School Programs Brochure

The School Programs Department at PEM designs visits for students that connect artworks and objects to classroom instruction and students’ everyday lives. All gallery lesson plans are designed to promote students’ visual literacy and critical thinking skills and connect directly to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks for History and Social Science, Language Arts, Art, Mathematics and Science and Technology. Approximately 20,000 students visit PEM every year. To make a school visit reservation, please click here for our online reservation form. The cost per student is $5 for one thematic school tour and $7.50 per student for two.

Thematic School Visits at PEM

 

Asian Art and Cultures

Exploring Asian Art
Recommended for Grades K-12

What are some of the important ideas and symbolic decorative details in art from China, Korea and Japan? Students closely examine paintings, sculptures and objects from everyday life and work collaboratively in gallery activities to gain a deeper understanding of artwork from these countries.

Time: one hour (or 1.5 hours with optional art activity)

Grades K-4 look at the role of nature in Asian artwork, the use of natural materials to create texture and form and the use of symbols to convey meaning.

Grades 5-8 focus on the use of symbols to create meaning and how the subject matter and art form reflects the ideas, religions and customs of people living in a particular place and time.

Grades 9-12 focus on describing and analyzing how various Asian artworks reflect function, customs, religious beliefs, aesthetic theories and historical/political events.

Yin Yu Tang, A Chinese House
Recommended for Grades K-12

Students have the unique opportunity to explore a traditional Chinese home in the United States. Built late in the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) in a rural village in China’s Anhui Province, this residence was home to the Huang family for more than 200 years. It was moved piece by piece and re-erected at the Peabody Essex Museum over a seven-year period. Whether your students are studying art motifs, Chinese culture or world history, this program is certain to be an exciting educational experience. Students can preview the house online. When you book a school visit to Yin Yu Tang, you will receive a complimentary DVD about the house for classroom use prior to your visit.

Time: one hour

Grades K-4 explore the everyday life of a Chinese family living in rural China for the last 200 years through examining every day objects, architecture and decorative art.

Grades 5-8 students look at life for a family living in a rural Chinese home through exploring architecture, symbolism, cultural traditions and the political and social status of men and women in family.

Grades 9-12 explore the architecture and symbolic decorative elements of a traditional Chinese home, and how the impact of economic and political upheavals in China over the last century affected Yin Yu Tang and led to its relocation to the Peabody Essex Museum.

 

American Art and Cultures

Life in the 17th Century
Recommended for Grades 3-8

Students focus on the daily life of a family living in 17th-century Salem through the examination of everyday objects and architecture. They make connections between decorative features in the John Ward House (built in 1684) and objects in the museum’s American art galleries.

Time: one hour

At Home in Salem: 1785-1820
Recommended for Grades 3-8

Students explore what it might be like to live in a sea merchant’s family and examine other aspects of early 19th-century life by taking a guided tour of the Gardner-Pingree House (built in 1805). Through careful analysis of American portraits, landscapes and sculptures, students develop an understanding for the conditions of daily life during the height of Salem’s prosperity, identify with people of the past and develop an understanding of how art and culture reveal clues about the early American republic.

Time: one hour

The China Trade: Venturing to Asia
Recommended for Grades 5-8

Attention: Massachusetts 5th-grade teachers! This program is especially recommended for your students.

After the Revolution, American’s international trade flourished. Salem’s seafarers competed to reach Asia in pursuit of tea, silk, spices and porcelain and other fine goods craved by the citizens of a fast-growing nation. Students trace the trade routes plied by Yankee ships from Salem to Canton, China, learn about trade routes, world geography, art and technology. They also learn how the trade of goods and ideas began a dialogue between two very distinct nations and how this mutually affected their economies, cultures and people.

Time: one hour

Salem in the Golden Age of Sail
Recommended for Grades 5-8

Have your students take part in an exciting, collaborative program between PEM, the House of the Seven Gables and Salem Maritime National Historic Site!

Journey back to a time when America entered the international trade arena. This all-day field trip includes visits to PEM, the House of the Seven Gables and the Salem Maritime National Historic Site. Through interdisciplinary activities and observation, students experience the important role Salem played in developing the young nation of America. At the museum’s Gardner-Pingree House (built in 1805), students see innovations in art and architecture and learn about life in Salem in the early 1800s. At the House of the Seven Gables, they try building their own fortunes by playing an international trade game. At the Maritime Site, students contrast the hardships of life at sea — focusing on the vessel Friendship — with the domestic comforts of life on shore. Whether you are seeking to promote new interests or enrich ongoing lessons, you will find that Salem in the Golden Age of Sail is rich in instructional resources.

 

English Language Arts

Artful Tales
Recommended for Grades K-5

Students become detectives, artists and authors in this interactive exploration of the elements of story writing. Using open-ended questions, sketching and vocabulary activities, students discover how art reveals stories about people, places and time periods. Group storytelling and self-directed learning are included in this hour-long tour.

Images and Words
Recommended for Grades PreK-2

Link visual and verbal literacy as well as creative expression in this activity-based investigation of artworks from around the world. In this gallery tour, students sharpen critical thinking skills by creating poems and narratives in response to critical analysis and observation of captivating works of art.

 

Visual Arts

Animals in Art
Recommended for Grades PreK-2

Come see mammals, reptiles, sea-life, amphibians, insects and more through the eyes of artists. Discover representations of animals from different cultures and in various artistic media. Students build valuable observation skills while learning about animal characteristics through stories, art and hands-on activities in Trash Menagerie, the new Art & Nature Center interactive exhibition, and in other galleries. In the studio, students create collaborative artwork based on their experience with specific objects. In the process of discovery, students employ cooperative learning in learning fundamental concepts in natural science and art.

Time: 1.5 hours

Artists & Environment
Recommended for Grades 3-6

Discover the relationship between artists and the world around them. Investigate artists’ connections with the environment through an exploration of contemporary and historical Native American, Native Hawaiian and Oceanic art. Students investigate touchable materials that have played influential roles in artists’ processes and inspiration. In the studio, students create a collaborative artwork that reflects the group members’ artistic vision and connection with their own regional environment.

Time: 1.5 hours

Art and Politics
Recommended for Grades 9-12

How does art reflect the time in which it was created? In what ways does art contribute to our understanding of social and political discourse? In this lesson, students investigate traditional and contemporary works in the museum’s collection and come to understand how art plays a critical role in socio-cultural commentary and critique around the world.

Time: 1 hour

 

Events

Special Event at PEM! Winter 2010 ECHO Performing Arts Festival Celebrate — Song, Dance and Story! (Date TBD)
PEM will host Native performers from Hawaii´ and Alaska who highlight how song, dance and story convey cultural practices and beliefs from one generation to another and across geographical borders. Make sure to book your class for a visit to PEM to view these culturally rich performances. With pre-performance in-class activities, students will be able to compare and contrast different cultures customs and stories with their own traditions, developing an appreciation for both. For more information about ECHO, visit www.echospace.org.

Don’t forget to check out PEM’s 2009-2010 exhibitions with students!
Our dynamic and thought-provoking exhibitions are a great way to introduce young minds to art, artists and cultures. We can create gallery lesson plans tailored to meet your individual classroom needs. To work with a museum educator, call 978-542-1546.

Fall 2009
Rare Bird of Fashion: The Irreverent Iris Apfel
October 17, 2009, through February 7, 2010
Don’t miss more than 80 dramatic ensembles from the personal collection of legendary tastemaker Iris Apfel. Known of for her eclectic mixing of haute couture with costume jewelry and exotic baubles, Apfel continues to inspire bold developments in the fashion industry through her spirited reverence and pitch-perfect taste. Students can immerse themselves in Apfel’s fashionable flair, reflect on their own ideas about what makes something stylish and consider what type of distinctive style they want to present to the world.

Valérie Belin: Made Up
October 17, 2009, through February 7, 2010
Can your students can tell fact from fiction? Valérie Belin’s large-format photographs blur the line between fashion model and mannequin to explore perceptions of beauty and identity. The PEM exhibition is the internationally acclaimed French photographer’s first solo show in the United States, with 20 in-your-face images that ask questions about conventions of gender, fashion and commerce.

Trash Menagerie
June 20, 2009, through May 2010
In the right hands, even trash can be beautiful! Trash Menagerie presents over 30 whimsical animals created from things most of us simply throw away. A luminous moth made from piano keys and pottery shards. An iridescent dragon fish made from laundry detergent bottles. Students explore the art of recycling and participate in hands-on activities to unleash the creative possibilities lurking in everyday objects.

Spring 2009
Fiery Pool: The Maya and the Mythic Sea
This exhibition will present a selection of the finest Maya art in order to explore the central but little recognized role of the sea in the lives of its creators. A wealth of extraordinary art objects attest to the sacredness of the sea in Maya life, but no exhibition has ever examined how the art and objects reflect the cultural and spiritual concerns of the people who created them.

For Teachers

Professional Development Opportunities for Educators
We offer professional development opportunities for teachers throughout the year. (See topics below.) Available to groups of 15 or more, in the museum or at your school. For information, e-mail school_services@pem.org.

Write at the Museum!
How can objects tell a story? Look at objects in the museum’s collection as inspiration for writing. Also consider how object-based learning can be applied to classroom teaching. Learn how to view objects with students and how students can develop a variety of written responses to works of art.

Discover the art of object-based teaching!
Objects and artwork come to life when you use open-ended questioning strategies. Explore the educational potential in PEM’s collection and when you use objects in your classroom to engage students in inquiry and collaborative learning. The technique also builds observation and communication skills.

Teaching with Historical and Cultural Objects from Fiery Pool: The Maya and the Mythic Sea
Date TBD
As a PEM curator previews “Fiery Pool: The Maya and the Mythic Sea,” learn how objects from this upcoming exhibition tell stories about Maya history, culture and creativity. You’ll see things that have never been publicly displayed, as well as some well-known treasures. Teachers will receive pre-visit lesson plans to use in the classroom and have an opportunity to make priority reservations for school visits to this exhibition. “Fiery Pool” is tied strongly to the Massachusetts History and Social Science

Curriculum Standards.
Grade 5 Standard 5.2
Grades 8-12 Standards WHI.13

The Peabody Essex Museum is certified by the Massachusetts Department of Education to offer Professional Development Points (PDPs). If you have questions about specific programs, or if you would like PEM’s Education Department to develop a custom workshop for PDPs based on the museum’s collection, please let us know.