In this lesson students will learn about Smith's compassion for the human race through his work during WW2, examine W. Eugene Smith's photo-essays, build a pinhole camera, and create their own photo-essay.
For Educators
W. Eugene Smith: Photo Journalism and Compassion: Lesson Overview
Cole Porter: You’re the Top: Lesson Overview
Students will develop a sense of the stimulating company the Porters kept through a brief study of the personalities of that era, and to dissect lyrics in order to examine the breadth of allusion and wit that characterize a Cole Porter song.
Alfred Hitchcock and David O. Selznick: Lesson Overview
In this lesson plan, students compare and contrast the Hollywood film industry of the 30s and 40s with Hollywood today. They conduct research, present it in a creative posterboard project, and follow up with a discussion of the findings.
Merce Cunningham: A Lifetime of Dance: Lesson Overview
In this lesson plan, students get a chance to observe movement by creating a "movement journal", and then they experiment with what they have observed to create a unique "movement vocabulary."
Tennessee Williams: Exploring the American Dream: Lesson Overview
The American Master’s Series lesson on Tennessee Williams will consist of three thematic components: (1) an examination of the lyric form and mythology, (2) exploration of the dramatic form, and (3) an examination of the American Dream.
Hank Williams: Still Singing After All These Years: Lesson Overview
In this lesson students will think critically about a set of country and western music facts and predict whether the statements are true or false, write a bio poem based on the life and work of Hank Williams, and create a class "Hank, We Can't Help it if We're Still in Love With You" poster.
Quincy Jones: What Makes an American Master?: Lesson Overview
n this lesson plan, students will learn about Quincy Jones, the context in which he has worked during his lifetime.
Allen Ginsburg: Poetry and Politics: Lesson Overview
Students will read one or more of Ginsberg’s poems, will read about the work of other Beat writers, and will investigate the larger social and political climate in which they lived.
Billy Wilder: Film Noir Inventor and Genius: Lesson Overview
This lesson will expose students to one of the greatest American film writer/directors who shaped the landscape of American film today. Through the classic Noir film Double Indemnity, students will explore the historical and social impact of the 1930’s and 1940’s.



