State and National resources for the National Art Education Association Interest Group Public Policy and Art Administration

For over a decade, the National Gallery of Art has been exploring art’s potential to inspire and strengthen critical thinking in teachers and students. Using Artful Thinking routines with original works of art in the museum, and with art reproductions in classrooms, we have empowered all kinds of teachers to transform how they teach.

For this one-of-a-kind course, we've used our experience with Artful Thinking to build a unique online learning environment. Inspired by Artful Thinking's inquiry method, you will have the opportunity to look, reason, and wonder about works of art, just as the routines ask students to do. To make this possible, we've integrated an innovative tool, called iiiF, that allows you to zoom in and explore each high-definition work of art from the National Gallery of Art's free, online database. You'll also watch real lessons unfold with teachers and students in our original videos. And you'll receive everything you need to put the routines into practice with your students.

Uncovering America
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE AMERICAN?

Discover compelling stories of creativity, struggle, and resilience in this new set of resources for K–12 educators featuring works of art that reflect the richness and diversity of the people, places, and cultures of the United States. Encourage creative, critical, and historical thinking in your students as you examine works of art from the country’s creation to the present day.

Thematic modules contain:

Introductory essays
Downloadable high-resolution image sets featuring background information
Essential questions for students
Classroom activities
Selected additional resources
What’s your American story? Share with #AmericanStoriesNGA or send your stories to classroom@nga.gov for the chance to be highlighted here.