Promoting partnerships!

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1 Pre-lesson Celebrating Character Promoting partnerships! Utah Museum of Fine Arts Educator Resources and Lesson Plans Winter 2016 samples from lesson plan 1

2 Promoting partnerships! Utah Museum of Fine Arts Educator Resources and Lesson Plans Winter 2016 Yei Rug, unknown Navajo artist Traditional weaving is an important part of Navajo (Diné) culture. Although the initial purpose of Navajo textiles is to be used as clothing, weavings by the Navajo people have been highly cherished artworks for hundreds of years. According to Navajo folklore, weaving practices began when Spiderwoman came to show the earliest Navajo people how to weave upon the loom and create items of unique beauty and utility. Their legends, religion, and language have been, and still are, wonderfully expressed in their weaving. The designs in Navajo weavings are an expression of the artist s personal and cultural identity. Historical research and interviews with Navajo elders can give us a framework for finding meaning and narratives in these artworks, but the true meanings may never be known to people outside the Navajo culture. Yei Rug is an exemplary model of a Navajo weave that incorporates meaningful symbols and rich colors rooted in Navajo tradition. The term Yei means spirit or god and is typically associated with the forces of nature. This rug is likely a symbol of gratitude for unknown Navajo artist, American a successful and prosperous harvest season. What Yei Rug wool woven visual cues can you find that support this theory? Gift of Judge & Mrs. Willis W. Ritter Do you have a different theory about the symbolumfa ic meaning of this rug? Image produced by the Utah Museum of Fine Arts-All rights reserved 2

3 Celebrating Character Logan Meyers Objectives Using Yei Rug as inspiration, students will: 1. Examine Navajo art materials and cultural practices 2. Decipher Navajo symbols to determine identifying traits in the weaving 3. Construct symbols that convey thoughts, ideas, or stories in artworks 4. Design an original artwork that celebrates their personal identity Intended Audiences/Grade Levels 4th grade State Core Links (see State Core Links at the end of this lesson plan) Materials 1. Image of Yei Rug, UMFA Pencil 3. 8x10 white printer paper 4. Construction paper 5. Magic Markers 6. Glue sticks Duration 60 minutes Vocabulary/Key Terms Identity Symbol Tradition the unique character or personality of an individual. A letter, character, or sign that represents a message or idea. the practicing of customs or beliefs and the passing of those practices from generation to generation. Activity Part One: Intro What is a Symbol? Ask your students the following questions: Can anyone describe what a symbol is? What are some symbols you see in our classroom? 3

4 Every day we interact with more symbols than we realize. When you get ready for school in the morning, you read countless symbols without even thinking about it. For example, when you turn on a facet, symbols are used to show which handle will give you hot water and which handle will give you cold water. Why are symbols important in everyday life? Symbols are also very important to artworks. They can represent ideas, feelings, and beliefs, and can help an artist convey a message or tell a story. Using the sketchbook provided to your students during their UMFA tour (or on a small piece of scratch paper), have the students complete the following prompt: Draw three symbols that help describe you, and write down why the symbols are important to you. Once the students have finished drawing their symbols, asks a few students to share the symbols they drew in their sketchbook and explain how the symbols connect to their lives. For example, a student may have drawn a heart to represent their love for their family, a student may draw a smiley face because they are happy, or a student may draw a football because they enjoy playing sports. Today we are going to look at an artwork and talk about symbolism and identity. What is identity? What kinds of things affect your identity? What do the symbols you just drew have to do with your identity? Part Two: Artwork Discussion Show the students an image of Yei Rug. Have a discussion about the artwork, using the following questions to help guide the dialogue: What is a character? Describe the characters in this artwork. How many characters are there? How are they the same? How are they different? The characters in this artwork are holding similar objects. What objects are they holding? Do these objects tell us anything about their identity? These characters are called Yei. Yei means spirit or god and they are usually related to nature. What are somethings in this artwork that might symbolize nature? Do you see any other symbols in this artwork? Do any of the symbols look familiar? What might the symbols mean? What colors do you see? Can colors be symbols? How would this rug be different with different colors? What do you think this is made of? This is a traditional Navajo woven rug. It is made out of tightly spun wool that is sheared from sheep during the hot season. Why might the Navajo people use wool in their art 4

5 work? What could this tell us about the relationship between Navajo people and their sheep? Does this tell us something about their identity? Why might an artist dedicate his or her time to create an artwork like this? Why is this subject important to the artist? What does this artwork tell us about the artist s identity? How would you describe tradition? Why are traditions important? Do you have any family traditions? How can traditional crafts contribute to a person s identity? What crafts or hobbies contribute to your identity? Part Three: Art Making Activity Now that students have examined how symbols are used by the Navajo people, ask the students to reconsider symbols that help them describe their identity. On the same piece of paper as before, ask students to draw three more symbols that are important to their identity. This time, before they draw their symbols, ask them to consider the following questions: What crafts or hobbies are important to your identity? Do you have any traditions that are important to your identity? If someone in your family chose symbols to describe your identity, what would they choose? For this project, students will create an 8x8 construction paper weaved rug that illustrates some aspects of their personal identity. To begin this project, students will need a variety of colored construction paper, scissors, and a glue stick. Step 1: Students will cut strips of paper that are the length of the width of the construction paper (8 inches). The strips can vary in size, but should not be thinner than 1/4 inch or thicker than 1 inch (see diagram 1). Strips can be any color, and students are encouraged to use multiple colors to create a more dynamic and vibrant weave. diagram 1 Step 2: Choose one 8 inch strip to be the starting point of the weave. Glue additional strips to the starter strip at ninety degree angles on alternating sides (first strip glued to the front side of the starter strip, second strip glued to the back side of the starter strip, and so on) until the entire length of the strip is covered (see diagram 2). 5

6 diagram 2 Step 3: Weave additional strips through the strips that have already been glued in place (see diagram 3). Once the strip is in place, glue it down with the glue stick. Try to weave the strips as close together as possible so that there are no gaps in between. diagram 3 Step 4: Using a magic marker of their choice, students will draw three or more symbols that are significant to their personal identity on their weave. Method(s) for Assessment Formative Assessment: Students should respond appropriately to the question in the introduction and successfully identify symbols that hold personal significance. Students should participate in classroom discussion, while identifying and verbalizing visual elements of the selected artwork. Summative Assessment: The paper weave may act as a summative assessment, evaluating the students ability to refine the application of art techniques and apply visual arts concepts associated with particular cultures, times, or places. State Core Links Visual Arts Standard 1 (Making): The student will explore and refine the application of media, techniques, and artistic processes. Objective 2 Explore a variety of art materials while learning new techniques and processes. Handle art materials in a safe and responsible. 6

7 Standard 3 (Expressing): The student will choose and evaluate artistic subject matter, themes, symbols, ideas, meaning, and purposes. Explore possible content in art prints or works of art. Objective 2 Discuss, evaluate, and choose symbols, ideas, subject matter, meanings, and purposes of artwork. Standard 4 (Contextualizing): The student will interpret and apply visual arts in relation to cultures, history, and all learning. Compare the arts of different cultures to explore their similarities and diversities. Objective 2 Objective 3 Connect various kinds of art with particular cultures, times, or places. Recognize the connections of visual arts to all learning. English Language Arts Reading: Literature Standard 1: Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. Reading: Informational Text Standard 1: Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. Reading Informational Text Standard 7: Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears. Library Media Strand 7: Engaging with and extracting information. Standard 1 Engage with information by reading, listening, and viewing sources in a variety of formats. Social Studies Standard 2: Students will understand how Utah s history has been shaped by many diverse people, events, and ideas. Describe the historical and current impact of various cultural groups on Utah. partners is funded in part by POPS, Salt Lake Arts Council, R. Harold Burton Foundation, and Salt Lake City School District. R. Harold Burton Foundation 7