Multicultural Art Project Adaptations

Here are some possible art project changes to the multicultural unit:

• Kaylee Jensen
  Grade: 1
  Time Needed: 3 25 minute periods over 3 days
  Objective: Students will take pride in their own family culture and appreciate other family cultures.
  State Standards
  
  
  
  Objective 2 Develop and demonstrate skills in gross and fine motor movement.
  4. Create and perform unique dance movements and sequences that strengthen skills while demonstrating personal and spatial awareness. 
  Objective 3 
  Develop and use skills to communicate ideas, information, and feelings.Recognize and express feelings in a variety of ways (e.g., draw, paint, tell stories, dance, sing).
  
  1. Express how colors, values, and sizes have been controlled in artworks to create mood, tell stories, or celebrate events. 
  2. Sing a melody independently, with developing accuracy and a natural voice that is free from strain. 
  3. Create simple rhythm, movement, and melody patterns with body percussion and instruments. 
  
  
  Objective 3 
  Express relationships in a variety of ways.
  
  1. Describe traditions, music, dances, artwork, poems, rhymes, and stories that distinguish cultures. 
  2. Develop dramatic storytelling skills through flexibility in movement and voice, accurate sequencing, and listening and responding to others. 
  3. Create and perform/exhibit dances, visual art, music, and dramatic stories from a variety of cultures expressing the relationship between people and their culture. 
  
  
  Lesson
  Materials:
  -Several short clips of traditional and cultural dances from many unique countries.  
  -The song "This Land is Your Land"  on a CD as well as the lyrics printed out for each student.
  -Photos of the traditional dress from different cultures.
  
  1. For the first part, explain to the students that the United States is know for its blend of many different cultures.  Pass out the lyrics to "This Land is Your Land" and have them read along to the song.  You can even have them clap along to the beat.  
  THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND 
  words and music by Woody Guthrie
  Chorus:
  This land is your land, this land is my land
  From California, to the New York Island
  From the redwood forest, to the gulf stream waters
  This land was made for you and me
  
  As I was walking a ribbon of highway
  I saw above me an endless skyway
  I saw below me a golden valley
  This land was made for you and me
  
  Chorus
  
  I've roamed and rambled and I've followed my footsteps
  To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
  And all around me a voice was sounding
  This land was made for you and me
  
  Chorus
  
  The sun comes shining as I was strolling
  The wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
  The fog was lifting, a voice came chanting
  This land was made for you and me
  
  Chorus
  
  As I was walkin'  -  I saw a sign there
  And that sign said - no tress passin'
  But on the other side  .... it didn't say nothin!
  Now that side was made for you and me!
  
  Chorus
  
  In the squares of the city - In the shadow of the steeple
  Near the relief office - I see my people
  And some are grumblin' and some are wonderin'
  If this land's still made for you and me.
  
  Chorus (2x)
                     
  2. Print photos of individuals performing the traditional folk dances and have students discuss how these costumes might influence the dance.  One item to be prepared for is the reaction of children to men in kilts, which they might see as men in dresses.  Explain to the students that throughout history men, even soldiers, have worn a variation of a dress.  Not until approximately 1760 did men wear breeches regularly, though as early as the 1580's sailors wore loose fitting trousers when climbing riggings.  For more information about the history of pants see http://www.poloindia.com/historyoftrousers/right_frame.htm; to understand the history of other types of clothing and costumes the following web sites are helpful:
  
  
  http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blclothing.htm
  http://www.costumes.org/history/100pages/timelinepages/timeline.htm (photo history that students might enjoy)
  http://www.costumes.org/history/100pages/costhistpage.htm (photos also available)
                                      
  
  
  3. Have students them try some of the more difficult moves found in folk dances, such as numerous traditional Russian dances.  The following website provides videos of these dances http://www.barynya.com/video/index.stm.  Click on the thumbnail photos to view the videos.   
          
  
  
  4. Have the students use the instruments used to perform traditional folk music should be of interest.  The following websites provide photos of instruments from around the world:
  
  
  http://www.afghanan.net/music/instruments.htm#mem (Afghanistan)
  http://www.balkanfolk.com/workshopinstruments.php (Bulgarian)
  http://africancreations4.com/african-musical-instruments.htm (African)
  http://www.wanuken.com/music.html (Native American)
  http://www.novica.com/referral.cfm?cellid=ggl382005061413&c=1&a... (International)
  
  
  5.  In the end, have them fill out a sheet describing what they thought was the most interesting fact  about one of the cultures that they learned about today.
  
  
  

  • Laura Davis

  Creating the Collage :
  Step 1: Draw a small self portrait in the middle of a large piece of white construction paper.
  Step 2: Cut out pictures of what is most important to you (your family)
  
  Step 3: Glue the cut out pictures closest around your self portrait on the paper.
  
  Step 4: Cut out things that are second most important to your life from magazines or pictures(hobbies, movies, toys, games)
  
  Step 5: Glue cut out things around the self portrait, but farther away from the portrait than your first priority pictures.
  Step 6: Cut out pictures of things that are a part of your life, but are less important that the other things (food). Glue those pictures around the outside of the paper, farthest from you in your self portrait.
  
  This is an ok example of what it might look like. Except, the most important things to the student will be closest to their picture in the middle (which they drew) and the less important things will be on the outside of the collage.
  
  Step 7: Display and Discuss: Have students walk around the room and look at other collages. Then continue below:
  
  Assessment
  
  Have students get into groups of 4 and talk about what they learned about themselves, their parents, and their grandparents. How did your grandparents and parents change over time? Do you think they always looked like and were the same as they are today?  Have them also talk about what they learned about what was most important to them and to others. 
  
  

  • Cherilee Barrett

  
  Materials Needed:
  6x6 fabric squares (enough for each member of the class or you could combine children into groups and have them share larger squares to make it more cost efficient) paper
  pencils
  different colors of fabric that they can use to create their object
  sewing machine
  thread
  scissors
  
  Procedure:
  Ask students the questions: Who are you? What do you like to do? What do you look like? Make list on board.
  Boys and girls, this is how you correctly hold a pencil:
  Watch this video to help you teach them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM_dia8QGr
  First write your name at the top of your paper. Have students brainstorm about things that they do with their families. Have them think about the things that make their family unique and similar to other families. Have them draw representations of what they brainstormed. Teach them the basic shapes that they would need to draw their representations. Have them self-monitor if they are holding their pencil correctly.
  
  Tonight Boys and Girls, I want you to go home and give your parents this letter and ask your parents/guardian/whoever is at home these questions.
  Example Letter:
  Dear Parent/Guardian,
      In school we are learning about who we are, where we come from, and about families. Today in school, your child drew a picture that represented their family. We would like them to talk to you about other objects that remind you of your family. These could be items that make you family unique or similar to other families. Your student will be creating a representation of these items on a 6x6 fabric square. We will be sewing these squares together to make a class quilt. Thank you for your help in our class project!
  (Next Day)
  Okay boys and girls, now I want to go around and have each person tell me something about their family at home. (Go around the room)
  Do we all have the same family? No, we all come from different families and the number of people in our families is different to and that is okay. We are all different.
  Who remembers what we did yesterday? Review drawing techniques.
  Have students draw out their object. It could be the same one they drew yesterday or one that their parents told them about.
  After drawing out their representation tell them that they are going to use clothe to make 6x6 square for your class quilt. They can use various colors of fabric to make their representation.
  Once students have done this teach them how to use scissors: This is how you use scissors. Teach students by teaching the whole class first. Then going around to individual tables and demonstrating there.  Use this video as a guide: http://video.about.com/babyparenting/Using-Scissors.htm
  Have students pick out fabric they need and draw their object on the fabric. Have them continue with other fabrics to create their representation. Have them cut out their drawings. You will then sew the representations together. They can use tape to make sure that they have their representations placed correctly for you to sew them onto the squares.
  Once the quilt is completed, bring it to school to have in the classroom. Hold a classroom discussion where each student will explain their square to the class and how it represents their family/culture.
  
  
  

  • Whitney Gasser

  Talk about how different cultures have different styles of art. Some art is based upon holiday traditions.
  Have students pair share about different holiday traditions.
  Talk about eastern European Easter holiday traditions. Introduce the Ukrainian Easter egg “Pysanka”. Talk about the materials used. Talk about the word hydrophobic, and explain how where the egg has wax on it It does not absorb the color from the water.
  Demonstrate how to make a Pysanka.
  Next day:
  Use this website to know how to make eggs: http://petitelefant.com/how-to-make-ukrainian-easter-eggs/
  how to make ukrainian easter eggs. 
  by ALLISON on APRIL 2, 2010
  The trick is finding the right tools; Ukrainian eggs need special tools, and I was only able to find them online. I bought mine from the Polish Art Center {of course} but there were a few other retailers to choose from. You need at least one kistka(what you use to apply the wax), beeswax, and dyes. I wanted really strong, traditional dyes so I bought a package of 16 colors online instead of using a grocery store dye kit.
  
  Supplies for making Ukranian Easter Eggs: Kistka, beeswax, dyes
  
  
  Step 1:
  

  • Lay down two or three layers of newspaper on your work surface, this dye is really strong and you don’t want it on your counter or kitchen table.
    
    I used mason jars for my dye baths, they’re perfect. Get out your jars and mix up your colors. Let them cool to room temperature before you start dyeing or the eggs will crack.
    
    Step 2:
    While you’re waiting for the dye baths to cool, pull your eggs out of the refrigerator and let them warm up. The wax and dyes won’t adhere to them as well unless they’re a little on the warmer side.
    
    Step 3:
    Warm up the kistka over a hot candle {use a small stub of a candle} and scoop up some wax. Now melt that wax over the candle again until it’s completely liquefied.
    
    Step 4:
    Start decorating! This is the best part. Think of the wax as negative space, everything you cover with wax will stay that color. So, if you color a white egg with swirls of wax, those swirls will stay white in the end. Each additional color you use will stay that color if you apply wax. Make sense?
    Step 5:
    Repeat Step 4. Keep decorating with wax and dipping into different colors. Start with the lightest color first and move to the darkest. If you have a yellow start with that, move onto red, then green, blue, and finally black. Each new dye will cover up the last, except the parts you’ve waxed. See Viktor’s egg? He’s already waxed white, then dyed it blue and he’s onto the next layer of wax.
    
    Step 6:
    Gently melt the wax off the egg and wipe with a paper towel until you have no wax left on your egg at all.