ROCK ART WORKSHOP CURRICULUM
Grades 4 - 8
The following outlines a week of curriculum in which students:
1. are introduced to a global form of visual expression — rock art;
2. explore a variety of rock art sites and compare their similarities and differences;
3. investigate Native American cultures;
4. learn and use a variety of research methods including books, computer, internet;
5. create a journal/sketch book to document their studies;
6. create a petroglyph;
7. create a pictograph;
8. design a pictograph which communicates a concept and draw it in oil pastels;
9. make a folding book and illustrate it with a rock art panel;
10. use the computer to write a report and illustrate it with clip art images; and,
11. assemble a classroom museum to exhibit what has been learned in this unit.

Note: This curriculum involves completing four art projects and two language arts projects. If there isn’t sufficient time to complete the above, we recommend that you chose from this list in order of importance:
ART
1. carve a petroglyph
2. paint a pictograph
3. design and draw a pictograph
4. create and illustrate a folding book
LANGUAGE ARTS
1. keep a field journal/sketch book
2. write a report

DAY ONE
Introduce the unit with an overview:
1. the importance of rock art in Native American culture;
2. an introduction to the field trip they will take via the "Exploring Rock — A North American Field Trip" CD-Rom; and,
3. a description of the Rock Art Museum project, detailing the type of exhibits to be created.

The cooperative learning project contained in this curriculum is to create a Classroom Exhibit on Rock Art. Determine whether each student will choose their own exhibits or if the class will be divided into teams that focus on a particular region or culture. (The CD-ROM highlights five rock art regions in North America, providing a logical grouping for five teams.)

RESEARCH
Print out the Rock Art Field Journal and have each student assemble his or her journal. The journals can be stapled, bound with plastic comb binders or put into a three ring binder. (Allow 20 minutes)

Students then spend at least one hour-long session on the computer taking a virtual field trip with the "Exploring Rock Art— A North American Field Trip" CD-ROM. It will typically take at least three sessions for students to explore all of the sites, learn about the art projects and complete the quiz and mix & match games. If you have less time for students on-computer, divide them into teams responsible for exploring, recording and creating exhibits on different regions.

If you do not have sufficient computers for each student, two or three students can work together on one computer. As they explore each site encourage them to take notes and to sketch the images. Each site also allows students to "photograph" the sites and then print out colored illustrations of the images. Their sketches and notes will become source material for the exhibits they will create later in the workshop.

DAY TWO
ART
Students make the clay tablets for their petroglyph and pictograph projects and set them aside to dry. (Allow 15 minutes)

Students assemble and glue the folding books and set them aside to dry. (Allow 30 minutes)

RESEARCH
Students continue viewing "Exploring Rock Art" and working in their field journals. Encourage more in-depth research with a trip to the library (the CD-ROM includes an extensive bibliography).

DAY THREE
ART
Students paint one side of the dried clay tablets with a dark poster paint and set them aside to dry. (Allow 10 minutes)

Students explore pictographs as a form of communication. Divide students into groups of five or six, and have them each draw an image(s) on scratch paper that communicates a word or concept that they have written down but kept hidden from the other students. Encourage them to work quickly so that they can try out several images on their group. Seeing if the other students can guess the word/concept by looking at the image tests the success of the communication. (Allow 45 minutes)

Each student selects their favorite image and creates an oil pastel drawing. The oil pastel drawings will be most successful if you use a heavier paper. Encourage students to work big, their images should touch the edges of the paper, use a limited palette of 2 or 3 colors and simplify the image. Fill in the spaces with solid fields of oil pastel color. The goal is to create a simple, vivid icon inspired by rock art. (Allow 45 minutes)

RESEARCH
If the classroom computers are linked to the internet students can visit dozens of WWW sites from within the program that provide additional information on the rock art, on the Native American cultures associated with the sites, on rock art organizations.

DAY FOUR
RESEARCH
On computer students test their knowledge of rock art by taking the Mural Quiz and the Mix and Match game which matches images with regions.

ART
Students paint a pictograph on the clay tablet using watercolors on the unpainted side. Again, a limited palette will be more successful in approximating the look of rock art. The most common pictograph colors are rust red, ocher, black and white. (Allow 45 minutes)

Using the sketches and notes from their field journals, students use the media of their choice (watercolors, pencils, oil pastels) to illustrate their folding books with a rock art panel. (Allow 1 hour)

LANGUAGE ARTS
In "Exploring Rock Art" students use the Rock Art Journal feature to write a report and illustrate it with click and drag images of the rock art.

DAY FIVE
ART
Students carve a petroglyph on the painted side of their clay tablets. (Allow 45 minutes)

Students assemble and hang their rock art exhibits, create exhibit headings, create a poster announcing the exhibit. (Allow at least two hours to assemble museum)

LANGUAGE ARTS
Students write informative captions for each exhibit detailing the subject matter, region or culture, student artist and media.

A pictograph painted on a clay tablet
6th grade student

A petroglyph carved on a clay tablet
7th grade student

Oil pastel of a mask
2nd grade student

Variation on the mask theme oil pastel
2nd grade student