ways to incorporate FNMI knowledge:
- Bringing in local Indigenous artists.
- "Totem Pole" project.
- "Beading" a "Wampum Belt" styled bracelet out of colored pasta.
- Parfleche Portfolio project.
- Participating in traditional drumming/singing, and round dance.
- Extend learning further by introducing other concepts of the story such as masks, painting, sculptures, and musical instruments.
- Providing opportunities for students to extend their learning with "Readers Theatre." Turn legends into scripts or have students create their own. Dramatic effects can be added through dance, music, lighting, dress, and use of voice.
- Integrating nature materials such as quills, leaves, berries, and other items into your art materials. Teachers could also integrate beads and other items.
- Explore an Aboriginal dance and discuss the beliefs and traditions related to the community (e.g. the Ghost Dance or the Sun Dance).
- Watch and interpret traditional dance; explore the cultural relevance of the various dances.
- Examine traditional instruments used in Aboriginal cultures (e.g. is there a connection between the instrument and the culture?).
- Explore how different Aboriginal artists express their view on land claims, connection to the environment and other political issues.
- Examine and compare the traditional and contemporary symbols in the artwork of 2 or 3 Aboriginal artists.
- Integrated with Visual Arts: look for symmetry and reflections in the prints of Simon Tookoome (Inuit artist).
- Investigate the evolution of Inuit art forms (e.g. increasing size and complexity of Inuit sculpture, creation of Inuit printmaking).
- Use Aboriginal musical instruments like rattles or shakers.
- Listen and respond to First Nations, Métis and Inuit music through creative movement.
- Investigate traditional and contemporary songs from a particular Aboriginal culture and emphasize the significance and variety of drums (e.g. Haudenosaunee Water Drum, Cree Grandfather Drum).
Totem Pole ARt Sample Art Lesson From Thomas Elementary ARt |
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