Welcome
to Teaching with Works of Art!
Like written documents,
the visual arts are a record and concrete connection to cultures throughout
time and around the world. Our education often focused more on written
texts than visual primary sources such as works of art and other cultural
artifacts. But current teaching methods are exploring history from multiple
points of view, and visual sources can contribute to these diverse perspectives.
In addition, working with works of art and cultural artifacts can make
history come alive and generate excitement about learning.
These approaches utilize new methods of assessment requiring analysis
of objects as well as texts. Students in New York, Georgia and
other states are required to answer "document-based questions,"
which include visual documents, on state exams. How can students
develop the skills to analyze objects and deepen their experience
with history? Museum collections and staff can be a resource for
teachers. The Odyssey
Online Elementary and Middle School Site provides
access to museum objects through the Internet, and this section
of our Teacher Resource Site features tutorials,
worksheets, and links to other Web sites about teaching with objects.
Here you'll find resources for integrating art into your classroom
to support social studies curriculum.
Select from one of
the following topics on the left:
Ideas
and Strategies: A
collection of resources to help you infuse art into your teaching. Includes
a worksheet for analyzing museum objects and links to other Web sites
about teaching history with primary sources.
The
Articulate Object: Not
your ordinary museum Web site! Check out these tutorials on object-centered
learning. They are designed to give you tools for teaching with visual
documentsfrom objects in our everyday lives to museum objects connecting
us to world cultures.
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