Distance Learning

Videoconferences for Students

Most programs are accompanied by pre-broadcast activities that facilitate participation during the broadcast. You receive these by mail in advance of the scheduled program date. Additional information and supporting lesson plans for many of these programs are available at http://www.cartermuseum.org/learn/online-projects.

• American Impressionism (grades 8–12)
  By viewing and discussing artworks by Mary Cassatt, William Merritt Chase (1849–1916), Childe Hassam (1859–1935), John Singer Sargent (1856–1925), and others, students discover how the advent of American Impressionism was more than just an imitation of the Impressionist movement in France. The basic tenets of Impressionism, as well as the historical and cultural influences of the time, are discussed.
• Art of the American West (grades 6–12)
  This program brings American history to life! Working with images, students analyze the ways in which important artists have interpreted the western United States during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This program promotes and improves students’ observation and critical thinking skills while making connections between art and history. After the videoconference, continue exploring the theme by using supporting lesson plans from the Amon Carter’s online teaching guide Inspiring Visions: Artists’ Views of the American West.
• Art Meets Math (grades K–7)
  Use art to make math meaningful, as well as fun. Using visual analysis, students explore the vocabulary and processes associated with the math concepts of your choice. To meet the needs of varied learning styles, the museum educator will layer a lively, interactive, inquiry-based discussion of art between a hefty dose of math vocabulary and process reinforcement. Allow the museum educator three weeks to develop a program to introduce the topic of your choice or to reinforce/culminate any math unit.
• Art Work (grades 4–12)
  Students travel behind the scenes and learn about fascinating career opportunities in an art museum. They interact with art professionals from various museum departments and make connections between the skills and knowledge needed to work in the arts and what they are learning in the core content areas of their curriculum.
• Beautiful Biomes (grades 2–5)
  Science and art intersect as students creatively use works by renowned nature photographer Eliot Porter (1901–1990) to broaden their understanding of scientific processes, identify and describe the environmental regions of the world, and discuss plant and animal adaptations. After the videoconference, continue exploring the theme by using supporting lesson plans from the Amon Carter’s online teaching guide Eliot Porter: The Color of Wildness.
• Cowboy Close-Up (grades K–6)
  The photographs of Erwin E. Smith (1886–1947), along with the paintings and sculpture of Frederic Remington (1861–1909) and Charles M. Russell (1864–1926), are viewed as primary resources that tell the story of the American cowboy during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Students experience the lifestyle of a cowboy through the eyes and words of an historical reenactor as they watch video clips filmed with an authentic chuck wagon. After the videoconference, continue exploring the theme by using supporting lesson plans from the Amon Carter’s online teaching guide Erwin E. Smith: The Cowboy Photographer.
• Encountering Texas (grades 3–7)
  Students explore Texas in the 1840s and 1850s through the eyes of three newcomers who joined the vast migration of Americans headed to Texas. In delicate watercolors and drawings, artists James Gilchrist Benton (1820–1881), Edward Everett (1818–1903), and Sarah Ann Lillie Hardinge (1824–1913) recorded their individual observations of the young state. After the videoconference, continue exploring the theme by using supporting lesson plans from the Amon Carter’s online teaching guide Encountering Texas: 1846–56.
• How to Make an Artist (grades pre-K–2)
  Students are introduced to artists and their work through picture-book biographies and discussion. During the program, students create art in the style of Frederic Remington and Georgia O’Keeffe.
• Images of American Indians (grades 3–5)
  In addition to developing an appreciation for fine art while learning more about the culture of American Indians, this program develops students’ critical thinking and writing skills.
• Language of Art (grades 2–12)
  Students discover how artists convey ideas, create expression, and organize composition through the use of the elements of art and principles of design. Through interactive dialogue, students learn art vocabulary and practice speaking the “language of art.”
• Let Freedom Ring (grades 2–8)
  Investigate selected paintings, sculpture, and works on paper that illustrate the concepts of personal freedom and the struggle for equality. Both content and artistic processes (emphasis on printmaking) will be explored. Among objects students will see, discuss, and place in historical perspective is a portrait of Martin Luther King Jr. by Ben Shahn, which appeared on the cover of Time in 1965 during the civil rights movement. The program concludes with a demonstration of an easily replicated printmaking activity using jigsaw puzzle pieces.
• Metaphorically Seeing—It’s All About Me (grades 6–12)
  In this program students explore portraiture, refine their knowledge of metaphors and symbolism, and experience the use of figurative language in writing and visual media.
• A New View of Black History (grades 2–12)
  Through the colorful, rhythmic paintings of William H. Johnson (1901–1970) students explore the lifestyles, struggles, and spirituality of African-Americans in the United States during the early twentieth century. Accompanying activities strengthen students’ writing skills and increase their awareness of important African-American literary figures.
• Painters and Place (grades 8–12)
  This virtual gallery tour and interactive discussion focuses on how Stuart Davis (1894–1964), Marsden Hartley (1887–1943), Georgia O’Keeffe (1887–1986), and other well-known American artists of the early twentieth century were inspired by each other and their surroundings.
• Passport to Planet EARTH (grades 1–5)
  See the art; save the Earth! Connect to the American experience through the Amon Carter’s collection of great American art. During this interactive broadcast, students “tour” the country—from the mountains of Upstate New York to the southwestern desert—and travel back in time to witness the first visions of the conservation movement as seen in an extraordinary nineteenth-century painting.
• Picturing History Through Art (grades 5–12, including Advanced Placement)
  Students examine the ways that works of art illustrate or were influenced by events that shaped American history during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
• **Say It Like You See It (grades 4–11)
  Using paintings from the Amon Carter’s collection, students will practice the art of “showing” the reader the object—describing it in such a way as to paint it with words. Through writing and sharing activities, students will practice describing events, objects, people, and places using vivid, active vocabulary including sensory details, strong verbs, and words which evoke emotion. Students will apply descriptive writing strategies to create labels for postcards of works from the Amon Carter’s collection.
• The Snow Show (grades K–6)
  Students investigate the scientific and mathematical intricacies of individual snowflakes while viewing and discussing how American artists have depicted the beauty and wonder of snow and ice. Students also learn to create delicate six-pointed snowflakes.
• So You Think You Saw What Happened? (grades 4–10)
  Enliven your art or language arts instruction and motivate your students to closely examine details in fine art by making a connection to forensic science. During this interactive videoconference, students will take a gallery tour; view, discuss, and note details in American masterpieces; and sketch from their written notes. The program culminates with a writing and sketching activity based on a mock crime scene.
• Stories and the American West (grades 4–7)
  This program uses art as a stimulus for students to create their own personal narratives about the American West. Participating teachers receive a CD of digital images and creative writing activities to reinforce the theme after the broadcast.
• Texas Bird’s-Eye Views (grades 3–8)
  From 1871 to 1891, a handful of artists crisscrossed Texas producing large and highly detailed bird’s-eye views of burgeoning cities and towns. This videoconference gives students the opportunity to analyze these remarkable images and explore the growth and development of nineteenth-century Texas towns and cities. After the videoconference, continue exploring the theme by using supporting lesson plans from the Amon Carter’s online teaching guide Texas Bird’s-Eye Views.

Scheduling Student Programs

We will broadcast programs to suit your scheduling needs. You may schedule a program by emailing distancelearning [at] cartermuseum [dot] org (distancelearning@cartermuseum.org) or calling 817.989.5038. You may browse more detailed program descriptions, objectives, and formats at cilc.org. You may also select from a calendar of program offerings on our bridge website, www.Connect2Texas.net. If standard program offerings or tours do not meet your needs, you may request a customized program on other topics related to the permanent collection and special exhibitions at the Amon Carter. Audience participation should be limited to no more than thirty students. The standard fee for a one hour program is $100. Discounts will be provided when three or more programs are scheduled in one request. All schools outside Texas are responsible for their own line charges.

Videoconferences for Educators

Enliven professional development opportunities by bringing the Amon Carter Museum of American Art’s collection right to your campus on your preferred dates! Through videoconferencing, our professional educators can tailor district or campus level staff development to your needs, incorporating language arts, social studies, visual arts, and other disciplines. Contact the Distance Learning Program Manager at 817.989.5038 or distancelearning [at] cartermuseum [dot] org (distancelearning@cartermuseum.org) to receive information on our many program topics and fees.

To browse our calendar of upcoming free, educator videoconferences that individuals or groups may attend remotely, click here. Ask your videoconference site manager to go to connect2texas.net.