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Components:

• Unit Overview
• Lesson 1
• Lesson 2
• Lesson 3
• Lesson 4
• Lesson 5
• Evaluation
• Graph

Name of Art Lesson:  Relief Sculpture and Glyphs in Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica

Name:  Roberta Reagan

Grade Level:  3rd Grade Art

Lesson Resource for All 5 Lessons:

· Hawke, Sharryl Davis.  A Teacher's Guide to Aztec.  Denver Museum of National History.   Pages 10, 14, 18-19.  For 'activity packet' use pages 11, 20, 15
· Fuerst, Ann H., PhD. Maya Art, Classroom and Museum Activity Book. San Diego Museum of Man.  Page 17, 237 (talk about various aspects of Mesoamerican artwork), discuss pp. 90-93.  For 'activity packet' use pages 145-6, 176, 178-9

2. Historical/Cultural Context:  The ancient Mesoamericans were a very creative and intelligent group of people.  Before Europeans settled this continent, ancient Mesoamericans had very large cities, a sophisticated monetary system, extensive trade routes, and a sophisticated written and oral language.

Like the Native Americans of North America, the native peoples of Mesoamerica were broken up into several tribes or cultures.  Many of these groups are well known, as are their cities, like the Maya and the Aztecs; however, many others were just as ingenious, but not as well known, like the Olmecs, Zapotecs, and
Toltecs.  Over the years, archaeologists have uncovered ruins of massive cities and awe inspiring pyramids and artwork.  For example, the more famous sites are
Teotihuacan, Tenochtitlan, La Venta, Chichen Itza, Tula and Monte Alban.

They didn't have a written language like we do; but rather, a language more like the hieroglyphs of Egypt.  These glyphs of Mesoamerica were very intricate and full of meaning.  They had a very rich vocabulary and they composed beautiful songs and poems.  They even produced books, called codices.  They were made out of very long strips of bark paper, cloth, or deerskins that were folded like an accordion.  Each book had a name, like the Codex Mendoza.

The scribes, who were very educated and artistic men, made these books.  Important information was recorded in these books by using glyphs, or picture symbols; important things like history, calendars, religious information, population and tax information, as well as information about daily life.   Certain features were general for each of these codices; for example, there was a 'ground' area, a 'sky' area, smaller figures were placed farther away and toward the top to indicate distance, and the more important the figure, the larger they were.

Not only were glyphs written in books, but they were also carved on stone.  Types of stone included: limestone and sandstone.  Not only that, but they were painted on walls, using paints made from minerals and plants.  They had many ideas for their glyphs, including those found in nature like, snakes, jaguars, bats, birds, humans, and spider monkeys.  They also had quite an imagination, thus creating supernatural and cosmic style glyphs.

3. Lesson Rationale:  The 3rd graders have been working with clay for the past several weeks.  I want to now focus on sculpture and the subtractive elements, rather than the additive elements they were introduced to with the clay projects.  I chose Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica because of the rich artistic culture and the number of applicable and available sculpture photos.  With the examples I will show them, I hope to encourage a stylistic approach to their own sculpture.

4. Objectives:

• Students will be able to:
a. Understand terms/time period
i. Who/what/where/when/why
b. Materials & medium used/design elements (realistic vs stylistic) & principals of carving (carving in stone vs sandstone)
• Discussion
a. Compare/contrast hieroglyphs and glyphs

· Time:  20 minutes viewing pictures, defining terms, talking about the culture, and discussing the various pictures of sculpture.
· Teaching Method:  Lecture, question and answer, and viewing pictures.
· Class Organization:  Students will bring their chairs close to the TV and Computer area.  That is where we will view the pictures and have our discussion.  They will return to their tables when we are ready to do the worksheets.
· Terms:

a. Archaeologist --- a person who learns about the past by unearthing and studying objects that have survived from former times.
b. Codex -an Aztec picture book made from tree bark, cloth, or deerskin, which was then folded back and forth in a zigzag manner.  Scribes attached thin pieces of wood at the ends of the strip, which formed covers that protected the pages.  Most codices were read from top to bottom, some were read around the page.  The whole codex was read from left to right.
c. Glyph - picture symbols and pictographs, symbols in which objects were represented by a miniature, often stylized, drawing.
d. Hieroglyphs - Ancient Egyptian writing. At first picture signs were used to represent objects.  Later, the signs came to represent sounds as well.
e. Mesoamerican - ancient cultures of Mexico along with the Maya civilization.
f. Pre-Columbian - before Christopher Columbus arrived in Mexico in 1519.
g. Pyramid - a structure with a square base and triangular sides; used in ancient Egypt as tombs.
h. Scribes - were well-educated men with an artistic talent.  Scribes painted pictures on long strips of paper made from tree bark, cloth, or deerskin to make a codex.  Scribes drew pictures in a form of picture writing called glyphs.
i. Sculpture - a work of art that is meant to be viewed from all sides; a work of art that is three-dimensional.  It can be carved in stone or wood, modeled from clay or plaster or cast in metal.
j. Stella - a freestanding sculpture carved in stone or basalt.
k. Three-Dimensional - a work of art that is meant to be viewed from all sides; having the dimensions of depth as well as width and height.
l. Two-Dimensional - a work of art that is flat and viewed from the front, like a painting - having the dimensions of width and height only.

· Discussion Questions:

a. Picture: Aztec King Tizoc.  Question:  What does this king's symbols represent?  By looking at his symbols, do you think he was a good king, bad king, tough king?
b. Picture: Aztec King Ahuizotl.  Question:  What about this king?  What is it about the symbol that makes this king good/bad/tough?
c. Picture:Yaxchilan Lintel 45.  Question:  What do you think is happening in this picture?  What is the mother doing?  What is the son doing?
d. Picture:  Pyramids of Egypt.  Question:  Where do you think this is?
e. Picture: Pyramids of Chichen Itza.  Question:  Where do you think this is?
f. Picture:  Jaguar (real). Question:  How do you think this animal is portrayed, realistic or stylized?
g. Picture:  Jaguar (stylized).  Question:  How do you think this animal is portrayed, realistic or stylized?  How do you think this was carved and what was it carved on?
h. Picture:  Quetzalcoatl.  Question:  Was this carved the same way?  What is different about this?
i. Picture:  Hieroglyphs.  Question:  What is this?  What country do you think this came from?
j. Picture:  Glyphs.  Question:  What is this?  What country do you think this came from?

· Time:  25 minutes doing worksheets and sorting glyphs.
· Teaching Method:  Teacher instruction, followed by individual tutoring as needed.
· Class Organization:  Desk arrangement as is normal for that classroom and have 1 student helper pass out worksheets.
· Terms:

a. Realistic drawing - life-like
b. Stylized drawing - not life-like, but a form that represents something real

· Step-by-Step Procedures:

a. Look at the various glyphs.  Are these realistic or stylized?
b. Sort them into categories; find the ones that look like they may be animals.
c. Cut out the ones that look like they may be animals and glue them onto paper.  Label the paper "Animal Glyphs."

· Time: 5 minutes to put away supplies and get ready to go.
· Class Organization:  1 person from each table put away supplies, finished worksheets are gathered by 1 student helper and given to me.

a. Time:  10 minutes to ask questions (like some terms) to see if they understand concepts covered.
b. Evaluation Method:  Question/Answer format with them seated at their tables.
c. Step-by-Step Procedures:

· Review terms/time period
· Review sculptures viewed
· Review hieroglyphs/glyphs

· Texts:

a. Freidel, David.  Maya Cosmos, Three Thousand Years on the Shaman's Path.  Especially pages 66-7, 259, 306-8, 338, 351, 360-1
b. Weaver, Muriel Porter.  The Aztecs, Maya and their Predecessors; Archaeology of Mesoamerica. (New York: Seminar Press). 1972. Especially pages 37, 100, 104-5, 111, 114, 125, 185-6, 212, 235
c. An especially good link: http://witcombe.sbc.edu/ARTHLinks3.html#Nat
d. Other good resources:
  * Craven, Roy C.  The Ceremonial Center of the Maya.
  * Coe, Michael D.  The Maya.  (London: Thames & Hudson). 1966.

· Photos in visual file
· Large map
· TV hooked up to computer
· Floppy disc with Power Point Presentation
· Scissors, 8 ½"x11 paper (17), worksheets, glue, pencils
11. A teacher-Made Sample:
· Will show example and describe our end project

E-Mail Roberta Reagan!

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