Cave Art Students spent 2 lessons diving into Cave Art and engaging with and discussing a variety of aspects of what it took to make art in prehistoric times. All students watched an animated version of the story the Cave Painter of Lascaux by Roberta Angeletti and K-2 also listened to me read the beautifully illustrated Discovery in the Cave by Mark Dubowski, which is the true story of the discovery of Lascaux cave by 4 teenage boys and their dog. We also brainstormed about how the artists might have been able to reach the high ceilings of the Lascaux Cave and we used our imagination to create our own meanings for the mysterious 32 "universal" prehistoric symbols that archaeologists have found all over the world in ancient cave. Student choice is an essential element for my art lessons but for this lesson I wanted students to be developing their observational drawing skills and develop appreciation of the subtle level of skill in prehistoric art, therefore I provided several options of authentic cave art animal images for them to draw from by displaying in on the Smart Board. Artist Talks
Students used remaining class time after clean up to share their artwork with their class and receive feedback from peers in the form of questions, helpful comments, or advice. It's valuable for students to have multiple avenues to express their understanding and viewpoint. My goal for this routine was to encourage students to take personal pride in their work and also allow a platform for students to share their and hear other's experiences.