The Kennedy Center: ARTSEDGE — the National Arts and Education Network

Lesson: Sundiata, Mali’s Lion King
This lesson introduces the legendary Malian king Sundiata Keita, known as the Lion King of Mali, by using elements of traditional Malian festivals.

Lesson: Sunflowers
Students grow both sunflowers and their knowledge of science and art. After exploring the work of Van Gogh and other artists, students create their own artwork.

Lesson: Swing Your Partner: The Basics of Square Dancing
This lesson will introduce students to the history of square dancing as well as provide an opportunity to learn some basic steps and formations.

Lesson: Systems of the Body: Movement and Choreography
In this lesson, students will create movement patterns that express information about the basic systems, organs, and processes of the human body.

Lesson: Tall Tales Today
In this lesson, students are introduced to the genre of American tall tales and will create an original tall tale featuring a "larger-than life" main character.

Lesson: Telling a Story Through Dance
This lesson introduces students to the concept of emotionally and physically telling a story through dance and pantomime.

Lesson: Three Newport Mansions of the Gilded Age
Research the history, architect, architecture, and patron of each mansion gaining understanding of the arts and culture of the Gilded Age.

Lesson: Tolerance: Comparing Cultural Holidays
Compare the artistic and cultural traditions of the U.S. celebration of Halloween and Mexico's Day of the Dead.

Lesson: Tolerance: Gender Issues
In this lesson, students research how professions such as nursing, clerking, and teaching have changed gender dominance over the past 150 years in the United States.

Lesson: Trees In Nature And Art
Students will explore the use of trees in the arts (as paintings and poetry), understand basic science involved in forestry, and integrate tree arts and science in a final project.

Lesson: Twain: An American Humorist
Students will analyze humor and the American character, developing a definition of “American humor.”

Lesson: Twain: Icon and Iconoclast
This lesson asks students to examine samples of Twain’s work in the context of pre- and post-Civil War America.

Lesson: Twain: Steamboat's a-Comin'
Examining the mystique of rivers as inspiration for creative expression it shows us the powerful influence the Mississippi River had on Mark Twain’s writings.

Lesson: Twain: Tom Sawyer—Mythic Adventurer
Learn about the source for The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Read, and analyze the novel, with attention to character and style.

Lesson: Twelve-Bar Blues
Learn about the history, key players and musical qualities of the blues

Lesson: Uncivil Civilization in The Hairy Ape
Eugene O'Neill's The Hairy Ape presents a disheartening assessment of the impact of living in the industrialized society of the early 20th century.

Lesson: Understanding Tenement Life
Through online stories and photographs, students will explore what daily life was like for the millions of poor Irish, German, Jewish, and Italian immigrants.

Lesson: Unearthing Ancient Greece
Students will discover that what we know of ancient Greece has come to us mainly through the analysis of artifacts recovered in archeological digs.

Lesson: US Presidential Election Process and the Campaign Trail
Students will create an original political campaign song for a fictional presidential candidate.

Lesson: Utopian Visions
Students are introduced to the idea of a "utopia"—an idealized society. Students read Sir Thomas More's Utopia and examine the concepts behind his vision of an ideal society.

Lesson: Visual Arts Careers
Expose students to three careers in the visual arts. Students will move through three different "art stations", where they can explore Fashion Design, Architecture, and Graphic Design.

Lesson: A Way With Words or Say What?
Many words and phrases that we use every day were coined by Shakespeare. He is credited with inventing over 2,000 words and expressive phrases.

Lesson: We Are The Freedom Riders
Students will learn about the courageous efforts of the Freedom Riders while embracing the bold theme, "We Will Overcome!" as a theme surrounding the civil rights movement.

Lesson: Weather and Wind
This lesson introduces the expanding and condensing properties of air masses and the unequal heating of Earth as the force behind the wind.

Lesson: The Whale Trail
In this lesson students will explore the world of gray whales.