Art, Books, and Creativity (ABC) Curriculum
Art, Books, and Creativity (ABC) is the museum’s signature arts integration curriculum. This model curriculum unites visual arts and language arts through the creation of artists’ books, with a specific focus on the cultural contributions of women artists. ABC promotes visual literacy and critical thinking by developing students’ skills in observation, reflection, and arts creation.
Exhibition and Collection Educator Guides
Our educator guides below are rich resources created to complement the museum’s special exhibitions and collection.
Adaptable for Pre-K–12 classrooms, these guides include biographical information about artists and artworks, digital images, discussion questions, suggested classroom activities, and related standards of learning.
Magnetic Fields: Expanding American Abstraction, 1960s to Today
This resource packet was developed in conjunction with the exhibition Magnetic Fields: Expanding American Abstraction, 1960s to Today, on view at NMWA from October 13, 2017, to January 21, 2018.
The guide contains:
- 11 digital images
- Elementary school lesson plan
- High school lesson plan
- Gallery activities adaptable for classroom use
- Student worksheets
- Grading rubric
Picturing Mary: Woman, Mother, Idea
This resource packet was developed in conjunction with the exhibition Picturing Mary: Woman, Mother, Idea, which was on view at NMWA from December 5, 2014, to April 12, 2015, and the online exhibition A Global Icon: Mary in Context.
The guide contains:
- 30 digital images
- Exhibition labels and thumbnail images for 60+ objects
- Detailed fact sheets about six women artists
- Suggested discussion exercises
- Instructions for a bookmaking activity
- Glossary of selected material and technique terms
American People, Black Light: Faith Ringgold’s Paintings of the 1960s
This resource packet was developed in conjunction with the exhibition American People, Black Light: Faith Ringgold’s Paintings of the 1960s, which was on view at NMWA from June 21 to November 10, 2013.
The guide contains:
- Nine digital images
- Information about the artist and artwork
- Suggested discussion questions
- Worksheet and classroom activities
- Related standards of learning (Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia)
- Glossary of selected art terms, movements, and historical moments
- Civil Rights–era quotations that put the artwork in context
Arts and Humanities for Every Student
Educators at NMWA collaborate with the DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative (DC Collaborative) to offer Arts and Humanities for Every Student (AHFES) learning opportunities for 3rd through 5th grade students attending Washington, D.C., public and public charter schools.
Since 2015, AHFES experiences at NMWA have introduced more than 2,500 Washington, D.C. students to NMWA’s mission and artwork through Harvard Project Zero Thinking Routines.
NMWA’s asynchronous and synchronous AHFES offerings encourage students to look closely at developmentally appropriate artworks, contribute respectfully to open-ended discussions, pose questions, share their opinions, make connections between visual art and their world, and create original works of art.
Asynchronous resources support teachers who wish to facilitate a museum-inspired experience on their own. They include virtual art galleries filled with a range of artworks relevant to each theme; close looking activities modeled after DCPS’s “Close Study: Close Viewing” guides; and art making lessons and videos that encourage the exploration of techniques and satisfy final product assignments of each curriculum unit.
These asynchronous resources also act as pre- and post-lessons for teachers who schedule a synchronous session with NMWA’s educators.
During synchronous sessions with the museum, students will practice “See, Think, Wonder,” along with other Harvard Project Zero Thinking Routines.
Check out the asynchronous resources here. To schedule a virtual synchronous session, visit the DC Collaborative’s AHFES program catalogue.
AHFES Themes
Currently NMWA offers three thematic AHFES experiences—Art & Advocacy, Make a Wish, and Powerful Beyond Measure—which are inspired by in units in DC Public School’s (DCPS) Framework for Art Learning.
The Art & Advocacy resources encourage students to view, discuss, and create visual art that connects to individuals and communities for the purpose of inspiring social change
Warm up your students’ looking skills with a close viewing activity. Then, use Harvard Project Zero’s See, Think, Wonder Thinking Routine with images from the provided virtual art gallery. Finally, use Art Making: Zines for a Cause to complete a thematic art project.
The Make a Wish resources encourage students to view, discuss, and create visual art explores the growth and development of people, plants, and animals.
Warm up your students’ looking skills with a close viewing activity. Then, use the Harvard Project Zero’s See, Think, Wonder Thinking Routine with images from the provided virtual art gallery. Finally, use Art Making: Artists’ Books as Personal Timelines to complete a thematic art project.
- Artwork Images for Make a Wish
- Download Mary Ellen Mark Close Viewing Resource (Pre-lesson)
- Download Maria Sibylla Merian Close Viewing Resource (Pre-lesson)
- Download Angela Strassheim Close Viewing Resource (Pre-lesson)
- Download Harvard Project Zero Thinking Routine Information
- Download Make a Wish Art Making Activity (Post-lesson)
The Powerful Beyond Measure resources encourage students to view, discuss, and create visual art that recast classical portrait traditions to celebrate contemporary identities.
Warm up your students’ looking skills with a close viewing activity. Then, use the Harvard Project Zero’s See, Think, Wonder Thinking Routine with images from the provided virtual art gallery. Finally, use Art Making: Create Your Own Self-Portraits to complete a thematic art project.
Virtual Art Galleries
Story Time with Women in the Arts
See For Yourself Cards
Related Content
Professional Development and the ABC Curriculum
