You
are a Prehistoric Cave ArtistYou
are a Prehistoric Cave Artist
Here's the StoryYou will be traveling back in time, to around 10,000 BC. [Do the Wayne's World "do-do-do-do" as you wave your fingers to the sides of your face:)]
You will become a prehistoric cave artist. You will visit caves to see the artwork left by hunter gatherers. You will return to the present to read two reports done by an archaeologist, and make a piece of cave art yourself. You will write about what you have learned.
Before you begin your journey - Read and study illustrations of cave drawings on pp.111-113 in our textbook, A Message of Ancient Days.
Notice the subject matter of these paintings. Some paintings are of the animals that early people could have been hunted. What else do you see? Why did these early people chose to paint what they did?
You may want to make your own painting tools by gathering materials from outside that hunter gatherers may have had available to them. Leaves and pine needles make good brushes, and sticks can make nice lines.
Think About The hunter-gatherer societies and their characteristics, including
the
development of tools.
Exploring the
WebTake a virtual tour of the CAVE AT LASCAUX by clicking onto the different rooms. You can enlarge the paintings..
Read the archaeologist's report about the Creativity of Prehistoric People, and look at more cave art.
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/~nantiq/archart.html
Read the archaeologist's report on Burial and Mysticism in Prehistory, pay special attention to the stenciled handprints.
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/~nantiq/archrit.html
The TasksIt's your turn to be an ancient artist. Think about what your subject will be, what colors may be available to you. Think also about what you want to tell the others in your group, or all the generations that will follow you!
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The Art:
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Write a brief description of what you chose to paint, and why. Also tell how you think the ancient cave painters would say about your work.
A top scoring cave painting and written description will have elements that show that you understand what the subject matter of the prehistoric art consisted of, the style they used, and the appropriate colors.
1.0 Word Analysis, Vocabulary, and Fluency [Learn and use new words from reading , Use grade-level vocabulary in speaking and writing , Read fluently ]
2.0 Comprehension [Use strategies to comprehend informational materials and, grade-level text, Read to analyze and evaluate information ]
4.0 Literary Response and Analysis – Students read, interpret, and respond to a variety of historically or culturally significant works of literature. They analyze recurrent patterns and themes in-depth.
1.0 Writing Strategies – Students organize and develop their ideas in ways that reflect an awareness of topic, purpose, and audience. They use stages of the writing process, as needed, to convey opinions, ideas, and reasoning. Their text is clear, focused, and coherent even when they need to meet timelines or write on demand.
3.0 Study and Research Skills – Students access, locate, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information. When needed, they incorporate it into a piece of writing, correctly crediting sources [Use technology, Use reference sources, Gather, interpret, and organize information ]
4.0 Language Expressions – Students write with a command of standard English
conventions: capitalization, punctuation, spelling, usage, and grammar.
2.1 Cultural Literacy - Understand how a civilization expresses its culture through architecture and the arts.
2.3 Cultural Lieracy - Understand how a civilization express its culture through its tools, technology and sciences.
This page is part of Denise Hogan's mentor project, Feasting on the Internet. Poway Unified School District, Mesa Verde Middle School.