ARTE 342

#1 / # 2 Name: Jen Gontarek

DAILY PLAN
Lesson Title: Symbolic Yarn Paintings (Day 1) Grade Level: Ages 5 & 6

Skills: Students will apply their knowledge of symbols and Huichol yarn art to create
personalized, framed yarn paintings. (Goal 27.B.1, 26.B.1d, 25.A1d )

Overall Lesson Objective:

Given a Power Point presentation about symbols, patterns and Huichol yarn art as well
as yarn, glue, glue brushes, foam core and crayons, students will practice their fine motor
skills while thoughtfully creating a Huichol-inspired yarn artwork that utilizes both
pattern and a personal symbol.

Technical Skills:
Given a Power Point presentation about Huichol yarn art, patterns and symbols,
students will remember that the Huichol people use vibrant colors and symbols that are
representative of their culture and beliefs. Students will understand that we will use this
art form as an inspiration for our own yarn pieces, but will not copy the symbols in the
Huichol art.

Formal Qualities:
Sudents will apply the information learned in the Power Point and come up with a
personal symbol that represents them. Students will analyze how this symbol is
representational of themselves.

Conceptual Complexity:
Students will evaluate which colors and pattern they want to use in the background of
their artwork. Students will create a personalized symbolic yarn artwork by first drawing
their symbol, filling in the background with pattern and gluing the yarn on top of their
drawing.

Essential Questions
Who can tell me what a symbol is?
Who can tell me the type of cultural art we looked at today?
Who can give me an example of a pattern?
How does your symbol represent you?

Academic Language:
Symbol
Cultural art
ARTE 342
Colors
Pattern

Assessment Criteria: Notes: 1) Link criteria to objectives, 2) Include rubrics, etc. as attachments.

High Performance Medium Low Performance

Performance
Technical Skills The student shows an The student shows The student shows no
understanding that little understanding understanding that
we are using Huichol that we are using we are using Huichol
art as inspiration by Huichol art as art as inspiration by
using personal inspiration by using using personal
symbols. personal symbols. symbols.
Formal Qualities The student came up The student came up The student came up
with a symbol that can with a symbol but had with a symbol but
personally represent trouble explaining could not explain how
them and analyzed how it was personally it was personally
which colors they representational. representational.
want to use.
Conceptual The student The student created a The student created a
Complexities successfully created a symbolic artwork symbol artwork but
symbolic artwork utilizing a pattern in did not utilize a
while utilizing a the background and pattern in the
pattern in the gluing yarn on top of background; they had
background and their drawing and trouble filling in their
gluing yarn on top of pattern, but did not symbol with yarn.
both their symbol and completely fill in
pattern, completely either the pattern or
filling it in. symbol.

Teaching Resources Needed to Support the Lesson: Note: All background materials, research
documents, and handouts should be listed below and included as attachments.
Power Point on Huichol yarn art, symbols, and pattern
Teacher’s example
ARTE 342

Art Materials Necessary for the Lesson:

Assorted colors of yarn
Scissors
Glue
Glue brushes
Crayons
White foam core board
ARTE 342

Teacher Stude
A
c
t
i
v
i
t
i
e
s
ARTE 342
Introduction:
The teacher will begin by asking the students
“Who can tell me what a symbol is?” The students will answer the questions
“Who has worked with yarn before?” that the teacher asks.

The teacher will then show the students a

Power Point presentation about traditional The students watch the Power Point
Huichol yarn art, symbols and patterns. presentation and understand that
The teacher will explain to the students that Huichol art will be used as inspiration for
we will be using these examples of Huichol our art lesson.
art as inspiration for our own symbolic yarn
paintings. The teacher will make sure that
the students have a clear understanding that
they must not copy the Huichol examples;
instead, they will be coming up with
symbols that are personal to them and
creating yarn artworks based upon this.

The teacher will give a demonstration on

how to come up with a personal symbol and
create a yarn artwork based around this The students will watch the
symbol. The teacher comes up with a symbol demonstration about how to draw the
that is personally representational; the personal symbol and cover it in yarn, as
teacher demonstrates how to draw this well as adding a pattern to the
symbol in a manner that is large on the foam background.
core board. The teacher then decides on a
pattern for the background, and draws this
in as well. The teacher then shows the
students how to apply yarn onto their
drawings, first on their symbol, filling it in
with yarn. The teacher then shows the
students how to fill in the patterned
background with yarn.

The teacher sends the students back to their

tables. The students return to their tables.

Development:
The teacher hands out foam core board and
crayons and instructs the students to draw
their personal symbol and pattern onto the
ARTE 342
ARTE 342
foam core board; the students must raise The students draw their personal
their hand when they are done, and the symbols on the foam core board using
teacher will give yarn to the students. The the crayons provided; when finished, the
teacher instructs the students to begin gluing students raise their hand.
yarn to their drawings, first outlining their
symbols and then filling them in. Once their
objects are filled in, the students must begin The students outline their objects with
filling in the pattern in the background with yarn using the glue brush and glue, and
yarn. then fill in their symbol and the
patterned background.
Conclusion:
The teacher reviews with the students: The students answer the questions that
Who can tell me the type of cultural art we the teacher asks and help to clean up.
looked at today?
Who can tell me how your symbol represents
you?
The teacher instructs the students to begin
cleaning up by picking up any yarn scraps
off of the floor, putting the glue brushes in
the sink and bringing their yarn art to the
drying table.

Critical Comments and Reflections:

(Problems, successes, and what to think about for next lesson)

See benchmark