Daedalus and Icarus: Two Perspectives

Grades K–8

Social Studies; Visual Arts; College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading; College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening; College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing

Students will learn about the ancient Greek story of Daedalus and Icarus, see how the story is depicted differently in two works of art, learn about Richard Hunt’s sculpture Icarus, and complete a drawing or writing activity inspired by Icarus.

Dancing Flowers!

For Grades K–3

Visual Arts; College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening; Dance; Mathematics; Science; Technology; College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language; Mathematical Practice

Featuring Fernand Léger's The Walking Flower, 1951
After learning about Fernand Léger’s sculpture, students will learn basic concepts of modern dance, create their own movements, select sounds or music, and combine all of these in a modern dance performance.

Double Vision

For Grades 9–12

Social Studies; Visual Arts; College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading; College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening; College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language

Featuring Pablo Picasso's La Toilette, 1906

Pablo’s Picasso’s La Toilette is a loving portrait of Fernande Olivier, as well as a study in opposites and a reference to the history of art. In this lesson, students will discover the many levels of content in the painting through observation and discussion. Using photography, collage, and/or drawing, they will create their own portraits inspired by Picasso’s techniques for packing information into a visual work of art.

Experiencing Sculpture

Grades K–12

Social Studies; Visual Arts; Health, Physical Education, Family, and Consumer Sciences; College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening; Technology

Featuring Mona Hatoum’s + and -, 1994–2004, Jennifer Steinkamp’s Untitled, 1993, and Erwin Wurm’s Jakob/Big Psycho VII, 2010
Students will become familiar with three sculptures by Mona Hatoum, Jennifer Steinkamp, and Erwin Wurm, and observe and respond to sculpture through the use of discussion, writing, and artmaking.

Express Yourself!

For Grades 3–5

Social Studies; Visual Arts; College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading; College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening; College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing; College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language

Featuring Amedeo Modigliani’s La Jeune bonne (The Servant Girl), ca. 1918
One of the most noticeable aspects of many of Amedeo Modigliani’s paintings of people is the way he depicts their eyes. Watching people’s eyes is one of the major ways that we recognize the range of human expression. This lesson plan explores themes of self-expression and communication through the eyes, as well as through colors, shapes, and lines.

Feelings in Color

For Grades 2–8

Visual Arts; College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading; College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening; Mathematics; Science; Technology; College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language; Mathematical Practice

Featuring Mark Rothko's Orange and Yellow, 1956, and Jackson Pollock's Convergence, 1952
This lesson is an exercise in looking and thinking; making comparisons and connections; and expressing emotions with colors, lines, and shapes. Comparing two expressive, abstract paintings from the 1950s, students will be encouraged to explore the different moods and feelings that can be created with line, color, and shape.

Homecoming

For Grades 3–8

Social Studies; Visual Arts; College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading; College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening; College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language

Featuring Romare Bearden's Return of the Prodigal Son, 1967
This lesson plan uses a work by African-American collage artist Romare Bearden to explore parallels and differences between a biblical story and contemporary life.

How Observant Are You?

For Grades 3–12

Social Studies; Visual Arts; College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading; College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening; College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language

Featuring Tom Wesselmann's Still Life #20, 1962
Pop artists of the 1960s encouraged people to look more closely at the everyday objects around them. How observant are your students? This lesson plan focuses on observation, memory, and home and classroom environments.

If You Could Talk to the Animals

For Grades 3–6

Social Studies; Visual Arts; College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading; College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening; College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing; Mathematics; Science; Technology; College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language

Featuring Franz Marc's Die Wölfe (Balkankrieg) [The Wolves (Balkan War)], 1913
This lesson plan includes activities designed to introduce students to looking, thinking, and drawing conclusions about a work of art. The plan could be used to complement curriculum areas such as social studies (politics, history, societal relations, etc.), science (animal characteristics, categorization, analysis, and drawing conclusions), or language arts.

Imagine Your Own Civilization

For Grades K–12

Social Studies; Visual Arts; College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening; College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language

Featuring Charles Simonds's Number II (Ritual Furnace), 1978

Charles Simonds imagines a race of people he calls the Little People, who have their own history, beliefs, and ways of life. His sculptures, such as Number II (Ritual Furnace), represent their environment and the architecture they create. Students will envision their own imaginary civilization and create sculptures to illustrate their ways of life.