Ashley Timmerman

Art Integration Lesson Plan

Template 1

Art Integration Lesson Plan Template

LTC 4240: Art for Children

Lesson Title & Big Idea*: Totem Poles & Culture

Grade Level*: 4-5
Lesson Overview/Summary*: (This is like an abstract of the structure and procedures section)
Class Periods Required:
Students will study totem poles and the Native American culture, reflect on important aspects in
(please circle)
their life, and create a totem pole section to reflect that. Then, as a class, we will combine all
sections to create a class totem pole of important pieces in the classroom culture.
1
2
3
Key Concepts for each area (1-2 each): What you want the
Essential Questions (1-2)*:
students to know.*
1. How do totem poles reflect Native American culture?
1. Visual Art: How to visualize their personal values
2. What values do you hold and how can you represent
them on your own totem pole?
2. Literacy: How to reflect and write internal elements
important to them
3. Social Studies: How totem poles reflect Native American
culture
Lesson Objectives/Goals: (Excellent resource at http://www.teachervision.fen.com/curriculum-planning/new-teacher/48345.html?for_printing=1&detoured=1): What
you want the students to do. *
1. Visual Art: At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to construct at least 5 personal values in various materials.
2. Literacy: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to reflect on personal values in and write them out.
3. Social Studies: At the end of the lessons, students will be able to explain key concepts of Native American culture and
existence of totem poles in it.
Grade Level Expectations (GLEs) (3-4)
Instructional Strategies (Teachers approach to helping students
(http://dese.mo.gov/divimprove/curriculum/GLE/)
achieve learning)
1. Visual Art: Understand terms such as asymmetrical balance, Relate content to personal lives by telling stories or allowing
balance, center of interest, color, color schemes, color wheel,
them to tell stories. Student learn more when the information
complementary colors, composition, design, emphasis, focal
is applicable to their life.
point, free form shape, original, point of view, etc.
Inform students on why lesson is purposeful. If they fell the
2. Literacy: Link ideas within and across categories of
information they are learning is of value, and are aware of
information using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., in
what they are expected to know, it will be a better lesson.
contrast, especially).
Allow movement and freedom during art portion. Let the
3. Social Studies: Examine cultural interactions among these
creative juices flow so they will have a more meaningful
groups: Native Americans
experience and reach a higher level of learning.
Appreciate the differences in the students work and discuss
those differences so they are better equip to be more

Ashley Timmerman

Content Areas Integrated*:

1. Visual Art-Inspiration Artist: Matisse. Matisse uses abstract
shapes to express identity
2. Literacy: Students will take the pieces that were inspired by
the work of Matisse and elaborate in a narrative why they
chose those shapes and how it honors Native American culture
and tradition.
3. Social Studies: Using the experience from Matisse, students
will cut out shapes to mirror shapes similar to those on totem
poles and express their identity on the pole.

Opening (Gaining Attention, what will you show, or demonstrate)*:

Show pictures of Native American totem poles. Then show
pictures of a sample you made in order for the students to be
able to connect the social studies aspect and the art piece.

Art Integration Lesson Plan

Template 2
accepting of other differences in the future.
Lesson Structure & Procedure(s) Sequence of events of the lesson
elements. (The before, during, and after the lesson, e.g.
Engagement/Opening, Procedures, Guided Practice, Conclusion ,please be
very specific, walk me through step by step of the What of what is
happening with a rationale as to WHY you are doing this):

1. Open the lesson with pictures of totem poles. Discuss

pieces of totem poles and significance of them.
2. Teach a short lesson on the history of totem poles so
students understand history of the culture
3. Introduce art portion of the lesson by showing an example
of a totem pole you made
4. Explain the pieces of the totem pole you made and why
you put things on it that you did
5. Have students do a short reflective writing piece of values
they have and why they hold them
6. Have them draw or visualize how they are going to
materialize the values
7. Provide construction paper, scissors, glue, other materials
that students will need to make a totem pole of their own
8. Once done, have them write a short reflective piece
describing what they made and why they made it, and how it
connects with Native American culture
9. Have students share with class
10. Combine all pieces of the students totem poles into a
large classroom totem pole, symbolizing the classroom
culture combining all students values
Closure (Reflecting Anticipatory Set, how will student share what they
learned):

Use reflective writing. This is also a form of assessment. Have

them reflect on why they decorated the totem pole the way
the did and how they got inspiration from the Native
American totem poles.

Ashley Timmerman

Art Integration Lesson Plan

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Formative Assessment strategy: (how will you assess while the

Summative Assessment strategy*:

Have students write individually and explain the portions of
During the lesson, walk around to check in on the students to the section of the totem pole. If they can explain why each
see if they understand the ideas. Have them explain verbally portion is important to them and how pieces of Native
to you what they plan on doing. You can troubleshoot from American culture inspired them in their work then you know
there and re-explain the lesson and key concepts.
students have addressed all the key values and have
mastered the lesson.
What student prior knowledge will this lesson require/draw upon? (what do they need to already know)
Students need to be able to think historically. This requires them to have understanding of some pieces of Native American
culture and history. This will help because teachers could spend less time teaching history and working on the concept of
values and integrating the two.
Technology Instructional and/or assistive technology incorporated into the lesson to enhance instruction and student learning
Use technology to show examples of historic Native American totem poles.
How will this lesson allow for/encourage students to solve problems in divergent ways?
They will learn to think divergently because will have to think reflectively on what they value in order to think about what they
will put on their totem pole section. This is using their right side of the brain because the will have also put images to
intangible ideas.
How will you engage students in routinely reflecting on their learning? (How will the students know they have learned something?)
Student will know they have learned the material because they will be able to think of values that are important to them, ways
to express that, and then explain the information in the writing.
Differentiated/Accommodations/Modifications/Increase in Rigor To help meet the needs of all learners, learning differences,
learning is happening?)

cultural and language differences, etc.

If students need help with reading or writing, giving them assistive technology to magnify the words, or computers to talk-totext if they need help composing their writing piece.
Lesson Resources/References (please be very specific by providing links, authors, titles, etc.):
There are no specific resources needed for this lesson.
* Include this information during the Padlet/prezi/ppt presentation.
References
Silverstein, L. B. & Layne, S. (n.d.). Defining arts integration. Retrieved from

Ashley Timmerman

Art Integration Lesson Plan

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http://www.americansforthearts.org/networks/arts_education/publications/special_publications/Defining%20Arts
%20Integration.pdf