<p>In this collection, students will be better able to identify key elements of a portrait and discuss what we can learn about the sitter through these elements. They will also investigate how these elements may reveal the viewpoints of artist, sitter, and viewer while practicing media literacy skills. </p> <p>This lesson was written by Erin Koester Tusell, Gallery Educator at the National Portrait Gallery.</p>

<p>Meet the Arab Americans who shaped the history, development, and culture of the United States of America from 1900-present. Use this collection to celebrate Arab American Heritage Month and embrace Arab American voices in your classroom year-round!</p> <p>#NPGteach</p>

<p>In this lesson, students will analyze historical contexts through the exploration of portraiture, discuss the artistic choices that portrait artists make and consider how such decisions can reveal the artists’ viewpoints and influence the viewers’ understanding of the sitters’ identity. </p> <p>This lesson was written by Asia Stanislaus, a member of the National Portrait Gallery's Teacher Advisory Board, who teaches at MS 447 in Brooklyn, New York.</p>

<p>In this Learning Lab collection, portraits are used entry point to teach about citizens and residents of the United States. Throughout this collection, students will examine not only the portrait subjects but will also gain insight into the larger historical time period in which the subjects lived and how they made change in their communities and the United States.</p> <p>This collection contains three lessons that highlight the many people, ideas, and cultures of the United States: "Reading Portraiture:</p> <p>Same, Different, Connect, Engage," "Engaging History: Expanding Democracy," and "Connections to the Present: Reading Election Posters."</p> <p>Review Reading Portraiture 101 before beginning the lessons.</p> <p>#NPGteach #EducatingForDemocracy</p>

<p>In this Learning Lab collection, portraits of Michelle Obama, Leonard Crow Dog, and Roger Shimomura are used as an entry point to teach about contemporary debates and possibilities. Using <a href="https://www.educatingforamericandemocracy.org/">Educating for American Democracy</a>'s roadmap as a guide, this lesson centers on the theme  <a href="https://www.educatingforamericandemocracy.org/7themes/contemporary-debates-possibilities/">A People with Contemporary Debates & Possibilities</a>. Students will examine not only the portrait subjects but will also gain insight into how their biography fits into American democracy.<br></p> <p>This collection contains three lessons that highlight activists: "Reading Portraiture: See – Feel - Wonder - Connectx2," "Engaging History: Perspectives on the American Indian Movement," and "Connections to the Present: Identity and Patriotism" with the last lesson containing an art \making prompt for Educating for American Democracy's Design Challenge: <a href="https://www.educatingforamericandemocracy.org/k-12-student-design-challenge-awards/#civic-honesty">Civic Honesty, Reflective Patriotism</a></p> <p>Review <a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/collections/reading-portraiture-101/6VeUfzDnKE87HIOP">Reading Portraiture 101 </a>before beginning the lessons.</p> <p>#NPGteach #EducatingForDemocracy<br></p>

<p>In this Learning Lab collection, portrait photography of twentieth-century activists<em> </em>is used as an entry point to teach about the civic participation. Using <a href="https://www.educatingforamericandemocracy.org/">Educating for American Democracy</a>'s roadmap as a guide, this lesson centers on the theme <a href="https://www.educatingforamericandemocracy.org/the-roadmap/7themes/">Civic Participation</a>. . Students will examine not only the portrait subjects--including Ona Kingbird, John Lewis, and Sal Castro--but will also gain insight into the larger historical time period in which the subjects lived and how they located agency, made change, and sustained ideals of American democracy.</p> <p>This collection contains three lessons that highlight activists: "Reading Portraiture: See – Think – Me - We," "Engaging History: Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee," and "Connections to the Present: Students in Action" with the last lesson containing an artmaking prompt for Educating for American Democracy's Design Challenge: <a href="https://www.educatingforamericandemocracy.org/the-roadmap/5designchallenges/">Motivating Agency, Sustaining the Republic</a></p> <p>Review <a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/collections/reading-portraiture-101/6VeUfzDnKE87HIOP">Reading Portraiture 101 </a>before beginning the lessons.</p> <p>#NPGteach #EducatingForDemocracy</p> <p></p>

<p>In this Learning Lab collection, group portraits are used an entry points to teach about the the constitution, amendments, and branches of government. Throughout this collection, students will examine not only the portrait subjects but will also gain insight into the larger historical time period in which the subjects lived and how they made change in American government.<br></p> <p>This collection contains three lessons that highlight activists: "Reading Portraiture: Values, Identities, Actions," "Engaging History: Picturing Amendments," and "Connections to the Present: Three Branches of Government."</p> <p>Review Reading Portraiture 101 before beginning the lessons.</p> <p>#NPGteach #EducatingForDemocracy</p>

<p>This Learning Lab complements, "Educating for American Democracy" a roadmap for excellence in history and civics featuring portraits from 1600 to today. The portraits are used as entry points to teach about the history of the United States and civic values. This collection serves as a home base, organizing the following components:  (1) Background Essay and Timeline; (1) About Educating for American Democracy; (2) Reading Portraiture 101; (3) Seven Themes: Lesson Plan; (4) Design Challenges: Artmaking Prompts.</p> <p>Throughout these Learning Lab collections, students will examine not only the portraits’ subjects and artists but will also gain insight into the larger historical time period in which the subjects lived. By studying the portraits, students will be able to understand how the sitters in these portraits exercised agency and explored civic themes. </p> <p>Educators will come to this Learning Lab collection from a wide range of disciplines and grade levels and can use the activities and resources as they see fit. The materials have been developed toward middle school social studies classes to allow teachers to scaffold lessons and add extension activities as needed. This Learning Lab collection was designed to be integrated with flexibility. It can be used in order, as single-time activities, or in various combinations to support existing topics in the curriculum.</p> <p>#NPGteach</p>

<p>In this lesson, students will use close-looking to learn more about Experimental Physicist, Dr. Chien-Shiung Wu and discuss the contributions of women to science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM) fields. </p> <p>This lesson plan was written by NPG Gallery Educator, Erin Koester-Tussell.</p>

<p>What is our relationship to the rest of the natural world, and what are our responsibilities toward it? How do scientific, political, social, economic, aesthetic, and moral considerations factor into our decisions? In this collection learn about key people—scientists, politicians, activists, writers, and artists—whose work has influenced attitudes toward the environment in the United States.</p> <p>This collection includes portraits from <a href="https://npg.si.edu/exhibition/forces-nature-voices-shaped-environmentalism-0"></a><em><a href="https://npg.si.edu/exhibition/forces-nature-voices-shaped-environmentalism-0">Forces of Nature: Voices that Shaped Environmentalism</a></em> on view at the National Portrait Gallery October 20, 2023 - September 2, 2024.</p>

<p>This Learning Lab complements the National Portrait Gallery's student program, Be the Curator. <br></p> <p>Students will learn about the exhibition process, by touring and reviewing exhibitions, uncovering the roles of curators and exhibition designers, finding themes in exhibitions, and writing museum label text. The program culminates in a hands-on project where students will create their own thematic exhibition from objects in the National Portrait Gallery's collection.<br></p> <p><strong>Objectives:</strong></p> <ul><li>Understand the roles of the museum curator and the exhibition designer in a museum </li><li>Work to relate artworks to one another and find a common theme </li><li>Write museum labels that clearly communicate ideas to an audience </li><li>Estimate, measure, and calculate scale </li></ul> <p>#NPGteach</p>

<p>This Learning Lab Collection complements the National Portrait Gallery student program, The Art of Portraiture.</p> <p>Students will take a close look at modern and contemporary portraiture through the lens of artists’ decisions, paying particular attention to the different approaches that artists take to their subject matter and the different processes that they use in making their art.<br></p> <p>#NPGteach<br></p> <p>Objectives:</p> <ul><li>Examine modern and contemporary portraiture and identify, compare, and contrast visual elements in the portrait.</li><li>Identify and analyze the contributions of modern and contemporary Americans to U.S. history and society.</li><li>Discuss the specific choices an artist has made in his or her portraits.</li><li>Discuss the relevancy of portraiture as a contemporary art form.</li></ul><p>Learn more about our <a href="https://npg.si.edu/teachers/school-groups">virtual 2020-2021 student programs</a> and explore more of the <a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/org/npg">National Portrait Gallery's Learning Lab collections</a>.</p> <p>Keywords: Portraiture, Painting, Sculpture, Photography, Mixed Media, Video Art, Engraving, Printmaking, Artist, Contemporary, Artistic Style, Symbols, Biography, Self-Portrait</p> <p></p>