The Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute

This unit examines Impressionist paintings done by artists of the Impressionist, Pre-Impressionist and Post-Impressionist movements. It examines the relationships of the three movements and presents a deeper picture of the French culture at that time. This unit uses an interdisciplinary approach.

(Recommended for French, History, and Art, grades 9-12)

This is an interdisciplinary unit that focus on paintings of four well-known artists from the late-nineteenth to early twentieth centuries: Vincent Van Gogh’s The Night Café (1888); Salvador Dali’s The Persistence of Memory (1931); Pablo Picasso’s Steps First (1943) and Edwards Hopper’s Sunlight in a Cafeteria (1958). It presents the opportunity for students to take a closer look at different aspects of art. The unit has a strong emphasis on literacy.

(Recommended for Reading, Writing and Art, K-5 grades)

This is resource-based, collaboratively planned and team-taught unit which uses primary and secondary sources to study the many perspectives of General George Washington’s Christmas Campaign of 1776 and the American Revolution. It helps students to gain a basic understanding of American culture through a chronological study of major issues, movements, people and events.

(Recommended for U. S. History, grades 9-12)

African art is more conceptual than perceptual. African masks can represent ancestors, spiritual figures, and or mythological characters. This unit introduces students to aspects of African cultures and African belief systems through the study of masks in initiation ceremonies, namely in French speaking black Africa.

(Recommended for French, grades 3-5, and African American Literature, Art History, and World History, grades 7-12)

This unit explores the many obstacles visually handicapped individuals encounter as they try to understand and enjoy art. It provides an approach to art, which looks at the culture, history, social and political aspects of the artwork.

(Recommended for Life Skills for the Blind, History, and Art, grades 6-12)

This unit looks at distinct levels of understanding about how music influences society in the twentieth century. It views music as it affects artists’ lives and the art they produce. The unit is used to heighten students’ awareness and to give them ideas about how music influences them and others.

(Recommended for Music Appreciation and General Music, grades 7-12)

This unit explores many different aspects of cultures, particularly, the arts, through an analysis of the works of the American painter, Thomas Eakins, as well as French artists, Gustave Caillebotte and Edgar Degas. It examines the interrelationships of their paintings through their themes, their styles, and their culture, with emphasis on what makes their art real.

(Recommended for Art, French Art, and French, grades 9-12)

The intent of this unit is to expose elementary students to the many ways quilts were used to help navigate and to chronicle the history and experiences of African Americans in America. Specifically, this unit presents a short synopsis of the rich cultural background of Africans and tells of the degrading effects of slavery.

(Recommended for Art and Literature, grades 2-4)

Puppetry can help children capture the beauty and magic of their feelings and emotions, by instilling positive experiences and love into their lives. This unit helps students express their feelings through various art forms, such as African American literature, writing, drama, and crafts.

(Recommended for Reading and Language Arts, grade 1)

This unit will focus on poetry that relates to the family and tradition. Poems from books such as: Families by Eloise Greenfield. Daddy Poems by John Micklos, Jr., and Poetry from A to Z by Paul B. Janeczko, are used to assist students in developing the medium of poetry. This unit contains activities that will assist students in developing their skills in reading and writing.

(Recommended for Reading, Language Arts and Social Studies, grade 2)

By examining the words of Negro Spirituals through the poetry of the Civil Rights Movement, this unit integrates poetry with events of African American history. The unit attempts to help students develop an understanding and appreciation of the pride and strength African Americans have displayed throughout history.

(Recommended for U. S. History, African American History, Language Arts, Reading, Writing, Speaking and Social Development, grades 3-6)

This unit uses a focus on the reading and writing of poetry, emphasizing the development of students’ social and emotional responses and creativity over technical analysis, in helping students express themselves through their writing skills. It has an extensive bibliography of poetry in both English and Spanish.

(Recommended for English, grades 7-10, and Enrichment/Remediation, grades 7-12)

This curriculum unit focuses on new ways to make poetry accessible to students. It introduces students to lyrics written by famed contemporary artists such as, Lauryn Hill, Ani DiFranco, and others. The lyrics can be used to demonstrate various elements of poetry in a manner easy for students to comprehend and write.

(Recommended for English, grades 10-12)

The purpose of this unit is to teach students how to navigate progressively through the first poetic form: the Haiku. The unit uses common vocabulary and approaches: container, content, concept, observation, common language, hosimi, painting a picture, the five senses, details, the Haiku moment, present tense, observation rather than statement and editing as a writing guide, editing checklist, and means of objective constructive critique.

(Recommended for Creative Writing, grades 7-12)

The intent of this unit is to expose students to the distinct art form of graffiti, and its influence on African American art and culture today. Students have the opportunity to develop their own style of graffiti lettering.

(Recommended for Art, grades 10-12)

This unit intends to supplement Spanish courses by using art and film to enrich the literature component and to explore the issues of race and ethnicity’s. This unit examines themes of inclusion, racial layering, and the buried mirror as defined by Carlos Fuentes in his book and videos of the same name. Metaphors are used to explore the buried mirror, the buried cities, and the Aleph, as defined by Jorge Luis Borges.

(Recommended for AP Spanish Language and AP Spanish Literature, grades 9-12)

With an emphasis on literacy, this unit focuses on literature related to the Underground Railroad and the civil Rights Era. The book Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges provides an important resource. Students are also introduced to various pieces of art, including Jacob Lawrence’s "The Migration Series" and "The Harriet Tubman Series", along with Faith Ringgold’s pieces on the quilts which depict African American moments in history.

(Recommended for Social Studies, Reading and Language Arts, grades 5-6)

This unit is designed around storybooks whose themes address being excluded and being different. It explores why people exclude others and what happens to characters who do not conform to the status quo. The unit uses children stories to introduce students to different ways of listening and hearing what another person is saying.

(Recommended for Reading and Creating Children’s Storybooks/English, grades 9-12)

Through expressionism in painting and the artwork of Jackson Pollock in 1950’s, this unit introduces students to the Puerto Rican experience as depicted in West Side Story and that which exists in present day Connecticut. The goal is to examine impressions of racism and to seek a deeper understanding through personal artistic expression.

(Recommended for Art, grade 8, and Introduction of Art, grade 9)

The intent of this unit is to show positive gender, race and ethnic images of people with whom students can identify. It deals with the subject of race and ethnicity as it relates to stereotyping on television and in movies. The unit explains how video can be used to record oral histories that will combat the negative images of race and ethnicity perpetuated by the broadcast media.

(Recommended for Unified Arts, Social Studies and Video Production, grades 7-12)

Through an interdisciplinary approach, this unit addresses the gap in quality multicultural curricula with emphasis on Puerto Rico. It imparts knowledge on literature, history, art and culture to help students develop a sense of identity regardless of their ethnic background.

(Recommended for English, Social Studies, Art, and Reading, grades 7-8)

This unit examines the history of Native Americans’ and their relationship with the federal government. It looks at Native American culture through art, film, literature, poetry and short stories. In addition, it examines the emergence of the American Indian Reform Movement.

(Recommended for U.S. History, grades 10-11)

This unit examines the myth of the American West as it has been portrayed in Hollywood. It seeks to tell the truth of our nation’s history through several works: The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven and Smoke Signals by Sherman Alexie, the movie "Lone Star", Woman Hollering Creek by Sandra Cisneros, The Hammon and the Beans, by Americo Paredes and others.

(Recommended for American Literature, U. S. History, American Studies, and Art, grades 7-12)

This unit examines clothing as an expression of the moral, social, cultural, and political attitudes. It focuses on the history of fashion and how fashion has influenced our lives. This unit examines several factors that influenced American fashions, such as women’s suffrage, wars, depression, stage and screen personalities, café society and the international jet set.

(Recommended for Family and Consumer Science, grades 9-12)