<p><strong>How does Art shape our knowledge of the world? What is the purpose of Art?  What shapes our ideas about Art?</strong> </p> <p>These are some of the questions students will explore in this collection. The focus of this collection is on visual art, including images drawn from photography, painting and sculpture. The 17 images are drawn from a  variety of Smithsonian museums.</p> <p>I use two activities, built on Project Zero thinking routines, to guide and scaffold the students' thinking. For more information and resources visit,</p> <p> <a href="http://www.visiblethinkingpz.org/VisibleThinking_html_files/03_ThinkingRoutines/03d_UnderstandingRoutines.html">http://www.visiblethinkingpz.o...</a> </p> <p><a href="http://www.pz.harvard.edu/search/resources?f%5B0%5D=sm_field_resource_type%3ATool">http://www.pz.harvard.edu/sear...</a><br /></p> <p>The activities can be done sequentially or individually over two 50-60 minute class periods, depending on how far the teacher would like to extend the follow-up discussion after the first activity or the number of images explored in the second. </p> <p> The first activity, “What makes you think that? invites students to identify their own ideas about art,  what they consider “good” art and to reflect on how they arrived at their conclusions. Students are invited to sort the works into two categories, "good" or "bad" art.  Once they have sorted the works, they document the reasons for their choices and then compare with a partner,  followed by whole class sharing.</p> <p>It is interesting for students to think about where their beliefs come from and the discussion may extend to the influence of culture, perspective, religion, or personal versus public opinion. </p> <p> In the second activity “Parts, Purposes, Puzzles students delve deeper into individual works.  Students make careful observations, analyze component parts, consider the purpose of the artists choices, and pose questions.</p> <p>The activity can be done individually or in groups.</p> <p>As a concluding activity, students might find it interesting to revisit their initial rankings, and consider what they might now change and why?</p>

<p>This unit explores different historical artifacts and the stories they tell. Students will investigate a range of objects, ranging from prescriptions to buffalo hides sourced from different Smithsonian collections. </p> <p><strong>Guiding Questions:  </strong><strong>How do humans shape the narrative of History? Whose History is being told? Is it possible to have multiple versions of the “past”? </strong></p> <p>The collection consists of 5 sets of artifacts, connected by some aspect such as culture, time period, event or movement. However, these objects each tell a very different story. </p> <p>Working individually, in pairs or in small groups, students choose  a set to explore. The students spend time quietly and carefully looking at the sources and investigate what they can tell us about our world, both locally and globally.  This activity encourages students to reveal the multiple layers of meaning in an artifact from the most visible story to what it helps us to understand about the lives of our fellow human beings. </p> <p>Students can share their ideas in pairs, or small groups, before coming together as whole class to share their findings.</p> <p>Time: 40-60 minutes </p> <p>As a follow up activity, students reflect on what new connections and information they discovered, new ideas that came to light, and what they found puzzling.</p> <p>Students can complete the handout individually, in pairs or groups. </p> <p>Time: 30-50 minutes depending on the length of the follow up discussion.</p> <p>It might be interesting for students to watch the brief video included, where anthropologist Candace Green and curator Emil Her Many Horses, discuss the Lakota Winter Count as a form of historical record. </p> <p>The duration of the video is just under  5 minutes.</p><p>For more information about the thinking routines visit:</p> <p><a href="http://www.visiblethinkingpz.org/VisibleThinking_html_files/VisibleThinking1.html">http://www.visiblethinkingpz.o...</a><br /></p>

<p>This collection consists of  three activities exploring different aspects of invention.  Students are invited to examine how inventions are linked, the impact of innovation on society, and the ethical implications of innovation.  Although designed to work as a unit, the lessons can be used individually.</p> <p>Guiding Questions: What factors influence innovation in science? How do humans use science ? To what extent is science a group or individual process? Are all discoveries good or can they have a potentially negative effect?</p> <p>In the first activity, students consider the process of invention by looking closely at images of inventions and exploring the connections between them. Students might consider which object was invented first, the microscope or the spectacles or investigate the relationship between glass, the telephone and the computer.</p> <p>Students then view the short video on the manufacture of fiberglass, which looks at the process of innovating the glass manufacturing industry and the social and economic factors that propelled the invention of fiberglass. </p> <p>Time: 50 minutes.<br /></p> <p>Building on the student’s earlier thinking about innovation, in this activity they explore how new inventions shape our understanding of our world and their impact on our daily life.  Students are invited to explore images from artwork, advertisements, and leaflets and explain what each reveals about our changing world in both positive and negative ways. </p> <p>This activity can be done individually, in pairs or in small groups followed by whole class sharing.</p> <p>Time: 50 minutes, depending on the number of images explored.</p> <p>The final activity delves into the ethics of invention and innovation, taking a broader look at the purposes and intended/unintended consequences of progress. This activity could also form  the basis for further research into other inventions and their implications.</p> <p> Time: 30-minutes</p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p></p>