Lesson Plan 2

Collaborative Art Project

Lesson Title	Collaborative Art Project
Duration	6 classes (9 hours)
Synopsis	Students develop a framework for working with Native American myths, legends and imagery.
Description of Class	In this lesson the students collaborative develop a sand painting based on Native American myths and legends. This group project establishes a framework for creating collaborative artworks, exposes the students to the art of storytelling and teaches the students the process of conceptualization and visualization. The final piece is photographed with a digital camera and these images are used as source material for following projects in the course.
Primary Educational Objective	The students learn to research, select and interpret stories. The students gain knowledge of Native American legends, myths and symbolism. The students gain experience in conceptualization and visualization. The students learn and practice the art of developing and delivering oral presentations. The students learn to identify key thematic components in stories and to create visual representations that capture those components. The students learn how to visually represent dynamics. The students learn the production techniques used in creating sand-painting artwork.
Additional Concepts and Skills	Sand painting skills including sand selection, preparation, and the handwork used to deliver the sand to the painting. Carpentry skills for building the frame for the sand-painting. Documenting the process.
Assessment
Classroom Activities	Read stories from “American Indian Myths and Legends” by Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz. Each student selects a story and draws the primary dynamics and characters. Discuss the drawings Collect sand from natural settings. Build a frame with a base to hold the sand painting. Spread out the base sand and do the final smoothing with a ?? feather. Sift the sand to be used for painting. Apply the sand using a special hand technique. Document the process and final painting with photography.
Homework Assignments	Read stories from “American Indian Myths and Legends” by Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz. Select a story and draw the primary dynamics. Collect sand from natural settings.
Lecture Materials
Reference Materials	“American Indian Myths and Legends” by Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz
Prerequisites (this course)
Related topics	Native American stories and mythology Visual composition and design
Technology Requirements