Students are introduced to the mythological creatures featured in the myth of Hercules (Roman name for the Greek hero "Herakles"). They learn new vocabulary related to the creatures' body parts (e.g., talons, hooves, etc.), and plan and create a drawing of an original mythological creature. Students then name their creature and write a descriptive sentence about it.

Students will observe a holiday depicted in a picture from a 16th-century manuscript. They will interview family members and write a paragraph about a family tradition. After a class discussion on how an artist creates the illusion of depth, students will create a collage illustrating a family tradition with a distinct foreground, middle ground, and background.

Students will brainstorm a list of adjectives to describe two early photographs called "cyanotypes." Next they will create their own cyanotype photograph. Students will then write original poetry using the previous list of adjectives to describe their own nature-inspired cyanotype photograph.

Students study how artists of the Neoclassical period were influenced by major historical events during the Enlightenment. They will identify and analyze the Neoclassical style.

Students will examine porcelain objects and see how their original use has been changed to create a new decorative object or an object with a new function. They will then take everyday utilitarian objects and re-create them into new objects that can be functional or entirely decorative.

Students examine images made for newspapers and create their own photos to tell a story. They experiment with cropping to reframe their images and explore how photographic images can be manipulated.

This twist on readers theater has students prepare original news programs based on incidents in a recent reading, as they explore standard literary elements of character, conflict, resolution, and setting.

Students will become familiar with the black-figure painting style of ancient Greece and its influence on Neoclassical artists during the 18th century, as seen in drawing, painting and silhouettes, or shadow portraits. They will create an original work of art using the silhouette technique.

Students explore a portrait of two historical princesses and consider the adornments the both wear. Each student compares these adornments to the decorative objects worn by a woman in their own lives and sketches a portrait of that woman, focusing on the objects of adornment she wears.

Students will examine the details and color in an 1821 painting by Jacques-Louis David depicting two sisters who are exiled princesses. Students will read a tale about the Brothers Grimm, who were writing fairy tales during the same time period that these sisters were exiled. Students will then write and illustrate a fairy tale inspired by the painting.

Students analyze one of Dorothea Lange's photographs and make connections to its historical context by creating a one-page written and visual response.

Students practice writing letters of the alphabet and explore how decorated letters can be used to convey stories or symbolic ideas. They create an "illuminated" alphabet in which each letter conveys concepts of home and family.

Students focus on the Roman mythological story of the abduction of Europa. They compare and contrast how two artists depicted this story. Students are then introduced to the elements of foreshadowing and climax in literature, and how, through the use of color and emphasis, artists use these same elements in painting. Students write responses to the two paintings based on their observations related to foreshadowing and climax. Finally, they read an excerpt from the myth and discuss which part of the story each artist chose to illustrate.

Make connections across genres and across cultures to engage students in the study of literary voice and themes. Comprehension skills and vocabulary also come into play, especially for English language learners, as students read a novel and related poems, then write and perform original poems related to the novel.

Students write and illustrate a short fantasy story based on the book "Corduroy".They create a character who has an adventure in a palace. The decorative arts collection at the Getty Museum provides inspiration for this palace setting.

This lesson focuses on a family depicted in a work of art. Students practice using vocabulary related to people and families. Activities emphasize oral and written descriptions of the people portrayed in the work of art, using possessive adjectives. Students are challenged to infer what the relationships are between figures depicted and what individuals are doing, based on such clues as their pose.

This lesson focuses on people doing leisure activities as depicted in a work of art. Students practice using vocabulary related to people and leisure. Activities emphasize oral and written descriptions of the people portrayed in the work of art, using action verbs. Students are challenged to infer what leisure activities individuals are doing based on such clues as their pose.

This lesson focuses on people at work depicted in a work of art. Students practice using vocabulary related to people and work. Activities emphasize oral and written descriptions of the people portrayed in the work of art, using job-related vocabulary and adjectives to describe feelings. Students are challenged to infer what job individuals are doing, based on such clues as their pose.

Students create a work of art and write a story about "Man with a Hoe Five Years Later." Students also photograph their hands with a tool and write about what wonderful tools hands are.

Students write descriptions and create portraits of characters from the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen using a variety of media.