Grade 5 - Early Civilizations

Lesson Five - Artists in Ancient Times

Description
Students examine art prints from ancient times in order to learn about art as storyteller. After reflecting on what art reveals about the people that created it, they create a storyboard and a piece of art that retell a myth from a civilization assigned by the teacher.

Expectations
– formulate questions to develop a research focus (e.g.,What farming methods were used by the Aztecs? How did trade between early African civilizations contribute to mutual prosperity? How did social organization differ among various North American First Nation peoples?);


Teaching / Learning
DAY ONE - Inquiry:
1. Divide the class into small groups.
2. Give each group an art print of ancient art works and tell them to discuss and respond to the following questions in their groups: "What story or message is told in the picture?" "What medium is being used to tell the story?" "What does this tell us about the people?"
3. Invite a member from each group to act as "Art Expert" and share their interpretations with the class.
4. Gather the whole class together and display another art print.
5. As a class, go through the same questions again. Discuss and chart class responses.
6. Brainstorm and chart a list of the mediums used by artists of ancient times. Remind students that the materials used by artists of ancient times came from the natural environment. Discuss the availability of mediums in relation to each of the civilizations students are studying.

DAY TWO - Sketching to Learn:
7. Have students meet in their museum groups to review the myth they read during Lesson 4.
8. Students work together to summarize the myth.
9. Each group creates a storyboard of the main events in their myth.
10. Groups discuss the various mediums they could use to retell the myth artistically, then decide which art form they would like to use to tell their myth. Encourage students to look at pictures of art work done by people in the civilization they are studying to help them get ideas.
11. Students should begin to work on their art. The art work should retell the main events outlined in their storyboard.

DAY THREE - Model-Making:
12. Give students the entire class to complete their art. While some group members are completing the art, other group members should be completing a coloured, final copy of the storyboard.

Adaptations
Teachers are encouraged to complete this area of the lesson to meet the individual needs of the students in their own class.



Assessment
- assess each group's piece of art and the completed storyboard using the Artists in Ancient Times Rating Scale

Assessment Strategies
- Performance Task


Assessment Recording Devices
- Rating Scale



Resources
Artists in Ancient Times Rating Scale
Ancient Art Prints - Local Art Galleries/Royal Ontario Museum/School Board Library
various art supplies

8 1/2" x 11" white paper
coloured pencils
pencils
myths from Lesson 4


Notes to Teacher
Students make connections between people, their art, and how it reflects their environment, daily life, and beliefs. They use the artifact they create to represent a myth from their civilization.

An alternative to using art prints for this task is to find pictures of ancient art works in various print resources.

Some suggested materials for creation of the artistic interpretation are:
- plates (recreation of ceramic plates with paper plates or cheap white plates)
- mosaic (use pieces of coloured paper or real tiles)
- vases (use papier mache and paint, or cans covered with decoupage)
- sculpture or relief pictures (plasticene or clay)

Use class art time to complete this subtask.

Depending on your classroom supplies, more unusual materials may need to be brought in by students. A second alternative is to send a letter home with students requesting donations of a variety of materials.