SPARK tails artists Jim Denevan and Cris Drury as they create large earth works. This Educator Guide is about the history and tradition of artists making work in and about the natural environment.

SPARK follows conceptual artist/engineer Natalie Jeremjienko as she works on her One Tree(s) project, planting 100 pairs of cloned trees throughout the Bay Area. This Educator Guide explores conceptual art as well as the investigative and ethical issues of life science and cloning.

Artists are often particularly keen observers and precise recorders of the physical conditions of the natural world. As a result, paintings can be good resources for learning about ecology. Teachers can use this lesson to examine with students the interrelationship of geography, natural resources, and climate and their effects on daily life. It also addresses the roles students can take in caring for the environment. Students will look at paintings that represent cool temperate, warm temperate, and tropical climates.
In this lesson students will: Identify natural resources found in particular geographic areas; Discuss ways in which climate, natural resources, and geography affect daily life; Apply critical-thinking skills to consider the various choices artists have made in their representations of the natural world; Make personal connections to the theme by discussing ways they can be environmental stewards; Identify natural resources found in particular geographic areas; Discuss ways in which climate, natural resources, and geography affect daily life; Apply critical-thinking skills to consider the various choices artists have made in their representations of the natural world; Make personal connections to the theme by discussing ways they can be environmental stewards.

Lena Delta is part of a collection of images of the Earth from space called, Landsat: Earth as Art. The images are designed to capture the attention of people who might not otherwise be interested in remote sensing. The images link the disciplines of science and art, and can be used to teach how the creative aspects of those disciplines employ similar human skills. The Lena Delta lithograph is intended to help the layperson understand the images better, particularly to help parents investigate the images with children ages 7-10. It encourages children and their parents to recognize patterns made in the surface of the Earth and is designed to help them see the inherent beauty of the Earth from space.

Early Image is a collection of extinct-animal paintings and sketches produced before 1923 (and therefore in the public domain). Some of the works are of Victorian age and may lend atmosphere to a class emphasizing the history of geology. The works are divided into two categories; prehistoric life before KT and prehistoric life after KT.

Using the art of Andy Goldworthy as inspiration, Elders create mandalas using nature based materials. Focus on history of mandalas, use of balance, texture, color. Lesson created for Elders, but could be used for any age.

Create embossed surfaces for students to make rubbings. Inexpensive materials, reusable.

Take a peek at the artistic side of science in this virtual exhibit, featuring work by Eva Sutton, Alexis Rockman and Sidney Harris.

Maker Faire participants collaborate in ISKME's Design Lab, using digital stories and salvaged materials to design an innovative school of the future. The Design Lab features Makers Mauro ffortisimo Di Nucci's deconstructed piano and INKA Biospheric Systems' Vertical Garden; as well as Student and Teacher project examples that integrate art, science, sustainability, and green design inspire the creation of shareable open-source learning resources. This wiki page showcases photos and video from the Design Lab, open educational resources for teachers, and a step by step guide through the design process.

This wiki page documents the STEAM Design Challenge Activity ISKME facilitated during the SLANT Summer Institute at San Francisco Unified School District July 19-23, 2010.Participants designed prototypes for an arts integration project for students and posted their ideas on the wiki.

This showcase of digital broadsides is devoted to nature poets and their work. Imagine Nature explores the convergence of poetry, graphic arts, and the technology of the Internet. Along with the text of the poem, some broadsides includes an audio reading (often by the author), photographs or original artwork, related nature sounds, or videos. The featured works include: "The Snakes of September" by Stanley Kunitz| "Sleeping In the Forest" by Mary Oliver| "St. Francis and the Sow" by Galway Kinnell| "For Luis" by Michael McClure| "The Butterfly Obtains" by Emily Dickinson| "Little Cosmic Dust Poem" by John Haines|"Sitting by a Swamp" by David Wagoner.

This mini-unit uses the wonderful story of "Miss Rumphius" by Barbara Clooney. Miss Rumphius travels to faraway places and makes the world more beautiful by planting her favorite seeds. The book sets the stage for activities relating to core curriculum objectives to be implemented into the learning environment, using technology tools and applications to create student products.

Students study the three main physical properties of leaves (shape, edge/margin and venation). Students will use the elements of art to describe and classify the observable properties of leaves. They will create an interpretive work of art that responds to these properties.

In this activity, students will explore the ten interactive tours on the Off the Map Web site, taking into account what readily available items each artist used to create his or her vision. The students will discuss what items each artist used, and how they themselves might turn their everyday trash into something special. Grade level 7-9.

Indian people throughout North America created rock art in ancient times. Its meaning is mysterious and sometimes controversial. Some archaeologists think rock art is a type of storytelling. Others believe it depicts religious or spiritual beliefs, while still others regard it as solely an artistic expression. In this lesson, students will investigate various forms of rock art to further their understanding of the past.

The site shows 34 paintings from John James Audubon's The Birds of America, one of the greatest picture books ever produced.

The Sun Curve Design Challenge is a partnership with INKA, the creator of the Sun Curve aquaponic garden and laboratory and ISKME's OER Commons project, to challenge teachers and students to produce new OER materials and incorporate green design thinking into the classroom.The Design Process Activity introduces the Design Challenge: How can you grow food using sustainable processes, using the design principles? as well as time to brainstorm, prototype, and present design ideas.

The goal of this activity is for students to develop visual literacy. They learn how images are manipulated for a powerful effect and how a photograph can make the invisible (pollutants that form acid rain) visible (through the damage they cause). The specific objective is to write a caption for a photograph.