OBJECTIVE:

THE STUDENT WILL LEARN ABOUT THE PICTURE WRITING THAT THE NATIVE AMERICANS USED. THEY WILL CREATE A PAINTING USING THESE SYMBOLS OR SYMBOLS THAT THEY DESIGN.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

PREHISTORIC PEOPLE ALL OVER  THE WORLD PAINTED  AND CARVED PICTURES ON ROCKS. PAINTED IMAGES, FIGURATIVE DRAWINGS OR PICTURES REPRESENTING A WORD ARE CALLED  PICTOGRAPHS. CARVED IMAGES ARE CALLED PETROGLYPHS. NATIVE AMERICANS WERE NO DIFFERENT. THEY LEFT MARKINGS ON ROCKS. WE ARE NOT REAL SURE WHY THESE MARKINGS WERE DONE…   MAYBE TO MARK TIME…. MAYBE TO PASS MESSAGES ON TO OTHER PEOPLE…. MAYBE TO MARK A GOOD HUNTING PLACE.

WE ARE NOT REALLY SURE OF THE REASON FOR THESE MARKINGS BUT THEIR BEAUTY THROUGHOUT THE WORLD IS FASCINATING. THESE WERE ESPECIALLY ABUNDANT IN THE SOUTHWEST. ONE ROCK HAS SO MANY IMAGES ON IT THAT IT IS CALLED NEWSPAPER ROCK.

INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES:

        1.        CRAZY HORSE’S VISION   BY JOSEPH BRUCHAC AND S.D. NELSON  http://www.leeandlow.com/books/vision.html
2.        POSTER FROM ROCK ART NATIONAL PARK IN ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO
3.        PICTURES OF ROCK ART
4.        SEMINAR GIVEN BY S.D. NELSON
5.        IF ROCKS COULD TALK (VIDEO) BY B. JANE BUSH
6.        SECRETS OF THE STONE BY HARRIET PECK TAYLOR
7.      ROCK ART INTERNET RESOURCES

MATERIALS:

12” X 18” CONSTRUCTION PAPER FOR STENCIL
12” X 18” BLACK CONSTRUCTION PAPER
PENCILS, SCISSORS (older student may use X-acto knives)
TEMPERA IN MANY COLORS
SMALL PIECES OF SPONGES
Q-TIPS OR SMALL PAINT BRUSHES

VOCABULARY:

ROCK ART                         PETROGLYPH
PICTOGRAPH                     STENCIL
BRIDGES                             

PROCEDURE:

        1.        WATCH THE ROCK ART VIDEO
2.        SHOW THE STUDENTS THE POSTER AND OTHER PICTURES OF ROCK ART
3.        ON THE BLACK PIECE OF CONSTRUCTION PAPER, SPONGE ON COLORS TO REPRESENT CELESTIAL SKIES, 
        ETHEREAL SKY, MILKY WAY OR MISTY ATMOSPHERE. ROYAL BLUE, TURQUOISE, BLACK, WHITE.  MAKE A NICE SKY
        (SET ASIDE TO DRY).
4.        DRAW AN ANIMAL OR HUMAN FIGURE AS LARGE AS YOUR HAND ON STENCIL PAPER.
5.        CONNECT SIDES OF FIGURE WITH BRIDGES -THE BRIDGES DIVIDE THE ANIMAL OR FIGURE INTO INTERESTING
        SECTIONS. Instead of cutting out the entire stencil, we made Bridges to go across the stencil. It made them more sturdy
        and gave them a decorative aspect. For instance, say your figure was a lizard. You might have a bridge across his
        body, maybe a V bridge - or several V bridges if the lizard is long.
6.        FOLD FIGURE DOWN THE CENTER AND CUT OUT FIGURE BETWEEN BRIDGES - Be careful not to cut the bridges at the
        sides. Accidents can easily be repaired with tape.
7.        DEMONSTRATE TRANSITIONAL COLORS, HAVING ONE COLOR FADE INTO THE NEXT.
8.        STENCIL FIGURE ON SKY PAPER USING THE TRANSITIONAL SPONGING METHOD
9.        REPEAT FIGURES, SOME FIGURES MAY GO OFF THE PAGE. DRY STENCIL BETWEEN EACH ONE.
10.     ON EDGE OF STENCIL PAPER, CUT OUT A GEOMETRIC DESIGN.
11.     SPONGE BORDER AROUND PICTURE WITH GEOMETRIC DESIGN.
12.     TO ADD STARS, USE WHITE PAINT AND THE END OF A Q-TIP OR USE THE END OF YOUR PAINT BRUSH. ALSO
        YELLOW PAINT WITH A WHITE DOT IN THE MIDDLE AND THEN PULL AWAY IN ALL DIRECTIONS WITH THE TIP OF
         BRUSH LOOK GOOD. USE LARGER STAR DESIGNS AROUND STENCILS.

CLOSURE:

REVIEW CONCEPTS/VOCABULARY  - DISPLAY ARTWORK IN THE SCHOOL.

EVALUATION:

1.        WAS THE STUDENT SUCCESSFUL IN CREATING A STENCIL FIGURE WITH BRIDGES?
2.        DID THE STUDENT CREATE AN INTERESTING SKY?
3.        DID THE STUDENT ARRANGE THE STENCIL FIGURES USING THE WHOLE PAPER?
4.        DOES THE FINISHED PROJECT NEATLY DONE?

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