Lesson Plan Design Elements

Pacific University School of Learning and Teaching

1. Title: Tlingit Formline Art

2. Name: Lisa Story

3. Grade level/Subject/Context: 5th grade. Social Studies, English Language Arts, Expressive Arts.

The context of this lesson is included in a unit on the lifestyle of Native American and indigenous peoples. The unit will
begin with a deep study into the cosmology, legends, culture, history and geography of the Tlingit people. This unit will
last for two months. The students will already have learned about the legend of the orca, or killer whale, and Natsilane
the wood carver who created him. This will be a continuation of the study of the Tlingit’s relationship to the animals in
their art. The art lesson prior to this one will be paint mixing. The students will use pigment powders to mix their own
paints. This would be a lesson and activity that would provide the paint for this lesson. Students will engage with
formline art in many different forms throughout his mini unit on Tlingit art. The lessons following this one will include
carving, engraving, and drawing. The culmination of the unit will be their own history book of that will act as a
portfolio of their work.

4. Critical Question: How did the Tlingit people incorporate art in their lives.

5. Standards:

Oregon Social Sciences Standards

5.14 Analyze the distinct way of knowing and living amongst the different American Indian tribes of North America
prior to contact in the late 15th and 16th centuries, such as religion, language, and cultural practices and the
subsequent impact of that contact.

Common Core State Standards: Reading Literature

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.7
Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic
novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).

Oregon Arts Standards

5th VA.10.CO1.5 2. Examine and apply internal and external resources to create meaningful artwork that reflects
interests, knowledge, research, and cultural understanding.

English Language Proficiency Standards Oregon

8. An ELL can determine the meaning of words & phrases in oral presentations & literary & informational text.

6. Learning Targets: What learning targets correspond with the relevant standards and will be shared with the
students?
 • I can create art with formline design elements.
I can show my understanding of the Tligit culture by using it in my design.
I can use art vocabulary to describe my formline deisgn.

7. Content Objectives:

• By the end of the lesson students will be able to demonstrate understanding of formline art by creating an
animal using an assemblage of formline components.
By the end of the lesson students will be able to demonstrate their understanding of the Tlingit culture by
incorporating their knowledge of Tlingit cosmology, history, legend and geography into their formline design.

8. Language objectives: By the end of the lesson students will be able to demonstrate their understanding by describe
their formline design and speaking about the cultural and design elements they chose to incorporate.

9. Student Assessment: Students will be assessed on their ability to combine the design elements in a way that is
meaningful to them and represents an animal that is portrayed in the Tlingit culture. Students will be informally
assessed through conversations and responses to structured questions as the teacher walks around during
independent work time. The summative assessment for this particular art project will graded according to the scoring
rubric below. The work will be explained to the teacher on the next day, if time runs short at the close of the lesson.

Graded Elements
Incorporation of cultural
elements into the project.
3 2 1
Student demonstrated Student demonstrated Student demonstrated no
knowledge of the Tlingit knowledge of the Tlingit knowledge of the Tlingit
culture by creating a culture by creating a culture by creating a
design with cultural design with cultural design with cultural
meaning. Student was able meaning. meaning.
to tie their design to a
particular legend.

Effort Student worked with great
persistence and effectively
utilized the time given to
complete their project.
Student worked with some Student worked with little
persistence and utilized persistence and did not
the time given to complete effectively utilize the time
their project. given to complete their
project.

Explanation of Project
Student was able to
effectively communicate
about the design elements
chosen to create their
formline art.
Student was able to Student was not able to
adequately communicate communicate about the
about the design elements design elements chosen to
chosen to create their create their formline art.
formline art.
10. Materials/Preparation:

Paintbrushes
Mixed paint from the day before in small containers
Water containers
Printed outlines of the formline design elements
Glue
Scissors
Newspaper
Construction paper
Storm Boy by Paul Owen Lewis
Slide Show Presentation
Definition handout

The block will be completed after lunch. When the children are at lunch the teacher will set up the materials in two
stations in the room. The first station will have paintbrushes, paint, and newspaper. The activity will take place at their
desk so a room arrangement in not necessary.

Students will be expected to come in from lunch and sit at their desk before grabbing materials. Clean-up for the
project will be substantial so adequate time will be left at the end.
11. Differentiation Strategies:

Accommodations: Students who need more time on the project will be given the time they need to complete it. They
will be provided with opportunities (outside of lunch, recess, or at home) to complete all of the necessary components
of their design. Students who work better in more isolated environments will be able to work at the standing desks or
the tables in the back of the room. Language in the storybook will be discussed during the interactive read-aloud as
well as after the story.

Modifications: Students who are not able to cut their own shapes will be provided with precut shapes. Students in
need of a more streamlined product will be able to create a simplified design.

Extension: Students who finish early, or who want to more deeply explore the art form can begin drawing their
formline design, or create and draw a new design.
12. Lesson Introduction/Set: (15 minutes)
As the hook for the lesson the teacher will read the story Storm Boy by Paul Owen Lewis. This is a book about a boy
who undergoes a coming of age journey and includes many symbolic Northwest Coast (specifically Haida) imagery and
culture. The students will recognize the whale house in the story because they will have had exposure to community
structures and their purposes. Students will be asked to predict what will happen to the boy when he falls into the
water. At the end of the story they will be asked to think/pair/share about what the story is about. The teacher will
then read the informational text with the class over the document camera asking for volunteers to help read. They will
be asked if the art in the book looks familiar. It should because they have been exposed to it as well.

Today you will make your own Tlingit inspired art, which is named formline art.

13 Communication of Learning Targets: (2 minutes)

For this communication approach they will have their new learning targets already written on the board. I will have
two student volunteers read the target out loud. I will then ask if any of the students have any questions.

14. Learning Activities:

Definitions & Examples

(15 minutes)
The learning activity for this lesson is to develop a baseline understanding of the elements of formline design. The
students will start by reading the definitions hand out together as a class. The key elements will be read about and
pointed out in examples on the projector. Next the students will look at the power point and engage in a conversation
about positive and negative space in art. Who would like to come point out an ovoid on this painting of a whale? Does
everyone agree? Does anyone see anything different? Do you see how the positive and negative space impacts the
design? Who can explain where they see positive space and where they see negative space?

Creating Positive and Negative Space through Design

(20 minutes)
After definitions the teacher will ask the tables to one by one select their scissors, construction paper, glue, and design
element handout. Once all of the students have all of the material, I will ask for a volunteer to come help me model a
design. When designing a formline it is important to think about how you put the elements together to create a
seamless flow. You animal should be connected throughout by the shapes on our definition handout. I will ask them to
cut out their design shapes, and begin to design their own animals. Walking around the room I will ask guiding
questions. Why have you chosen to put the U-shape on this side of the ovoid? How are you using positive and negative
space to guide the flow of your design? Feedback: Look at how you use the crescent in the free space next to the ovoid,
look how your design flows. You have a nice balance of positive and negative shape.

Painting the Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Colors

(25 minutes)
This activity will organically start as students feel like they are ready to start adding color. Students will be dismissed as
they are finished with the first part of their project to collect the paint supplies needed for the second half of the
project. The slide with the colors will remain up throughout the art activity for students to refer to. Feedback: You are
using the blue as a tertiary color because I can see it used sparingly, or very little in your design.

15. Closure: (13 minutes)

Students will place their art of the drying racks and clean their areas before coming to sit down for the closing. We will
close the activity with a reflection on the process of creating an animal out of shapes. Was it challenging? What was
the most interesting part of the project? Students will think/pair/share and then share out to the group on a hand raise
basis. Exit ticket: Where do you think the little boy is Storm Boy was for a year?