ELEMENTARY RESOURCES
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Elementary Classroom, Jessy Garris:
Incorporating Artwork into the Writers Workshop
Elementary Classroom
Author: Jessica Garris
Background Information from the Author:
I consistently use a piece of art as the anchor for all of my Writers Workshop
lessons. We follow the standard “See, Think, Wonder” routine, but I have added
a “Feel” component as well. Students use this routine to make a connection to
the work, and then use that connection to create in-depth writings based either
on the piece of art or on one of the connections made. You can modify this
process to work best for your students.
For information about the exploration and settlement of the West, I have
included links below. It is a good idea to have some background knowledge
about the artwork you choose and the time in which it was created; however, it
is standard that no additional information about the work is given until after the
students go through the Visible Thinking process.
First Session (45 minutes minimum):
Hook: Making Connections:
TTW put the following pictures on chart paper in different places of the room.
Each picture is taken from one of the ten sections of the Go West! exhibition. I
tried to choose pieces that all K–5 students could view. Please keep in mind that
you may edit this and choose different works for your classroom.
•
•
•
•
•
Thomas Mickell Burnham, The Lewis and Clark Expedition, ca. 1850
So-soreh, Northern Plains, Dress, ca. 1880
Thomas Moran, Zoroaster Peak (Grand Canyon, Arizona), 1918
William Henry Jackson, Pulpit Rock, Echo Canon, Utah, 1900
Charles M. Russell, Bronco Buster, 1919
• Frederic Remington, Stormy Morning in the Bad Lands, 1906
• Courier Lithograph Company (active Buffalo, New York), Art Perpetuating
Fame: Rosa Bonheur Painting Buffalo Bill, 1889
• Carl Rungius, Mule Deer in the Badlands, Dawson County, Montana, 1914
• Astley D. M. Cooper, In the Studio, 1902
• Northwestern Plains, War Bonnet, 1885
Tell students that they will be learning about different works of art from a specific
time period. As they “carousel” around the room, they should write down
anything that comes to mind when they look at the artworks—sentences,
phrases, words, or drawings. All students should be writing simultaneously, so
everyone will need their own marker.
Split the students up among the posters. Allow one minute at each work of art
and rotate until students have been to each poster.
After all rotations have been completed, choose one student at each poster as
the spokesperson who will share what was written. For younger students, call
them to the carpet and discuss what they wrote or drew. This provides an
opportunity for students to clarify any misunderstanding about what they wrote
about the posters.
Now pose the question, “Did you notice a theme about the works of art? If so,
what was the theme?”
Lesson:
Allow students to discuss the theme briefly, but do not give them any
background knowledge about the time period. That comes after the “See,
Think, Wonder” process.
Explain to students that they will be taking one of the pieces from their carousel
activity and diving in a bit deeper. Tell the students that you will display the
image, and they will be asked to write or draw a response to the questions that
you pose.
Pass out a sticky note to each child.
Show the selected piece; I chose William Henry Jackson’s Pulpit Rock, Echo
Canon, Utah, 1900. Pose the question, “What do you see?” Allow two to three
minutes for students to write their responses.
Repeat this step three more times, each time using a different colored sticky
note. Students will be asked all four of these questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
What do you see?
How does that make you feel?
What does it make you think?
What does it leave you to wonder?
Sharing:
Students will now share their responses to all four of the questions with a partner.
Set the timer for one minute. During the first minute, one student will share and
the other student will listen. When the timer goes off, the student who was the
listener will share something about the other student’s response (“I agree with
your feel statement because . . .”). Now the roles will switch. The student who
was the listener will share their responses for one minute while the other student
listens. When the timer goes off, the silent student will share something about the
other student’s response. Collect sticky notes and hold until the next day for use
in the next activity.
Wrap-up:
Call the students together. Have a group discussion about the activity. Some
questions for guidance include:
• How are the carousel activity and the visible thinking activity different?
• Did your thoughts about the artwork change after going through the
questioning process?
• Did your partner have the same thoughts as you?
• Why does making your thinking visible help with understanding the work
you are discovering?
This is also when you can let them know that the artworks are going to be at the
High as part of the Go West! exhibition and that the collection focuses on the
expansion into and settlement of the West.
Second Session (45 minutes minimum):
Hook:
Show students the following Brainpop.com video:
http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/ushistory/westwardexpansion/
After the video, give each student a sticky note and have them write the one
thing that stood out most to them. Have students share and put their responses
on a large piece of chart paper with the title “Westward Expansion.”
Lesson:
Return each student’s sticky notes from the previous day. Explain to them that
they will now be creating collaborative stories using the artwork as the anchor
piece.
Break students into groups of four and provide them with a piece of chart paper
and markers. Have them split the chart paper into four sections. Title the sections
“See,” “Feel,” “Think,” and “Wonder.” After they have titled the sections, each
student will share all of their responses, and then put their sticky notes in the
appropriate squares.
Now provide each group with one copy of the Narrative Elements Graphic
Organizer. This will be their template for their collaborative writing piece. Go
over characters, setting, problem, and solution with the students; then give them
an opportunity to brainstorm and fill out their Narrative Elements Graphic
Organizer. Remind them to pull information from the “Westward Expansion”
chart and their “See, Feel, Think, Wonder” chart as well. I like to have everyone
involved, so one student would write for each section.
Once the graphic organizer is filled out, the students can begin to develop their
collaborative narrative about the artwork. Have them choose who will write the
beginning paragraph, the two middle paragraphs, and the end paragraph.
Paragraph writing is done individually until each paragraph is finished. Students
then come back together as a group, glue all of the paragraphs onto one sheet
of construction paper, edit/revise, and share their work.
Sharing:
The sharing part of this activity usually takes place on the third day. I make a
copy of each group’s collaborative writing so that each student has their own
copy. Students then share their stories with the class, with each one reading the
paragraph they wrote.
Wrap-up:
Once all groups have had an opportunity to share their stories, discuss how one
painting, sculpture, or print inspired various stories. How is that possible? Why
were all of the stories different?
Finally, I hang their “See, Feel, Think, Wonder” charts and stories in the hall for the
rest of the school to see.
Assessment Option:
Students write their own narrative about one of the works shown at the
beginning of the lesson. They must follow the same questioning routine and
provide all narrative elements in the story.
Additional Resources:
For Westward Expansion and Settlement:
BrainPOP, “Westward Expansion,”
http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/ushistory/westwardexpansion,
accessed May 12, 2013.
Spark Note Editors, “SparkNote on Westward Expansion (1807–1912),”
http://www.sparknotes.com/history/american/westwardexpansion/summary,
accessed May 12, 2013.
For the Arts:
Buffalo Bill Center of the West, “Smithsonian Associations, American Alliance of
Museums,” http://www.bbhc.org/explore/buffalo-bill, accessed May 12, 2013.
High Museum of Art, “Upcoming Exhibitions: Go West!,”
http://www.high.org/Art/Exhibitions/Go-West.aspx, accessed May 12, 2013.
For Visible Thinking:
Harvard Graduate School of Education: Project Zero,
http://www.pz.harvard.edu, accessed May 12, 2013.
Patricia Palmer, David Perkins, Ron Ritchhart, and Shari Tishman, “Visible
Thinking,” Carpe Vitam,
http://www.oldpz.gse.harvard.edu/vt/VisibleThinking_html_files/VisibleThinking
1.html, accessed May 12, 2013.
Susan L. Barahal, “Thinking About Thinking: Preservice Teachers Strengthen Their
Thinking Artfully,” Phi Delta Kappan 90, no. 4 (December 2008): 298–302,
http://www.oldpz.gse.harvard.edu/vt/VisibleThinking_html_files/06_AdditionalResources/SusanB
arahal2008.pdf, accessed May 12, 2013.
Elementary Art, Jessica Pinneau:
Native American Bead Lesson
Elementary Art
Author: Jane Pinneau
Essential Questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
What materials did Native Americans use to make beads?
What purposes did beads serve in the lives of Native Americans?
What methods did Native Americans use to create their beads?
How did beads support Native Americans’ belief systems?
Objectives:
1. Students will learn about Native American bead objects as well as beadmaking materials and traditions
2. Using various materials and types of beads, students will create their own
necklace.
PowerPoint Presentation of Native American Bead Materials,
Traditions, and Types of Beads:
Beaded items for religious purposes (such as a medicine pouch or pipe bag)
were made personally or given by relatives, not bought or sold. Beadwork on
such items was not only to make them beautiful; it often reminded the owner of
a personal vision or sign, or the meaning of a personal name. However, the care
taken and artistry used in making these sacred objects beautiful showed honor
and respect to the spiritual powers. The work itself was done as a prayer or vow,
strengthening ceremonial activities.
Fetish Beads: A fetish is an object believed to have magical,
protective, and healing powers. It is made in the likeness of an animal and
thought to contain power related to the animal’s strengths and attributes.
Bone Beads: Beads carved from and shaped like animal horn, turtle shell,
and deer hooves, often for dangling dance rattles. Animal teeth and
claws were bored and strung—bear- or wolf-claw necklaces were proof
of a hunter’s powers. Wooden beads, sometimes dyed, were carved and
drilled. Hard seeds were steamed to soften them for piercing with an awl
and stringing. Small animal bones were polished and shaped into tapered
cylinders, called hairpipe bone, for neck chokers and large dance-regalia
breastplates. Softened, flattened, and dyed porcupine quills were used as
well.
Shell Beads: Seashell beads are important today because ancient shell
beads have been found thousands of miles from sea coasts, indicating
trade contacts among ancient peoples.
Fine-split animal sinew was the material most commonly used to string beads
and to attach them to rawhide garments, although strong twined plant fibers,
such as nettle, or hide thongs occasionally were used.
Teacher Lesson Procedures:
1. Introduce Native American bead-making traditions, discussing tribes, the
purposes of various beads, and the meanings of symbols and beads. Use
examples from the Go West! exhibition and other images.
2. Show the PowerPoint that illustrates Native bead-making materials,
designs, and objects made from the beads. Discuss how Native
Americans found and used the materials, and what methods they used to
form the different types of beads.
3. Demonstrate the different bead-making methods listed in the following
chart. I usually teach one type of bead per 45-minute class. Feel free to
adapt your discussion depending on the length of your classroom sessions.
Procedures (listed by bead type):
Polymer Clay Animal Fetish
Beads:
1. Chose colors of polymer
clay.
2. Warm up polymer clay in
Paper Beads:
1. Select colorful magazine
pages.
2. Cut into long, skinny
triangles.
Cornmeal Beads:
1. In a small plastic cup mix
¼ cup yellow cornmeal,
about one tablespoon of
Elmer’s Glue-All, and one
your hand.
3. Decide what types of
animals you would like to
make, and make a brief list
of them.
4. Divide the clay into peasized pieces.
5. Form the clay into simple
animal shapes.
6. Add details (eyes,
feathers, fur, etc.) by
pressing a wooden
toothpick into the clay.
7. Push a wooden skewer
through from top to bottom
on both sides for even
holes.
8. Place beads in a paper
cup and cook in toaster
oven for 15 minutes at
275°F.
White Bread Beads:
1. Crumble one slice of
white bread (including
crust) into a small plastic
cup.
2. Add one tablespoon of
Elmer’s Glue-All and two
teaspoons of tempera
paint.
4. Mix together with a
popsicle stick until the
dough is very thick.
5. Scrape the dough into
your hand; roll and knead it
until it doesn’t stick to your
hand.
6. Pinch off pea-size pieces
of dough and form them
into shapes (ovals, cubes
etc.).
7. Push a wooden skewer
though the middle of the
ball from both sides for
smooth and even bead
holes.
3. Starting with the wide
end of each triangle, tuck
and roll the paper tightly
around wooden skewer—
don’t let go!
4. Dab a small amount of
glue at the skinny end of
the triangle and continue
to roll and smooth out the
paper.
5. Carefully spin and slide
the bead off the skewer.
teaspoon of tempera paint
(if you wish the beads to be
colored) until a very stiff
dough forms.
2. Scrape the dough into
your hand and roll it until it
is thick but smooth in
texture.
3. Pinch off pea- or M&Msized pieces and roll them
into balls.
4. Push a wooden skewer
though the middle of the
balls from both sides for
smooth and even bead
holes.
Poetry Beads:
1. Put a tab of masking
tape on the blunt end of a
wooden skewer and write
your name on it.
2. Look through magazines
to find small words that
interest you. You can group
words into groups of two or
three.
3. Tear newspaper into 8- to
10-inch-long strips.
4. Dip fingers into wheat
paste and apply a thin
coating to both sides of the
newspaper strips.
5. Wind newspaper around
the skewer in one spot,
twisting it as you wind it.
6. Press and smooth the
newspaper into a round
bead shape as you wind.
7. Stick the magazine words
onto the beads.
8. Put colored tissue paper
over the bead so that you
Dried Bean Beads:
1. Soak dried beans or
seeds overnight.
2. String beads while they
are still wet.
This bead method is best to
do on the day that you are
putting the necklace
together, or you can push
a long darning needle
though all of the beads
that you wish to use, letting
them dry on the needle (it
might take two or three
large darning needles),
and then pull them off to
string dry.
can see the words.
9. Press and smooth the
tissue paper firmly all over
the bead.
10. Continue smoothing
and shaping the bead.
Materials (listed by bead type):
Polymer Clay Animal Fetish
Beads:
Polymer clay (assortment of
ten different colors)
Wooden skewers
Scrap paper and pencil
Toaster oven
Small paper cups
White Bread Beads:
Two loaves of white bread
Elmer’s Glue-All
Wooden skewers
Popsicle sticks
Tempera paint
Small paper plates
Paper Beads:
Magazines
Paper cutter
Wooden skewers
Elmer’s Glue-All
Small plastic or paper cups
Cornmeal Beads:
Yellow cornmeal
Elmer’s Glue-All
Popsicle sticks
Wooden skewers
Small paper plates
Poetry Beads:
Newspaper
Wooden skewers
Art paste, wheat paste, or
wallpaper paste
Magazines
Small squares or rectangles
of colored tissue paper
Small paper plates
Dried bean Beads:
Dried soup mix (for a variety
of seeds and beans), or
dried seeds that you find
outside
Darning needles
Evaluation/Assessment:
Was each student successful with the different bead-making methods?
Was each student able to string the various kinds of beads to create their own
necklace?
Could each student explain to a neighbor what beads were used for in Native
American life?
Could each student explain to a neighbor how beads supported Native
American belief systems?
Georgia Performance Standards—Visual Arts, 4th grade:
VA4MC.1 Engages in the creative process to generate and visualize ideas.
a. Creates a series of thumbnail sketches to alter visual images (e.g., magnifying,
reducing, repeating, or combining them in unusual ways) to change how they
are
perceived and interpreted.
b. Formulates visual ideas by using a variety of resources (e.g., books,
magazines,
Internet).
VA4MC.2 Formulates personal responses to visual imagery.
a. Uses a sketchbook for planning and self-reflection.
b. Responds to big ideas, universal themes, and symbolic images to produce
images with richer, more personal meaning.
c. Self-monitors by asking questions before, during, and after art production to
reflect upon and guide the artistic process.
VA4MC.3 Selects and uses subject matter, symbols, and/or ideas to
communicate meaning.
a. Generates different viewpoints for making and interpreting a visual image.
b. Develops visual images by combining or modifying open-ended
themes/topics in unique and innovative ways.
c. Observes how the visual relationship of objects and ideas (juxtaposition)
affects contrast and/or proportion and how placement may affect meaning
and/or significance.
VA4CU.1 Investigates and discovers the personal relationship of artist to the
community, the culture, and the world through making and studying art.
a. Recognizes the unique contributions of contemporary and historical Georgia
artists and art forms.
b. Explores and articulates ideas and universal themes from diverse cultures of
the past and present.
VA4CU.2 Views and discusses selected artworks.
a. Identifies elements, principles, themes, and/or time period in a work of art.
b. Discusses how social events inspire art from a given time period.
VA4PR.3 Understands and applies media, techniques, and processes of threedimensional works of art (ceramics, sculpture, crafts, and mixed-media) using
tools and materials in a safe and appropriate manner to develop skills.
b. Creates ceramic objects using hand-building methods (e.g., pinch, coil, slab,)
clay processing techniques (e.g., wedge, score, slip) and surface design (e.g.,
stamping, relief carving, glazing, burnishing)
VA4C.1 Applies information from other disciplines to enhance the understanding
and
production of artworks.
a. Makes interdisciplinary connections applying art skills, knowledge to improve
understanding in other disciplines.
c. Describes and discusses design in daily life (e.g., clothing, houses, cars,
furniture).
VA4C.2 Develops life skills through the study and production of art.
a. Manages goals and time.
b. Adapts to change.
c. Works in teams.
d. Guides and lead others.
e. Directs own learning.
f. Demonstrates persistence.
Georgia Performance Standards—Social Studies, 4th Grade:
SS4H1 The student will describe how early Native American cultures developed
in North America.
a. Locate where Native Americans settled, with emphasis on the Arctic (Inuit),
Northwest (Kwakiutl), Plateau (Nez Perce), Southwest (Hopi), Plains (Pawnee),
and Southeast (Seminole).
b. Describe how Native Americans used their environment to obtain food,
clothing, and shelter.
SS4H6 The student will explain westward expansion of the United States between
1801 and 1861.
a. Describe territorial expansion with emphasis on the Louisiana Purchase, the
Lewis and Clark expedition, and the acquisitions of Texas (the Alamo and
independence), Oregon (Oregon Trail), and California (Gold Rush and the
development of mining towns).
b. Describe the impact of the steamboat, the steam locomotive, and the
telegraph on life in the United States.
c. Describe the impact of westward expansion on Native Americans.
Resources:
www.amnh.org
Elementary Art, Shannon Mulkey
Faux Hide Parfleche
Elementary Art
Author: Shannon Mulkey
Overview:
Parfleche containers were used by Plains Indians to package and transport
goods, clothing, and food. Parfleche is a French Canadian word, originated by
explorers in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries—the time of their
earliest contact with Plains tribes. It is derived from parer (to parry or turn aside)
and flèche (arrow), apparently referring to war shields that were made from
heavy rawhide. Eventually it became the common name for large, envelopelike rawhide containers decorated with colorful geometric shapes, which were
sometimes maps.
Objectives:
Students will be able to define a parfleche and discuss its relevance to the Plains
Indians.
Discuss sources of traditional dyes and how they were made. Design, construct,
and paint a parfleche.
Introduction:
Begin with a PowerPoint presentation showing traditional parfleche examples
and how they are made. Lead a discussion using Artful Thinking Routines to
encourage investigation and inquiry. Demonstrate the procedure students will
use to make their parfleches.
Procedure:
Making the faux hide structure:
 Open the paper bag at the seams and flatten it.
 To add texture and simulate the look of a buffalo hide, crumple the paper
tightly, and then carefully open it and press it flat.
 Cut your paper bag to be roughly 27 x 18 inches. Fold the top down
about 5½ inches, and then fold the top portion up until it almost touches
the top. Fold each side toward the center to form two flaps. This creates
the base structure.
Creating a Pattern:
The Plains Indians did not have rulers; instead they used straight sticks and
rawhide templates to create patterns. Create your own pattern inspired by their
geometric motifs. Draw your pattern on your parfleche using a pencil or
charcoal.
Making Color:
Plains tribes created paint from natural dyes obtained from materials such as red
or yellow ochre rock, blue rock, fresh green tree moss, huckleberries,
blackberries, or grass. Dyes and paints were also made from trade blankets by
boiling the material until the dye leaked out. The extracted color was mixed with
a binder to make paint; common binders were milk, eggs, plant sap, animal fats,
and even blood. We will be using water-based glue as our binder. Have
students experiment by grinding up the natural materials or straining the
infusions—this is all about the process. Work as a group to create a palette of
colors to share.
Students will then paint their parfleches with their handmade paints. Allow the
parfleches to dry; meanwhile, have students document the colors they have
made and what went into the mix.
Making a Closure:
The last step is to make a closure by punching holes in the front flaps and
securing it with twine or raffia.
Extensions and Adaptations:
The handmade natural paint may be excluded. Pastels or markers could be
used instead.
The parfleche could be used as a portfolio to contain further investigations of
Plains cultures.
Supplies:
Paper bags or Kraft paper
Scissors
Rulers or straight sticks
Charcoal
Natural pigments
Paintbrushes
Water-based glue
Hole punch
Twine
Vocabulary:
Parfleche: a Native American rawhide bag, typically used for holding and
transporting goods, clothing, and food. The word was originally used by French
fur traders—it was not a word used by Native Americans. It derives from the
French parer, meaning “parry” or “defend,” and flèche, meaning “arrow”—so
called because the hide was tough enough to be used as a shield.
Plains Indians: the indigenous peoples who live on the Great Plains of North
America. Their equestrian culture and resistance to domination by Canada and
the United States have made the Plains Indians a literary and artistic archetype
of all Native Americans.
Standards:
VA3MC.1 Engages in the creative process to generate and visualize ideas.
VA3MC.3 Selects and uses subject matter, symbols, and ideas to communicate
meaning.
VA3CU.1 Investigates and discovers the personal relationship of artist to
community, culture, and world through making and studying art.
VA3PR.3 Creates artworks based on personal experience and selected themes.
VA3PR.3 Understands and applies media, techniques, and processes of three
dimensional works of art (ceramics, sculpture, crafts, and mixed media) using
tools and materials in a safe and appropriate manner to develop skills.
Assessment and Reflection:
The student critiques works of art, reflecting upon and assessing the
characteristics and merits of his or her own artwork and the artwork of others
(National Standard 5). The student describes and assesses materials, techniques,
and processes used to complete a finished artwork. The student demonstrates
the ability to reflect upon and interpret the construction of meaning in his or her
own artwork and the artwork of others. Interacting with peers, the student
expresses a personal viewpoint and offers constructive criticism.