Submitted by Judy Decker         
Unit: Cave painting -Animals in art - Using the Internet
Time : 3 to 4 classes (depends on your resources)
Kindergarten Adaptation below -from Lin Alt

Example from St Johns Lower School. Houston, Texas - Lesson below

Alternate lesson below

SUMMARY: Students study ancient cave art in a cave in France via the Internet, video Lascaux Cave and prints. They apply the skills and information by creating their own cave art – simulating cave like environment with flash lights. Purpose of this lesson was an assessment tool. I began the year with a unit on Animals in Art.

WEB SITES: http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/middle/lascaux.htm

RESOURCES: Shorewood print – Take Five – 12x16 print package Lascaux caves and – Video: Lascaux Caves (both available through Art Video World and Crystal Productions)

MATERIALS: Paper, crayons, flashlights, brown craft paper, black India ink, brown tempera paintbrushes. Texture panels – crayons – watercolor – pastels. Paint shirts

OBJECTIVES: The students will communicate both in drawing and writing how they explored and produced their cave art. Aesthetic issues will be discussed (value and conservation). Students will review art elements and principals of design.

INSTRUCTION/MOTIVATION:

1.      Show video Lascaux Caves – Students fill out work sheets (questions about video). Discuss art prints available – (displayed on rolling display board)

2.      Explore Lascaux (and other caves) via the Internet – Discuss meaning of animals – spiritual significance. Discuss aesthetic issues – value of art – preservation of caves – respect. Internet lesson was designed around questions students had after watching the video.

3.      Tape brown paper around tables (optional – wrinkle) – Demo: painting animal from memory – Select animal of special meaning.

PROCEDURES:

1.      First studio day: Students put on paint shirts – crawl under tables to paint. Begin with black India ink. Paint fluid lines – animal of choice. Accent areas of animal with brown paint – use brown paint to paint other animals

2.      Second studio day: (put painted papers up on tables) Add texture to negative space with texture panels and crayons. Add more color to animals with watercolors. Fill in areas with pastels if desired. Talk about how student work is similar and how it is different. Quality was not evaluated so much as participation. Individual student work was used to assess skill level.

EVALUATION:

Observation – grade students on participation – assess drawing skills and ability. Students get a holistic grade for unit (mainly on effort and participation).

Alternate Lesson: Individual Cave Paintings

This project was substituted the following years. Set up was easier – and assessment of individual work was easier. (See elementary example of similar lesson below)

MATERIALS: Gray bogus paper, or tan construction paper (choice), black India ink, brown watercolors (other colors available too), paintbrushes. Texture panels – crayons – watercolor – pastels.

INSTRUCTION/MOTIVATION:

1.      Show video Lascaux Caves – Students fill out work sheets (questions about video). Discuss art prints available – (displayed on rolling display board)

2.      Explore Lascaux (and other caves) via the Internet – Discuss meaning of animals – spiritual significance. Discuss aesthetic issues – value of art – preservation of caves – respect. Internet lesson was designed around questions students had after watching the video

3.      Demo: painting animal from memory – demo each step of assignment. Student select choice of paper – remaining supplies already on table.

PROCEDURES:

1.      First studio day: Review Internet lesson – discuss new findings. Students put on paint shirts – Begin with black India ink on gray bogus or tan paper. Paint fluid lines – animal of choice. Accent areas of animal with brown watercolors

2.     Second studio day: Add texture to negative space with texture panels and crayons. Add more color to animals with watercolors if desired. Highlight areas with pastels (rock like colors) if desired. Allow work to dry completely. (Hair dryer available). Crumple painting – dip in watered down India ink (or watered temper) to stain. Crease go darker to look like rock. Tear edges. Dry flat. Talk about how student work is similar and how it is different. Quality was not evaluated so much as participation. Individual student work was used to assess skill level.

ALTERNATE:

Use Samantha Wilmoth’s Rockin’ Chalk lesson plan to make your own chalk. Use on real slate if available – or make your rock like paper. Crumple tan, brown or gray construction paper. Dip in watered down India ink or tempera paint. Open up rinse paper- tear edges to make irregular. Dry flat – draw in with “home made” chalk.  http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/elem/Samantha-rock.htm  

ALTERNATE:

Suggested by Diane Davis:

I like to use stained or broken ceiling tiles (the big ones 3' x 5' ) that the custodians were going to throw out. I cover them with plaster for a bumpy rock surface, and have each table work cooperatively on them.  They love to use the curves in the plaster to show movement or create a scene based on the lines and bumps protruding from the plaster surface. Plaster could be given a wash rock like stain ahead of time. Drywall board scraps might be available from a construction company for the lesson.

Others have suggested staining - then carving drywall board.

EVALUATION:

Alternate Idea from Ellen Sears:

We had been doing contour drawings - I had them prepare a piece of cardboard
by gluing torn newspaper pieces down (with a watered-down glue) - they used
a small plastic animal to come up with a drawing, used black crayon to draw
the contour line.  Then used a dark acrylic wash on the negative space.  The
print/images of the newspaper gave a nice texture - the wash let the print
show through - a nice little lesson on contour drawing and negative space.

Submitted by Linda Woods, St. Johns Lower School
Cave Paintings - Drawings for Elementary

From Sandy Poos:

I use to teach my 6th graders about the Paleolithic Cave Paintings. We used sticks from real branches and dipped them into black tempera to draw our animals on the walls (which was 12x18 brown construction paper- different shades and tints of brown -edges could be torn for rough like feeling) . They thought it was harder than using chalk or pencil or a brush. We gave
our "brown" wall some texture with crayon rubbings and after the tempera lines were dry, we added some oil pastels inside the line drawings to add a little touch of color like the cave man did.

Becky Thornton added this idea:

I have the students draw animals on brown paper sacks, then fill them in partially with sharpie (permanent marker) then we crayon over the animal, lightly.  Then I iron them.  They look quite good and are very inexpensive!

Kindergarten Adaptation from Lin Alt, Cedar Creek Elementary 

We studied the caves of France, especially Lascaux. I used pieces of the lesson on your site (above) and we looked at the URL from France you listed (Lascaux Cave http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/arcnat/lascaux/en/). After the students finished their art, I made a cave in an unused storeroom by hanging wrinkled brown paper on the walls. I glued
their artwork all over and included plastic spiders and paper bats. The children were allowed to crawl in with flashlights and look at the cave. It was one of those doors that opens in half, so we only opened the bottom half. They children LOVED it. They were unbelievably cute
and were totally in to it. After that, 1st and 2nd grades got a tour and loved it as much as the little ones! 

Cedar Creek Cave - Lin Alt's Kindergarteners

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