Exploring the History of Canyon de Chelly: Pottery

DESCRIPTORS

Curriculum Areas: Art, Math, History, Language Arts, and Technology

Recommended Levels: Grade 4-5

Time Frame: 30 minutes per day for 2 to 3 weeks

Tribal Affiliation: Navajo

Geographic Location: Southeastern Arizona

Developed by: Irene Becenti

Email addresses of developers: ibecenti@hotmail.com

Date lesson was developed: July 27, 2001

American Indian Standards:

Mathematics: Standard 1

Language and Literacy

Science: Standard A

Social Studies: Standard 1

INSTRUCTION

Goal: To enrich the students’ understanding the important uses of pottery as well as understanding the meaning of the designs.

Behavioral Objectives: Students will:

• Design the pottery
• Research the meaning of the designs
• Interview elders who are aware of the designs used on the walls of Canyon de Chelly
• Demonstrate how to make pottery

Prior Knowledge Needed:

• Know the different media that can be used in designing the pottery as well as on paper
• Knowledge of geometric designs used by Native Americans
• Understand the meaning behind each designs

Materials and Resources Needed:

• pictures or photos of various pottery from Canyon de
  Chelly area
• Pencils, colored pencils, crayons, markers of various sizes, paint
• White drawing papers
• Clay
• Paint
• Kiln

Culture Content and Strategies:

Native American Indians have utilized pottery for food storage, such as water containers, medicinal purposes, and cooking pots prior to European contact. Today, making and selling pottery serves as an economic purpose for many American Indians.

Lesson Summary and Performance Tasks:

Background information will include:

• How the use of pottery has changed with time throughout history.
• The lesson focuses on how pottery was used in the past and how it is used today in the Canyon de Chelly area.
• Additional two areas to be studied: information on what materials were used to make pottery and the different designs that people used in the past and present time.
• Students will begin by coloring handouts of dittoed pictures of pottery for class activities. This activity will lead to assigning students to design their own pictures of pottery.
• Students will also be encouraged to use computers to design their potteries. For the final project, individual students make their own pottery utilizing the clay from the surrounding environment.
• Potters from local area will be the contact resource for further information on how pottery was made in earlier times.

Assessment:

• Checklist
• Portfolio containing students’ work
• Projects

EXTENSION

Technology Integration:

• Research for Native American designs and pottery on Internet
• Use digital camera for taking pictures
• Use QTVR to show the pottery made

Enrichment/Remediation:

• Compare and contrast pottery from different areas and tribes
• Use PowerPoint™ to present to other students or classes.
• Develop booklet that will include steps to making pottery