Art Rocks! - Teacher History Activity

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Activity Title: 'Read it in the Rocks'

Subject Area: History

Theme: Art Reflects History as a Human Record

Grade Level: 4th - 6th

Would you like your history to be ‘set in stone?’ The indigenous people of Australia have been recording their history and culture for 10,000 years! Investigate rock art to connect Australia’s past to its present.

Colorado Standard(s) and/or Benchmark(s) addressed in this activity:

*Grade*	*Content Area*	*Standard*	*Benchmark*
4th - 6th	History	2-historical inquiry	2.1-analyze historical data 2.3-knowledge of past to analyze present day issues.
4th - 6th	History	3-diverse societies have changed	3.1-affected by contacts among diverse people
4th - 6th	History	6-religious ideas are powerful forces	6.3-forms of expression reflect religious beliefs

National Standard(s) and/or Benchmark(s) addressed in this activity:

*Grade*	*Content Area*	*Standard*	*Benchmark*
4th - 6th	Social Studies	I-Culture	Study of diverse cultures
4th - 6th	Social Studies	III-People, Places, Environments	Study of world societies
4th - 6th	Social Studies	IX-Global connections	Interdependence

Introduction:

Societies' connections to the past and present, the people and their interactions with the land, are often visualized through art. Creative expression and the use of visual imagery often speaks louder than words, drawing upon aesthetic beauty to paint a cultural picture. The Aboriginal societies used their artistic skills to create colorful images of their ceremonies, rituals, and sacred paintings based on the Dreaming or 'creation'. Supernatural ancestors such as Rainbow Serpent, the Lightning Men, and Wandjina come to life as they struggle with earth's natural features. Artwork may investigate a ‘Dreaming’ which relates to a person, animal, or geographic region.

This extraordinary rock art is a mixture of Aboriginal lifestyle, culture, and spirituality. It is found throughout the continent and displayed in a wide variety of styles and techniques. Rock art has been the most enduring form of art due to the materials used to create it. And, what better way to preserve a work of art! Create it with lasting materials such as rock walls for a ‘canvas’ and paints from the earth. Display it in a protected environment away from sun, wind and weather, such as in a cave and 10,000 years later, there is a masterpiece waiting to be discovered!

Aboriginal history is recorded on rock faces, often tying the theme of the clan ‘Dreamtime’ or origins to the mythical creatures that represent the clan. Clans thought of themselves as being half human and half mythical creatures. These mythical beings were linked to the animal world, hence the use of symbols depicting emus, gowannas, and wallabies. Rock art depicting human figures with pythons would indicate they were part of the python clan or ‘Python Dreaming’.

Vocabulary:

ochres
Dreaming or Dreamtime
mythical
imagery
aesthetic
abstract

Materials:

earthtone acrylics
examples of cave art (resource material)
pictures of animals
flat, smooth rocks, two inches diameter
journals, pencils

Preparation:

Students may research various designs in rock art from around the world
In their journals, record several designs of rock art figures that have special meaning; discuss why these particular designs might have been important to the artists.
Locate an assortment of round, smooth stones, as might be found in a creekbed, making sure they are free from dirt. The stones may be from two to three inches in diameter.
Have students sketch a figure that is important to them, i.e., an animal symbol or nature symbol that has meaning for the student.
Select paint colors that would represent colors from the earth and would have been available to indigenous people, i.e., shades of reds, tans, black, white

Procedure:

Clean the rock surface so that it is free from dirt or sand, then apply a coat of acrylic paint to the rock surface.
Simplify the design of the animal pattern that the student has selected.
Transfer the design to the rock surface after the base coat has dried; select compatible colors of paint for the animal design (students may use this technique to create a series of up to five rock art designs.
Students will locate a suitable container in which to place their rock art (as the container will be buried, but not unearthed, the material of the container should be biodegradable, if possible).
Select a location in which to bury the rocks; the class collection may be buried in one location.

Analyze and Conclude:

Students should conclude that rock art had significant meaning to the people that created it; it should represent special animals to the people and events in their daily lives.
Students should describe in their journals why their ‘rock art’ has significance to them.
Can the students identify locations for rock art? Why were these locations suitable for the paintings to exist for 10,000 years?
Rock art samples created by the student should represent special things to the individual; Record in journals why these symbols are significant.
Students should understand that the rock art they buried will tell a story of their lives to its ‘discoverer’ 10,000 years in the future.

Assessment Rubric:

Advanced proficient 4	Proficient 3	Partially proficient 2	Unsatisfactory 1
Journals describe three countries where rock art is found	Journals describe two countries where rock art is located	Journals describe one location of rock art	Student is unable to identify rock art location
Identify three things rock art portrays and its significance to the clan	List two examples of the importance of rock art	List one reason why rock art was important	Identify rock art, but not its meaning
Journal entries provide details that reflect the meaning of rock art to the various clans.	Journal entries are stated in complete sentences and reflect meaning to the author	Journal entries are incomplete sentences, but reflect some meaning	Journal entries do not describe the author’s discoveries of rock art
Student rock art examples identify objects of importance; journals reflect this meaning.	Student rock art reflects objects of importance; students orally identify the meaning	Student rock art reflects some characteristics of traditional design	Student samples do not reflect an understanding of the meaning of rock art

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