Lunch Poems: Robert Hass
After hosting Lunch Poems for eight years, Robert Hass has finally been prevailed upon to read his own poems in the series. Former Poet Laureate of the U.S., Hass is a UC Berkeley professor who has made important contributions in poetry, criticism, and translation. His books of poetry are Sun Under Wood, Human Wishes, Praise, and Field Guide, the latter winner of the Yale Younger Poets Award. His critical essays are assembled in Twentieth Century Pleasures, and the poets he has translated includ
Lunch Poems: Harryette Mullen
Harryette Mullen admits to being "licked all over by the English tongue." Her fifth poetry collection, Sleeping with the Dictionary, published by UC Press, was a finalist for the National Book Award and for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in Poetry for its "gleeful pursuit of the ludic pleasure of word games." Her work combines the experimentation of the French OULIPO group with an American funk and political awareness. Mullen is associate professor of English and African American Studies at UC
Lunch Poems: David St. John
David St. John was widely praised and was a National Book Award finalist for Study for the World's Body. Recent books are The Red Leaves of Night from HarperPerennial and Prism from Arctos Press, and his newest, The Face, a book-length poem. His image-rich work muses on both ecstasy and loss. He has been awarded an Academy Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the O.B. Hardison prize from the Folger Shakespeare Library. He teaches at USC.
This event took place on April 1, 2004
John Edwards: Forum on Poverty in America
2004 vice presidential candidate and former Senator John Edwards spoke in a Town Hall Forum on American poverty. Edwards is touring 10 college campuses in two weeks to publicize the issue of American poverty and promote the nonprofit organization he recently formed to combat poverty, The Center for Promise and Opportunity.
Introduction to Texas Hurricanes
In this activity students are asked to graph data about some 20th century hurricanes that hit the Texas coastline. The students are then asked to form conclusions and answer questions based on those graphs. This activity is appropriate for an introductory climatology or meteorology class. The site includes downloadable teaching activities.
Native American Folklore
In this lesson students will familiarize themselves with the Western landscape through both Native American folklore and George Catlin's paintings of the prairie. After reading several Native American legends, students will compose and illustrate their own legend.
Making Treaties and Weaving Wampum: Communication Across Cultures
In this lesson students will be exposed to the cultural and artistic importance of wampum belts to the Native American tribes that George Catlin encountered on his travels, and the importance of the belts in American history as markers of relations between tribes and the U.S. Government between 1776 and 1878. Students will gain insight into the differing ways in which these cultures expressed ideas, values, and policy through objects, written documents, and oral traditions.
You Be the Conservator
This web activity, recommended for grades 5 and up, is designed to teach both content and process.
The content areas addressed in this activity are the science of conservation and the history of the Hispanic American tradition of making santos. Santos are painted woodcarvings of saints in the Catholic Church. Conservators use scientific tools and procedures such as xeroradiography and microscopy to analyze objects. The science behind these tools and procedures is explained in this web activity.
Revolution and the New Nation (1754-1820s)
This lesson plan includes documents and images for learning about the American Revolution, the Constitution, the creation of the U.S. Navy, Eli Whitney's patent for the cotton gin, Thomas Cooper's violation of the Sedition Act, and the Electoral College.
Powers of Persuasion -- Poster Art of World War II
This site provides a standards-based lesson on how the use of posters during WWII helped win over the hearts and minds of the American people.
R-Factor
The amount of energy used in a home is greatly impacted by the type of materials used in constructing the home. In particular, the thermal conductivity of the materials will affect how quickly heat is allowed to enter or leave the home.
The West
This is an online companion to the 8-part PBS documentary on the American West. The site is divided into sections dealing with an overall tour, events in the West, places, people, and archives.
Crucible of Empire: The Spanish-American War
The Spanish-American War was a complex and significant event that should be examined from all angles and perspectives. Students may be particularly interested in Spanish-American War issues that remain relevant today, namely the role of the media in the war and questions regarding foreign intervention. Educators are encouraged to use the film CRUCIBLE OF EMPIRE: THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR to complement their lessons in history, journalism, government, and political science classrooms.
Ancestors in the Americas
These classroom guides have been designed to help educators use the ANCESTORS IN THE AMERICAS series and companion web site in history, geography and social studies classes (grade levels 9-12). The lesson plans may also be adapted for use as stand-alone exercises.
The ANCESTORS IN THE AMERICAS companion Web site helps to round out the stories and ideas presented in this groundbreaking series. Visit the Asian American Timeline to learn about specific moments and events that shaped Asian America
Ticket to Ride - Designing a Passport for 21st Century America
In this lesson, students consider ideas, images and words that might capture the American identity, then design an American passport for the 21st century that reflects their own vision of and for America.
Suffer the Little Children - Reflecting on Child Labor in Guatemala
In this lesson, students learn about and respond to the plight of child workers in Guatemala in the face of increased free trade through the Central American Free Trade Agreement.
Van Gogh's Van Goghs
This site features nine paintings, a history, and a chronology of the life of this ingenious Dutch painter. Van Gogh was 27 years old when he decided to become an artist after unsuccessful attempts at being an art dealer, a teacher, and a clergyman. He taught himself mostly by studying the prints and reproductions he collected. The paintings he produced before his death at age 37 set the direction for many of the expressionist tendencies in 20th century art.
Gilbert Stuart: Works
Stuart portrayed virtually all the notable men and women of the Federal period in the U.S., and was declared the Father of American Portraiture by his contemporaries. Stuart portrayed American and European figures, including George Washington, John and Abigail Adams, John Jay, and Robert Liston. In 1805 he painted the Gibbs-Coolidge Set, the only surviving depiction of the first five presidents.
Frederic Remington: The Color of Night
Frederic Remington (1861–1909) has long been celebrated as one of the most gifted interpreters of the American West. Initially, his western images appeared as illustrations in popular journals. As he matured, however, Remington turned his attention away from illustration, concentrating instead on painting and sculpture. About 1900 he began a series of paintings that took as their subject the color of night. Before his premature death in 1909 at age forty-eight, Remington completed more than se
The Drawings of Annibale Carracci
This presents the first exhibition devoted solely to the powerful and evocative drawings of Annibale Carracci (1560-1609). From his early experiments with naturalism to his late, almost abstract, style, Annibale revolutionized our way of looking at the world around us and at the art of the past.
