A note to teachers about using these curriculum materials

We have designed this area of the museum’s Web site to provide teachers with curriculum materials to support the use of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum’s exhibitions and collections both during school visits and in the classroom. This site concentrates on recent exhibitions, but our aim is to develop a comprehensive range of lessons for educators on art and artists in the museum’s collection.

The lessons are designed to be relevant beyond the life of a particular exhibition. They can be used individually or in combination to develop concepts and themes related to the classroom curriculum, to exhibitions at the museum, or to Modern and contemporary art in general.

The design and content of these materials have a three-fold purpose:

• To help you to prepare students for a museum visit by providing information about the themes and ideas within each exhibition;
• To provide educators with the tools to conduct self-guided museum tours;
• To assist educators in developing classroom lessons focusing on Modern and
contemporary art.

Each resource unit includes:

• an introductory essay about the exhibition as background information for educators;
• a short biography of the artist;
• information on specific works of art;
• printable color images of these selected works of art;
• View + Discuss, suggested discussion questions to facilitate open-ended exploration;
• Further Explorations, follow-up activities and ways to extend and correlate learning with core-curriculum subject areas;
• a listing of additional resources including books, video tapes, Web sites, and definitions of words that may be new to students.

If you plan to bring a class to the museum, we encourage you to visit the exhibition, read these resource materials, and decide which aspects are most relevant and meaningful for your students. For more information on booking a Tour and Workshop experience, please call the Education Department at (212) 423-3637.