americans. This ambitious plan takes two weeks to complete, and it brings in elements...
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Egyptian Symbols: What story do they tell?
Students create a stele to represent what symbols are the most important to them. In this symbols lesson plan, students learn about Egyptian symbols, and then put their own important symbols into model magic clay according to their size...
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Symbols of Our State: Arkansas
Here are a series of lessons designed to assist early elementary learners to discover the symbols of Arkansas. They learn about the state flag, insect, state seal, state bird, flower, tree, and gem. A booklet (emedded in the plan), is...
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Striking It Rich!
Fifth graders explore the California Gold Rush. They explore the lure of gold and the Wild West, how pioneers traveled to the West, and the hardships and people they encountered along the way. Activities be authentic, hands-on, and...
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Hadrian The Emperor
Students engage in a lesson that is concerned with the historical figure of Hadrian and how he ruled the Roman Empire. They look at images drawn by artists that attempt to capture his character. Students create their own portraits of the...
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Israel & Palestine: The Fight for Peace
Young researchers explore the history of the peace process in the Middle East. They write a paper about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and view the video Israel and Palestine: The Fight for Peace. They discuss the events leading up to...
Energy for Keeps
The Energy Times
Extra! Extra! Read all about past and present energy use in a classroom-made historical newspaper. Useful as a cross-curricular assignment between science, history, and language arts, the project is sure to get young journalists...
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Ed Paschke
Students examine and discuss the artistic style and techniques of the artist Ed Paschke. They analyze various works of art by Ed Paschke, then choose an icon from art history and alter a photocopy of it using scissors and collage materials.
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Life in Ancient Mesopotamia
Students reconstruct and make drawings of vessels in the same manner as an archaeologist. In this archaeologist lesson plan, students each get a piece of a broken pot and they have to work together to put it back together. Once it is...
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Toothpick Sculpture
You'll be surprized at how much engineering, design, and creativity can go into a toothpick and a marshmallow. Learners make toothpick sculptures where they construct three-dimentional models by sticking marshmallows and toothpicks...
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Paper Plate Sunflowers
A great way to recall the parts of a flower is to make one. Little learners create sunflowers out of paint and paper plates. They also discuss and label the various parts of their flowers.
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Mythopoly: Where in the World Is Odysseus?
Students study Greek mythology. Among other activities, they evaluate a work of art and discuss the influence, significance, and history as it pertains to mythology. As a culminating activity they create a board game that shows their...