Living in apartments is not a new idea. The Native Americans that lived in pueblos were the first to do so. The Pueblo people, also known as the Anasazi, by 700 AD began to build big apartment houses out of mud-brick and sometimes out of stone. People’s houses became much bigger than they had been before. They built their houses up on top of high cliffs called mesas. The houses are called pueblos, and their mud-brick is called adobe.

Goal (Terminal Objective):

The students will learn about the Native American Anasazi people that lived in pueblos in the Southwestern United States, the purpose of pueblos, and create one using chalk pastels on paper.

Objective:

The students will create a picture of a pueblo using colored chalk pastels.

National Standards:

Visual Arts Grades K-4 Content Standard 1: Understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes

Visual Arts Grades K-4 Content Standard 2: Using knowledge of structures and functions

Visual Arts Grades K-4 Content Standard 3: Choosing and evaluating a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas

Visual Arts Grades K-4 Content Standard 4: Understanding the visual arts in relation to history and cultures

Visual Arts Grades K-4 Content Standard 5: Reflecting upon and assessing the characteristics and merits of their work and the work of others

Visual Arts Grades K-4 Content Standard 6: Making connections between visual arts and other disciplines Social Studies cross curriculum connection

Purpose:

The students will learn about the Anasazi pueblos and different ways to use colored chalk pastels.

New Vocabulary:

Anasazi, pueblo, adobe, stencil

Materials:

#22-4112 Colored Square Pastel

#22-7244 144 ct. Graphic Pencils

#22-0914 12 ct. Pointed Tip Student Scissors Best-Pack

Pictures of pueblos, white manila paper for a stencil, ruler, paper towel, hairspray or newspaper to protect the finished drawing.

Time:

One art period

Introduction and Motivation (Set):

Ask the students how many of them live in an apartment. Tell them that the idea of living in apartments dates back to 700 AD.

Instruction:

Show the students pictures of pueblo dwellings.
The Anasazi people that built apartments called pueblos up on mesas in cliffs. This offered them protection from the elements and offered a good view of anyone approaching their community.
Pueblos had ladders that allowed easy access to the upper levels as well as security since the ladders could be pulled up not allowing easy access to enemies. The windows were small and placed up high to allow light and air in but would not easily let in unwanted arrows from an enemy!

Activities:

Use a pencil and ruler to draw 3 or 4 rectangles for buildings. Make sure that the lines go all the way from one side to the other. Caution students that they are not making a city so that they do not want too many small buildings. Cut with scissors on the lines. This is the stencil that will be used several times to create their pueblo.

Place the stencil on newspaper to aid in the clean up process. Use black pastel along the cut stencil edge. Go over the top of this with brown pastel. Place the stencil on a clean white 9” X 12” paper so that the bottom of the stencil sits about half way down the white paper. Use a paper towel to push the chalk up off of the stencil clear to the top of the paper. Warn the students to push up only as back and forth rubbing could tear and destroy their stencil.

Remove the stencil from the white paper and put it back onto the newspaper. Apply only brown pastel onto the same edge used previously. Place the stencil back onto the white paper lower than the first time. Find a clean spot on the paper towel and once again rub the pastel up to the last layer of pastel.
Now turn the stencil over to make the next layer of buildings. Apply small amount of brown to the edge. Go over the top of brown with the yellow ocher pastel. Place the bottom of the stencil at or below the bottom of the white paper. Find a clean spot on the paper towel so that you can push the pastel up to the bottom of the last layer of pastel.

Remove the stencil and use the peach color pastel to fill in the bottom layer of the paper. Soften this with a clean spot on the paper towel or use your finger. Now use black pastel to add the roof support beams, windows, doors, and ladders.

(1) Guided Practice:

1. Students will draw and cut their stencil to be used to create the buildings of the pueblo.
2. Apply pastel to the cut edge of the stencil and place it on the clean white paper. Remind the students to apply the pastel to the edge of their stencil while it is on the newspaper to avoid getting a hard line or unwanted pastel marks on their white paper.
3. Use an upward motion while rubbing the pastel off of the stencil onto the white paper.
4. Use black pastel to add details like roof supports, windows, and doors. Make sure that the bottom of the ladder is sitting in the correct spot so that the ladders are not “floating” in the air.

(2) Independent Practice and Check for Understanding:

The teacher will circulate among the students as they work to make sure that they are following the directions given and demonstrated. Ask direct question when understanding is not being observed.

The teacher will help when necessary and add positive reinforcement as the students work.

(3) Closure:

Students will display their work. The teacher will guide a critique to point out the strong qualities of successful compositions.

Evaluation:

Teacher will evaluate the works individually based on the following criteria:

Level One — The stencil used did not have more that 3 or 4 buildings and the buildings went from one edge to the other. The correct colors of pastel were used. The student placed the stencil onto newspaper before adding pastel to the edge. The student used an upward movement only while rubbing the pastel onto the white paper. The details made with black were not too few or too many. The craftsmanship is excellent.

Level Two — The stencil used may have had more that 3 or 4 buildings but the buildings went from one edge to the other. Not all of the correct colors of pastel were used. The student placed the stencil onto newspaper before adding pastel to the edge. The student used an upward movement only while rubbing the pastel onto the white paper. The details made with black were not too few or too many. The craftsmanship is good.

Level Three — The stencil has more that 3 or 4 buildings and the buildings did not go from one edge to the other making the stencil too short. Not all of the correct colors of pastel were used. The student did not place the stencil onto newspaper before adding pastel to the edge. The student sometimes used an upward movement only while rubbing the pastel onto the white paper resulting in a torn stencil. The details made with black are too few or too many. The craftsmanship is variable.

Level Four — The stencil has more that 3 or 4 buildings and the buildings did not go from one edge to the other making the stencil too short. None of the correct colors of pastel were used. The student did not place the stencil onto newspaper before adding pastel to the edge. The student did not use an upward movement only while rubbing the pastel onto the white paper resulting in a torn stencil. The details made with black are too few or too many. The craftsmanship is poor.

Extension:

Students could create a 3-D pueblo using paper mache and various size boxes. Students could also do a report on the Anasazi people.

Resources:

www.historyforkids.org/…/history/pueblo.htm
http://travel.howstuffworks.com/family-vacations-in-new-mexico1.htm
www.legendsofamerica.com/NA-PuebloEtiquette.html
http://www.ancestral.com/cultures/north_america/hopi.html