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

Grades K-2 Lesson: Let's Talk About Painting
This lesson introduces young students to the elements of the arts, and teaches them to use appropriate vocabulary when discussing paintings

Grades 3-4 Lesson: A Lens Into the Past
Students will gain a deeper understanding of the early 20th century American immigrant experience through photography and create their own photo collection for students of the future

Grades 9-12 Lesson: Learning From Lyrics
Students research contemporary songs (alternative, country, metal, pop, rap, and rock music) to study current social issues.

Grades 9-12 Lesson: Landscape Painting
Using James Palmersheim's Silver Creek's November II as a starting point, students will create their own landscape paintings

Grades 6-8 Lesson: King Arthur: Man or Legend
In this lesson, students will learn about the legend of King Arthur as depicted in stories, poems, and artwork

Grades 3-4 Lesson: Jazz Music, Dance, and Poetry
In this lesson, students will be introduced to jazz dance and jazz music. They will explore basic jazz dance movements, and will create a cinquain poem inspired by jazz music.

Grades 9-12 Lesson: Japanese Woodblock Prints
This lesson explores the history and evolution of the Japanese woodblock print

Grades 9-12 Lesson: It's All in the Translation
In this lesson students will examine the important role translation plays in interpreting the dramatic literature and theater of the ancient Greeks.

Grades 3-4 Lesson: Island Breezes: Exploring Hula Dance
A hula dance is a choreographed interpretation of a poetic text, or mele, that tells a story through hand and arm gestures and rhythmic patterns.

Grades 6-8 Lesson: Interpreting Mythology Through Dance
In this lesson, students learn about Ancient Egyptian rituals and attitudes about death and the afterlife.

Grades 6-8 Lesson: Inspired by Muses, Graces and Fates
Muses of ancient Greece inspired poets, playwrights, dancers, actors, musicians, and scientists. Graces added life to a party and the Fates determined a life’s destiny.

Grades 3-4 Lesson: Immigrating to America
Students will learn what it was like for new immigrants to come through Ellis Island—a symbolic heart of American immigration—at the turn of the 20th century

Grades 6-8 Lesson: Identity Boxes
Artists Lucas Samaras and Joseph Cornell both explored the idea of personal identity through their art. Both created small "portrait" boxes that reveal as well as conceal identity

Grades 6-8 Lesson: How Many Cells Are Born in a Day?
In this lesson, students use calculation to predict the number of cells that result from a series of cell divisions. They then graph the results to represent their findings.

Grades 6-8 Lesson: How Do Cells Reproduce?
This activity illustrates the process of mitosis, or cell division, in yeast. Cells carry on the many functions needed to sustain life. The most important is the ability to reproduce.

Grades 9-12 Lesson: Historic Heroes
The class will break into groups and write a working definition of a hero which they will present to the class.

Grade 5 Lesson: Haunting Music
Learn about orchestral “program music” inspired by the spooky and bizarre

Grades 3-4 Lesson: Harriet Tubman: Secret Messages Shared through Song
In this lesson, students are introduced to the African-American spiritual and its use of a secret language to share information within the slave community.

Grades 3-4 Lesson: Harriet Tubman: An Informative and Impressionistic Look
Examine the life of Harriet Tubman through a comparison of informative resources and impressionistic art

Grades 3-4 Lesson: Harriet Tubman: Illustrating History
Using collage, students create a scene from the life of Harriet Tubman

Grades 3-4 Lesson: Harriet Tubman: Dancing on the Freedom Trail
In this lesson, students are introduced to the emotional struggles Tubman faced as she helped slaves escape and travel north along the Underground Railroad.

Grades 9-12 Lesson: Haiku: Learning and Sharing
In this two-day lesson, students will look beyond the basics of haiku poetry (three lines, 5-7-5 syllable format) and focus on the content of the haiku.

Grade 5 Lesson: Gyotaku Japanese Fish Printing
By acquiring knowledge of historical and cultural qualities unique to this particular art form, students can gain an understanding of how Gyotaku reflects a part of Japanese history

Grades 9-12 Lesson: Guantanamera: A Poem and a Song
Students will listen to "Guantanamera," a Cuban folk song made famous by Pete Seeger with lyrics from a poem by Jose Marti.

Grade 5 Lesson: Greek Mythology: Cultures and Art
Gain insight into Greek culture and make aesthetic, perceptual, creative, and intellectual connections to contemporary culture by creating and painting mythological characters