Philadelphia has a rich history of producing world-class dance talent, from virtuoso tap dancers LaVaughn Robinson and the Nicholas Brothers to the contemporary house and street dancers from Rennie Harris Puremovement, the longest running street dance theater company in the world. And, like the signature Philly sound, the city has moves with soul.

Learn about the art of Kenneth Ragsdale. After watching a short video, students will experiment with making folded paper structures that they will photograph, using lighting and camera angles to create different effects. Completing all activities will take 2-3 class periods.

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For more studio tours and other arts content from WMHT, visit AHA! A House For Arts. AHA! A House for Arts features the stories of artists, makers, and creative institutions right here in our backyard and across the country. A celebration of all things creative, AHA! features everything from the traditional to the innovative.

Read words with the long "e" sound with NYCDOE Universal Literacy Reading Coach Anna Stretching-Cole. Students will blend words and read words with a specific focus on the long "e" sound (ee, ea).

Witness the unstoppable joy of dancing bomba, Puerto Rico’s Afro-Puerto Rican dance of resistance. Meet sisters Mar and María Cruz who are dedicated to the dance and its legacy of survival, and trace some of the communities where bomba is at its most vibrant, from the Santurce area of San Juan, to Loíza, the bastion of Afro-Puerto Rican culture across the Rio Grande.

Queen Lili‘uokalani was the first sovereign queen, and the last monarch, of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. At the time of her reign, a new Hawaiian constitution imposed by white Americans had reduced the voting rights of Hawaiian citizens and much of the monarchy’s powers, transferring power to American business owners and missionaries. Learn how Lili‘uokalani fought to restore native Hawaiian rights in this video from Unladylike2020. Support materials include discussion questions, vocabulary, and primary source analysis activity.

Learn how Jim Crow laws impacted home ownership and the pursuit of the American Dream in this series of videos from the American Masters film, Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart. Lorraine Hansberry’s family was at the forefront of fighting segregation in Chicago in the 1940s, even taking the fight all the way to the Supreme Court. Hansberry’s famous play, A Raisin in the Sun, continues the legacy of her parents by using literature to take a stand against racial inequality and injustice.

Support materials include discussion questions, teaching tips, and a student handout comparing the experience of Lorraine Hansberry’s family and the Younger family in A Raisin in the Sun.

In this video from the American Masters film Ralph Ellison: An American Journey, scholars discuss conflicts between Ralph Ellison and the leaders of the Black Arts Movement. Ellison was often criticized for prioritizing aesthetics over politics, putting him at odds with a younger generation of Black artists who had lost faith in the integrationist ideals of an earlier era.

Sensitive: This resource contains material that may be sensitive for some students. Teachers should exercise discretion in evaluating whether this resource is suitable for their class.

Be an author! Write and illustrate your very own story by mixing up a simple recipe of WHO, WHERE, WHAT, and ENDING.

Segment sounds, and review long "a" and contractions with NYCDOE Universal Literacy Reading Coach Trinette Carruthers.

Learn about the different combinations of beats that produce endless varieties of rhythms.

Roger Abrahamson demonstrates his craft to youth. Abrahamson is a traditional bowl turner who uses the medieval technology of a spring pole lathe and hand-forged tools to create Norwegian ale vessels.

A lesson plan for grades 5-12 is included as a gallery asset and in the support materials.

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Postcards is an award-winning series showcasing the arts, history, and cultural heritage of western Minnesota and beyond. Funding for Postcards comes from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. To watch more Postcards, visit the show page or video portal.

Karen Jenson reflects on her life and lengthy career as a renowned Norwegian and Swedish rosemåler. Take a tour of her awe-inspiring house full of her work.

A lesson plan for grades 8-12 is included as a gallery asset and in the support materials.

More About This Resource
Postcards is an award-winning series showcasing the arts, history, and cultural heritage of western Minnesota and beyond. Funding for Postcards comes from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. To watch more Postcards, visit the show page or video portal.

Award-winning filmmaker Leya Hale explores the traditional dress-making culture of Lakota and Dakota communities. Tanner Peterson, a member of the Upper Sioux Community, is the videographer and production assistant. Interviews with Gaby Strong, Pejuta Haka Red Eagle, Gabrielle Tateyuskanskan, Leah Thomas, Marcy Fiddler and Lonna Stevens discuss the materials, hand craft, adornments and cultural heritage of traditional Dakota and Lakota women's dresses.

This program was made possible by the voters of Minnesota through legislative appropriation from The Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

More About This Resource:
Postcards is an award-winning series showcasing the arts, history, and cultural heritage of western Minnesota and beyond. Funding for Postcards comes from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. To watch more Postcards, visit the show page or video portal.

Review words with long "o" and long "i" sounds with NYCDOE Universal Literacy Reading Coach Vida Nazemian. Students will segment words, break words into their individual sounds, review vowel teams for long "o" and long "i", and build, blend, and read words and sentences.

Test your ability to identify if a line is from Shakespeare or Taylor Swift in this video from the National Theater. Cast members from Great Performances: Romeo and Juliet are presented with quotes and have to decide whether they are from the bard of today or the past! Support materials ask students to extend the game by coming up with their own version using a different songwriter.

Learn how to add details to make the setting of your stories come alive in this Story Pirates video from Camp TV. By using words to describe how a place looks, sounds, feels, smells, and even tastes you can make your writing more compelling.

Practice how to show, not tell, with similes in this Story Pirates video from Camp TV. Get ready to get creative and use your imagination!

This video features Mr. Steve from PBS Kids performing his original song “Silly Shoes,” which encourages children to move and dance with inspiration from their own “silly shoes.”

Sissieretta Jones was heralded as one of the greatest singers of her generation and a pioneer in the operatic tradition at a time when access to most classical concert halls in the U.S. were closed to Black performers and patrons. Learn more about this trailblazing classical performer in this video from Unladylike2020. Support materials include discussion questions, vocabulary, research extension tips, and a newspaper analysis activity.

Sensitive: This resource contains material that may be sensitive for some students. Teachers should exercise discretion in evaluating whether this resource is suitable for their class.

Students are introduced to traditional folk music with an animated rendition of a familiar song, “Skip to My Lou.” The animation features an band made up of forest creatures, plus a few other surprises.