Tennessee DEN

The National Endowment for the Humanities is sponsoring a program called Picturing America.  Schools accepted into the program will receive reproductions of 40 famous paintings by American artists that cover a broad spectrum of history and culture for our country.  In addition, lesson plans are provided to use the artwork as a launching point for student reflection.  I strongly urge all TN DEN members to apply!  Just click the link above.

But what about those of us that don’t get accepted?  Is there a way for us to participate in a similar program?  Of course there is!  In fact, I can think of 2 immediately.

First, there are images of famous works of art in the Discovery streaming image catalog.  Using the Writing Prompt Builder, teachers can use these images to create a student dialog of reflection.

Second, teachers can upload images of artwork to VoiceThread and have students make written or verbal comments there as well.  A  nice touch to VoiceThread is the ability to “draw” on the image you comment on.  If there is a specific part of the picture students are drawn to, they can demonstrate that by circling it as they comment.

What about you? What ideas do you have for using famous art in the classroom?

Jeff Foxworthy’s show, “Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?” has become quite a phenomenon. People across the United States have begun to use the catch phrase on a regular basis.

Now you have an opportunity to contribute to the show. Teryl Magee sent along some information for the show’s fans.  A contest is underway for teachers and parents to contribute questions suitable for students from grades 1 to 5. If your question is chosen, the show might just announce your name and the name of your school on the air!

You can download the contest rules and submission form below. Who better to be smarter than a 5th grader than DEN members! (Hey, I meant that in the best possible way!)

Contest Rules and Submission Form