Students will analyze scenes from the Trojan War that are visually depicted in an ancient object and an 18th-century painting, especially the details depicted in the foreground, middle ground, and background.

Students will examine three works of art to learn about the daily lives of working ballet dancers in Paris in the 19th century.

Students will be introduced to works of art that address constructions of identity in a consumer society; explore the roles memory plays in the creation and evolution of identity.

Students will analyze the symbols used in geographic maps; consider the impact of cultural, historical, and political contexts on mapping; compare and contrast maps in diverse mediums made by artists from different geographic and cultural backgrounds.

Students will explore the varied meanings of “identity; learn how irony and satire can function in a work of art; discover how maps can be used to chart not only geography but also psycho-logical, emotional, and intellectual states.

Students will learn how artists explore personal, cultural, and national identity through materials, process, and tradition; see how contemporary artists have adapted historic, culturally specific art-making practices to the present day; begin to consider the role of politics and religion in contemporary art.

The Art of Illumination project is a great way for students in grades 5-12 to experience the medieval process of illumination as authentically as possible. After researching the history, people, and art of the Medieval Ages, students will have the opportunity to create an illuminated text of their own.

This article explains the artistic interaction betwen the Islamic world and Europe and Asia. The technical aspects of calligraphy, painting, and bookbinding are important facets of the study of Islamic art.

This resource aims to: engage teachers and students in acquiring authentic and culturally respectful information; build factual knowledge about art, history, religion, cultural traditions, the role of the artist and the use of materials and techniques; support teachers and students in developing skills in intercultural understanding; and develop Asia literacy, the understanding and valuing of the wealth of artistic and cultural traditions of Asia, and the links we share across countries and cultures.

Students will explore the use of cool colors in Bouguereau's painting 'Childhood Idyll'; experiment with cool, warm, and complementary colors; and create a self-portrait using one of these color schemes. Students will learn the concepts of cool, warm, and complementary colors, core knowledge that will help them with all artistic lessons they may encounter in the future.

Students will study Robert Rauschenberg's "Barge, 1962-63" and consider statements made by critics at the time. Students will also create a timeline of what was happening in the 1960's in the US. Students will identify the various processes used in "Barge". Students will also brainstorm images representative of their own community and create a collage from newspaper, magazine, and other image sources. They will also apply paint to the work. Students will also approach the subject through screenprinting.

This web interactive from the Brooklyn Museum lets students examines the extraordinary artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. He created paintings and drawings filled with imagery that describes his ideas about life and the world around him. This resource allows students to examine his works of art in depth and to learn about the images he used and create their own art online.

Students will apply fourth grade concepts of equivalent fractions, decimals, and symmetry to create artwork. Once all students have created their masterpieces, they will have a conversation to compare and contrast the various pieces.  Through teacher questioning, this conversation will lead to a deeper understanding of equivalent fractions and decimal fractions.  This lesson was developed by NCDPI as part of the Academically and/or Intellectually Gifted Instructional Resources Project. This lesson plan has been vetted at the state level for standards alignment, AIG focus, and content accuracy.

Students will be able to write a one-paragraph description of a painting based on their own observations; speculate about what happened before and after a scene depicted in a painting; write narratives using past tense and future tense; and write idioms about characters depicted in a painting.

This is a collection of images from Medieval manuscripts depicting important stories from the Bible.

This drawing lesson from the Andy Warhol Museum teaches students how to use Andy Warhol’s early drawing technique that incorporates a very basic printing process. Critical thinking skills are used to judge commercial advertisements and students make decisions on what they will include, embellish and edit out of their own drawings to gain a desired effect. This fully developed lesson plan is available as a PDF and includes handouts, worksheets, rubric, and a slide show with images and student examples.

These porcelains from the collections of the Freer Gallery are part of a 1,500-year-old tradition of making porcelains in Jingdezhen, China. Porcelain production during the Kangxi period (1662–1722) expanded China’s export trade with Europe, sparked the Chinamania craze in the nineteenth century, and bolstered the East-West exchange that endures to this day.

The Smithsonian 3D Program is a small group of technologists working within the Smithsonian Institution's Digitization Program Office. We focus on developing solutions to further the Smithsonian's mission of “the increase and diffusion of knowledge” through the use of three-dimensional scanning technology, analysis tools, and our distribution platform.

This work is already transforming core functions of our museums. Researchers in the field can now come back not only with specimens, but also 3D data documenting entire sites. Curators and educators are using 3D data as the basis for telling stories and sending students on quests of discovery. Conservators are using 3D data to track the condition of a collection item over time using 3D deviation analysis tools, showing exactly what changes have occurred to an object.

This lesson uses contour line drawings by using kinetic energy (by moving around on the floor while they trace) and social energy (by interacting with the student they are drawing on the floor).

In this lesson, students explore band logos as examples of graphic design, and consider how logos derive meaning through association with the bands they symbolize. Guided by a handout that introduces Five Principles of Effective Logo Design, students study images of band logos and analyze their effectiveness. Armed with a new sense of what might make logos effective, students then design logos for their own fictitious, or real, bands.

In this lesson, students explore the principles of synesthesia through drawing to music. By viewing and analyzing artwork based on multi sensory perception, students will become aware of the role of the senses in art, and how sensory stimulation such as listening to music can be used as a tool for inspiration. Guided by a handout outlining the basic elements and principles of art, students will engage in active discussions about how sensory perceptions can be interpreted through color, line, and form. They will then apply these reflections on their own artistic work.