In this lesson students learn about the important role of religious artworks in the early Renaissance in Italy. Through the visual analysis of an early Renaissance altarpiece, they learn about connections between new modes of visual representation and changing religious practice in the Catholic Church. Students research an early Renaissance artist working in Florence who created devotional, religious imagery and write a short paper.

Students will create their own work of art that serves as a social commentary. Students will make a moral or ethical statement in their work and use elements of the Neoclassical style to communicate their message.

This is the first lesson in a sequential unit. Students look at and discuss still-life paintings and develop a definition for the genre. They then further their understanding of this type of painting and practice watercolor techniques by painting their own still lifes from direct observation. Art production focuses on the tools used to create the illusion of three-dimensional space and convey texture in watercolors.

This lesson is part of a sequential unit. Students choose meaningful objects for a still-life arrangement and paint it using watercolors. After reflecting on their choice of objects and composition, students begin to write an artist's statement.

This lesson is part of a sequential unit. Students paint the same still-life arrangement from Lesson 2, but in an opaque medium. They compare similarities and differences of working with the transparent and opaque mediums and refine their artist's statements.

This lesson is part of a sequential unit. Students display the two still-life paintings that they created in previous lessons along with their artist's statements. They write a review of a peer's work and discuss all of the paintings in a group critique.

Students will plan and design a still life composition. When composing the still life, students will choose objects that emphasize a variety of shapes and textures, and arrange the objects to reflect balance. Next students will create a photographic still life and use it as inspiration to write a poem. Then students will present the still life photograph and poem to the class.

Students will discuss a narrative work of art in order to interpret and understand the theme from the "Open Court" unit on "Risks and Consequences." Students imagine the events occurring before and after a narrative scene, sketch their ideas, then write a story describing the action and publish their story and illustrations in a book. The works of art and sketches provide a focus to practice writing three-part stories with dialogue and using adjectives and prepositions.

Students will examine a scene depicting Herakles (known as Hercules to the Romans) and the Hydra on the face of a black-figure "hydria". They will then read Greek myths and choose one to depict in the style of the vase painter, known as the Eagle Painter.

Students will identify new vocabulary using a work of art. They will generate a list of descriptors for that vocabulary using a texture/touch activity. They will then apply their new vocabulary, including adjectives, to a class poem about the textures they see in the painting.

Students will discuss the lines, shapes, and patterns used to decorate a 19th century chandelier that was made to look like a hot air balloon. They will create a papier-mâché sculpture of a hot air balloon and decorate it with a pattern. They will write about where they would go on a hot air balloon.

Students identify the narrative elements in a work of art and learn how artists use symbolic imagery to communicate the larger narrative of a person's life. Students then write their own narratives about an historic figure and use visual symbols to create an image about that person that communicates important events in his or her personal narrative.

Students explore how an artist emphasized the narrative in a work of art that depicts a single moment from the story. They then write a newspaper article, using visual clues in the painting to imagine how the narrative depicted may have unfolded.

This lesson focuses on artworks that depict things people use for a meal. Students will build vocabulary and enhance language arts skills while learning about still life in a painting. Activities emphasize prepositions of location -- through discussions about objects depicted in the featured work of art.

This lesson focuses on an artwork that depicts things people use in a room for both functional and decorative reasons. Students will build vocabulary and enhance language arts skills while learning about decorative arts. Activities emphasize using different action verbs with nouns -- through discussions about how people use objects depicted in the featured work of art.

This lesson focuses on artworks that depict things people wear. Students will build vocabulary and enhance language arts skills while learning about different media (painting and photography). Activities emphasize descriptions using adjectives -- through discussions about the clothing people are wearing in the featured works of art.

Students create double-exposed photographs, poetry, and multimedia presentations to celebrate their "Open Court" "City Wildlife" unit.

This series of lessons will provide students with an understanding of the Baroque period and help them identify decorative arts and architecture from that period. After studying Baroque paintings, furniture, architecture, and craft guilds, students will create a mixed-media sculpture inspired by Bernard van Risenburgh's Double Desk. Throughout the unit, students will reflect on their experiences in journals.

Students will examine an image of civilians affected by the Vietnam War. They will research and discuss the reasons the Vietnam War began, why America became involved, and what some of the long-term effects of this war have been

Students will learn about basic shapes in Monet's painting "Wheatstacks, Snow Effect, Morning". They then learn about light and shadows through reading and experimenting with three-dimensional models and flashlights. Students will also learn about time of day and the seasons.