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Navajo Sand Paintings
Research the use of sand paintings in the Navajo tribe. Your students work together to design their own sand painting. They share their creation with the class describing what the symbols mean.
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Expression: Masks - Activity 1
Students create art plans for an "installation" after viewing a video of Native American mask making that centers around the Salmon rack idea. Emphasis is placed on collaborative work in this introductory lesson.
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Common Visions, Common Voices
Students analyze common recurring motifs and themes found in literature and artwork from various cultures. They research and report of the "trickster" motif found in Native american, Mayan, and Ethiopian cultures.
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Tin Relief
Young scholars create a sun tin relief sculpture. In this Mexican art lesson, students incorporate line and form into a relief sculpture that they create of the sun.
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Artfully Speaking
Second graders speak in front of small groups using their My Favorite Artwork form.
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The Treaty Trail: Examining an Artist's Perspective
Elementary school leanrners examine artwork from the time period of the United States and Native American treaties. They discuss the causes and effects of the treaties being signed. They also examine how cultural perspective influences art.
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Shoes and the Backyard Landscape
Your shoes get a lot of mileage in familiar places. Represent the places you have traveled the most with an art project based on a print of Indian People Wear Shoes and Socks by Juane Quick-to-See Smith. Kids trace their shoes and draw...
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American Genre Painting in the Nineteenth Century: Teaching Artistic Interpretation as a Tool for Critically Viewing History
Students view a variety of artwork to determine the history and lifestyle of people from New Haven, Connecticut. In groups, they develop their individual hypothesis about why the paintings were created and share them with their group...
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The Treaty Trail: US Indian Treaty Councils in the Northwest
Students research and examine primary sources concerning the Washington Territory. In this Native American removal lesson, students view portrait images created by Gustav Sohon. Students then read several biographies that correspond to...
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Immigration History Firsthand
Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this immigration instructional activity, students conduct research regarding Ellis Island and the American immigrant...
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The Lure of The West
Here is a fabulous series of lesson plans on four of the most celebrated artists of the Old Western period in American history. Learners study the works of Charles King, George Catlin, Albert Bierstadt, and Thomas Moran. The pack is...
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Pages Out of the Past
Students examine examples of rock art and the reasons why they were made. They translate the images into a creative writing piece that be attached to their own rock art.
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Topsy Turvy Kids
Sixth graders study the artwork of Jaune Quick-to-See Smith before creating their own. In this painting lesson, 6th graders examine two pieces of work by Jaune Quick-to-See from the online collection of the Missoula Art Museum and read a...
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Sacred Art
Students view a PowerPoint about Tibetan monks to help them explain the culture's world views, myths and religious beliefs. They investigate Navajo sand paintings and compare how they are similar to the Tibetan monks' artwork.
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Art and Culture
Young scholars compare and contrast the ways in which human figures are portrayed in rock art made by ancient Native American artists and in the drawings and paintings of historic European and American artists. They use images to...
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Sand Painted Teepees
Second graders create "Sand Painted teepees" using sand, paper, glue, and information about Native American culture in this 2nd grade Art lesson. The lesson includes a vocabulary list, a materials list, a resource link, and a short...
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Sculpture: Statues, Monuments, and More
Students explore some of the components of sculpture through a variety of artists and their artwork. The six lessons of this unit utilize the sculptures experienced when students were studying American history and the Native Americans.
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Pack your Parfleche!
Imagine you are a Plains Indian, a nomad getting ready to follow a herd of buffalo. Now imagine what you would have to pack for your trip. Little ones examine images of a traditional parfleche (packing box), and then create packing lists...
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Create your own Parfleche!
What is a parfleche? It is a box used by the Plains Indians to carry goods as they traveled. First, the class will discuss the uses of these highly ornate boxes and the nature of the Plains Indians' nomadic lifestyle. Then, the class...
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1850-1874 Beef Moves to Nebraska
Just how long was the Long Drive? Learners investigate the movement of cattle in the Great Plains during the mid-1800s. They incorporate photographic, newspaper, video, and primary source evidence into their posters, artwork, and written...
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The Night Chanter Project
Students sketch a design based on "The Night Chanter." In this art design lesson, students listen to the Native American prayer, "The Night Chanter" and illustrate their personal vision of the chant. Students critique the sketches and...
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Treaty Trail: Crossing the Bitterroot Mountains
Students examine art and primary documents that depicts the Native Americans' crossing of Washington's Bitterroot Mountains to arrive at the Spokane Council. Students investigate and compare maps and other historical materials determine...
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Cut Outs: Shapes and Symbols
Students create collages based on Juan Quick-to-See Smith's "Ode to Chief Seattle." In this shapes, symbols and Native American lesson, students examine the "Ode to Chief Seattle" and Henri Matisse's cutout work. Students design their...
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Comparing Cultures Through Symbols
Students examine symbols used by the Plains Indians. Using examples of African art, they discuss what symbols they use that relate to the Native American symbols. They compare and contrast the two cultures and discuss as a class to end...