Nature and Fitness Trail
In this lesson, students will plan stations for a nature and fitness trail. Students will also construct an accompanying e-Book for extended descriptions at each station.
Idioms...not the be taken literally!
In this lesson students will work collaboratively to identify common English idioms in selected books or book excepts. They will use special dictionaries to find definitions. They will construct a database of 5 idioms, their meanings, and example sentences to beam to their classmates.
Important Things About Nouns
After listening to the story The Important Book, students will create their own important pages. These will be compiled and published into a class eBook.
Paint x 3: Robert Bechtle
American Photorealist painter Robert Bechtle prepares for a retrospective exhibit of his work at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. This Educator Guide address the history and evolution of photorealism in painting.
Preservation: Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
SPARK goes behind the scenes with two conservators with the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco to get a glimpse into their painstaking work restoring and preserving treasures of the art world. This Educator Guide addresses the scientific and artistic issues of preserving and conserving works of art.
Remembrance: Ann Chamberlain
Visual artist Ann Chamberlain transforms what are often intimidating public spaces into welcoming, inspirational, and creative environments. This Educator Guide discusses the history of public monuments and the Abraham Lincoln Brigade.
Roots: Halau 'o Keikiali'i
SPARK spends time with Kawika Alfiche, a young hula kumu (teacher) who has devoted his life to reviving ancient Hawaiian music and dance traditions. This Educator Guide introduces the Hawaiian dance form of hula, including its historical traditions, cultural significance, and present day practice as ...
Shaken and Stirred: Scott Snibbe
SPARK follows Scott Snibbe at work on an installation piece Blow Up at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, and through his studio as he discusses his installation, interactive, and net art projects and some of the ideas underlying them. This Educator Guide is about the digital and ...
Solo Acts: Derique
SPARK follows as Derique takes his one-man show from stage to street and back again as an evangelist for the art of "Hambone," a traditional form of body percussion originated by African American slaves in the Old South. This Educator Guide introduces educators to Hambone, explores the evolution of ...
Taking Craft to the Limit: Nikolas Weinstein
SPARK visits glass artist Nikolas Weinstein in his studio and travels along as he installs 2.5 tons of glass panels in a bank lobby in Berlin, Germany designed by architect Frank Gehry. This Educator Guide introduces glass as an art medium, historically situating glass work.
Technology Enabled Art: Pamela Z
SPARK visits with San Francisco-based composer/performer and audio artist Pamela Z who works primarily with voice, live electronic processing, and sampling technology, including the BodySynth, a device that allows her to manipulate sound with physical gesture. This Educator Guide addresses the role ...
Technophiles: Ken Goldberg
Conceptual artist Ken Goldberg combines robotics and the social behavior of internet communities in a series of whimsical artistic "experiments" where strangers use the internet to jointly control and monitor real life events and activities together. This Educator Guide is about tele-robotics and other ...
Telling Stories: Larry Reed
Master storyteller Larry Reed is dedicated to the study and practice of the ancient Balinese art of shadow puppetry. This Educator Guide explores the history of Balinese shadowpuppetry, Wayang Kulit and Reed's innovations.
Telling Stories: Marc Bamuthi Joseph
Four-time National Poetry Slam winner Marc Bamuthi Joseph is a modern day griot (African storyteller) who tells his original stories through a combination of acting, spoken word, movement and rap. This Educator Guide addresses spoken word, autobiography, and performance art.
The Art of Improvisation: Rova Saxophone Quartet
SPARK gets an insider's look at the Rova Saxophone Quartet, a vanguard musical group that has improvised its way along the cutting edge of the music and sound art scene for 25 years. This Educator Guide explores improvisation in music, jazz and free jazz.
The Art of Interpretation: A.C.T.
SPARK goes backstage at the American Conservatory Theatre (ACT), as Artistic Director Carey Perloff takes on one of the 20th century's most important and challenging plays – Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot." This Educator Guide explores Beckett's work and absurdism in literature.
The Bleeding Edge: Loren Chasse
Sound artist Loren Chasse seeks out unusual acoustic environments and teaches a class of students about fundamentals of sound. This Educator Guide explores sound and the history of sound as a musical form, extending back to the early 1900s.
The Business of Art: Klein International String Competition
SPARK charts the progress of the young competitors in the 2003 Irving M. Klein International String Competition as they vie for the $10,000 grand prize and a series of prestigious concerts. This Educator Guide traces the history of stringed instruments as well as the history of string competitions.
The Fine Art of Collecting: John Held Jr.
SPARK spends the day with pioneering Mail Art collector John Held Jr. as he continues to build his collection, one piece at a time. This Educator Guide explores the history and many forms of Mail art and stamps.
The Jet Set: Alonzo King
Choreographer Alonzo King has created contemporary ballets for more than fifty international dance companies as well as dozens of pieces for film, television, opera and his own company, LINES Ballet. This Educator Guide tracks the history of modern-contemporary ballet and the contributions of King and ...
