Name of Project:
Creation Stories
Classroom, School:
5th and 6th grade, Clara Barton Open School, Minneapolis
Cooperating teacher:
Mary Austin
Grade Level:
5th and 6th grade
Subject and Curricular Link:
U.S. history through Native American creation stories and myths
Overview of Project
After reading Native American creation stories the students will make a pastel drawing invisioning their individual creation story. They will imagine and invent how one element of nature (earth, wind, fire, and water) plays into their story. They will compose one sentence on how they would of liked to of been created using symbols and metaphors. They will begin with a preliminary design sketch of their idea considering the overall composition, content and narrative. Students will transfer their compositions to canvaette paper and work in pastels. The canvasette paper will be taped down to a board to assist in storing in between sessions and to also leave a clean border for the final product. In the end, the artwork will be fixed to help preserve them and to prevent them from smudging.
Essential Question(s)
What is the main idea behind Native American creation stories and myths? How can the four elements of nature be symbolized? How do we create harmony in a 2-D composition and tell a story?
Prior Knowledge
The students will have basic knowledge of U.S. history and the evolution of mankind. I will be introducing several Native American creation stories prior to getting started on their drawings. This will be done through a PowerPoint of visual examples and a short description of what a creation story entails. As a class, we will also read short creation stories that originated in the Native American culture.
Timeline
This will be a two day lesson. On the first day the students will be further introduced to creation stories and myths through reading 3 examples as a class. They will learn different ways in which artist's have illustrated historical creation stories and myths. They will also brainstorm and compose their ideas for their final composition. On the second day the students will be creating their pastel drawings. At the end of class, we will do a short presentation of the students work so they can exhibit their work to one another. This will also be an assessment tool for me.
Examples of student or artist work
In the PowerPoint presentation, I will show several visual examples of different artists depictions of creation stories or myths. I will also come up with my own creation story and present a pastel drawing that illustrates the story so the students can get a grasp for the project. Three creation stories will be read out loud to the class. Those stories will be read from Native American Creation Myths by Jeremiah Curtin and Navaho Indian Myths by Margaret Schevill Link.
Assessment
In the very beginning, I will ask the students if they know what a creation story is and how it might be illustrated. During the PowerPoint, I will ask the students what they see in the examples. And how they think these artists were illustrating their creation stories? While they present their work to one another in the end, I will have them make speculations on what they think each others creation story is about. When doing the reflection, I will ask the students what was the hardest part of the project for them? I will want the students to compare their preliminary sketches to the final pastel drawings so they can directly point out the hardships they encountered.
Materials
Pencils for preliminary sketches. 32 pieces of canvasette paper with the dimensions of 12 x 16". 4 rolls of masking tape. 32 masonite boards for a solid surface to work on. Newspaper to cover tables to help keep surface clean. Sketch paper, 11 x 14. 2 cans of spray fixative. Scissors. 16 packs of multi colored pastels.
Teacher Vocabulary
Creation story/myth: stories that are generated based on the mythology of ones culture and how they were believed to of been created. The stories were often influenced by the natural environment and the animals that they hunted. I will discuss some design elements that the students should consider when making their drawing. Those elements include: symmetry, emphasis, line, shape and color. I will show examples of these elements through the PowerPoint and I will discuss how to potentially utilize them in their work. I will also write them on the board, so the students can remember the importance of design elements when trying to create a dynamic composition.
Procedures
1st day, approximately 1.25 hours
1. An introduction of creation stories through a PowerPoint presentation.
2. Have students assist me in reading 4 creations stories that I have selected.
3. I will explain my creation story and present a finished product so the students can get an idea for what I am looking for.
I will demonstrate the concept of foreground, middle ground and background and show how to draw out the main idea(s) from the stories they create.
4. The students will come up with one sentence of how they imagined they were created (I was created when...).
They will get the okay from me or Mary before they can move on. Here we will help in deciding their main idea or concept behind their artwork.
5. The students will begin their preliminary sketch for their final composition. Some students will finish faster than others, so the students that
are ready to start can do so until the end of our session that day. I will have to give a demonstration on pastels to those students prior to getting started.
2nd day, approximently 1 hour
1. I will give a demonstration on how to properly use pastels.
2. The students will begin working on their pastel drawings.
3. The students will finish up their work with any final touches. We will then form a circle and share our work with one another.
4. End of project!! The students will leave their work on the boards so I can fix them
the following day. On Wednesday, I will also help in displaying the work out in the hallway.
