(7th grade)

Big Idea: Homage Content Area: Day of the Dead, nichos, ofrendas, tin art, symbols, patterns

Content StatementThe lesson will begin with an introduction to the

Latin American cultural event known as “Day of the Dead”.

During this introduction the students will learn about related

Mexican folk art and the lesson’s big idea of giving homage.

Lecture on Mexican folk art practices will focus on the tradition

of making tin nichos—memorial shadow boxes. Discussion on

tin nichos will be concentrated on the use of color schemes,

symbols, and found objects—to create a memorial. For the art-

making portion of the project the students will create their own

memorial niches on one person they want to memorialize. This

project will be mixed media based and combine learned art-

making techniques—including the use of tooling foil. The

student’s work must demonstrate: good craftsmanship, the

proper handling of materials, the use of symbols, and a central

figure.

Objectives Students will become aware of cultural differences and how they are expressed through art by

studying the Day of the Dead celebration. Students will learn about Mexican tin art related to the Day of the Dead celebration through the

creation of a memorial niche honoring an artist, family member, friend or cultural icon. Students will express their creativity while using 2nd and 3rd dimensional design.

Standards of Education(Related National Standards for Visual Arts Education)

1. Content Standard: Understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes3. Content Standard: Choosing and evaluating a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas4. Content Standard: Understanding the visual arts in relation to history and cultures

(Related Virginia Visual Arts Standards of Learning)

Day of the Dead: Memorial Niches

7.3 The student will use ideas, concepts, and prior knowledge to solve art-making problems and create works of art.

7.6 The student will apply elements of art and principles of design, including the following, to express meaning in works of art:1. Color—harmonious chromatic relationships2. Space—positive, negative3. Emphasis—focal point, dominance

7.11 The student will analyze how art and culture influence each other.

7.14 The student will identify subjects, themes, and symbols as they relate to meaning in works of art.

(Related Virginia Standards of Learning for Math, Science, English, History, Etc.)History

WHI.11 The student will demonstrate knowledge of major civilizations of the Western Hemisphere, including the Mayan, Aztec, and Incan,

Materials/Resources(For student)

1 shoebox1 paintbrushAcrylic paintDrop clothConstruction paperScissorsGlue stickRough draft paperAluminum tooling foilTapeBurnishing toolSoft working surface (ex. Several layers of paper)

(For teacher)Powerpoint presentation on:

Day of the Dead Mexican folk art/ memorial niches Symbols

Related Videos: “Mexico’s Day of the Dead” by the Discovery Channel “Dia De Los Muertos” by CGI Student Academy

Time Required(2.5/3) anticipated number of weeks. Class period last approximately 90 minutes.

(Estimated)Time flow:Snapshot moment (5 min)PowerPoint Presentation/discussion (10 min)Demonstration (5/10 min)Art Supplies distribution (5min)Independent work (45/50 min)Clean up (10 min)Check for Understanding/Closure (5 min)

Itinerary and Strategies Key terms/vocabulary to be introduced:

Day of the Dead, nichos, ofrendas, tin art, symbols, patterns, overlapping, assemblage Motivation and explanations: The lesson will begin with an introduction to the Latin American cultural event known as “Day of the

Dead” through the viewing of a PowerPoint presentation. During this introduction the students will learn about related Mexican folk art and the lesson’s big idea of giving homage. Lecture on Mexican folk art practices will focus on the tradition of making tin nichos—memorial shadow boxes. Further explanation will occur through the viewing of various videos including: “ Mexico’s Day of the Dead” by the Discovery Channel.

Questioning strategies/discussion: Discussion on tin nichos will be concentrated on the use of color schemes, symbols, and found objects—to

create a memorial. Key questions include but are not limited to: What is an ofrenda? What do you see? What do you think is the purpose of this work of art? Who is the central figure? How can you tell? Etc.

Student independent practice/activity overview: For the art-making portion of the project the students will create their own memorial niches on one

person they want to memorialize. The chosen person can be: a family member, a friend, a family pet, or an artist. This project will be mixed media based and combine learned art-making techniques—including the use of tooling

foil. Through these techniques, the students will alter a shoebox into a memorial niche honoring their chosen person. After painting of the exterior of the box, the students will adorn the sides with symbols representing the chosen person—using paper cut outs. To finish the memorial niche, the students will create a “tin statue”—out of tooling foil—to use as a central figure for the work. The statue must either relate to traditional icons of “Day of the Dead” or serve as a representation of the chosen person. Overall, the student’s work must demonstrate: good craftsmanship, the proper handling of materials, the use of symbols, and a central figure.

Checking for Understanding/Closure Each class will begin with a quick review of the terms/vocabulary learned from the previous class. Key

questions include but are not limited to: Who recognizes something about this video that we learned from the class before? What was Spanish name for an alter? Who remembers the first step of this art-making technique? Etc. At the end of the lesson, the students will participate in an informal critique. At this time, the students will have an opportunity to share their completed memorial niches with the class.

Evaluation StrategiesEach day student will participate in class discussions. Being present and participating in each

discussion counts towards the students overall participation grade. For examples of key questions see sections: Questioning strategies/discussion and Checking for Understanding. Furthermore, each day of the project the students will participate in a warm up activity. Each warm up will count as an individual grade and will be graded on a pass/fail merit. Throughout the project, each student will complete various rough drafts of their ideas—before moving on to the final project. Each rough draft will count as an individual grade and will be graded on a pass/fail merit. Lastly, each art project on the unit will count as an individual grade. Each final project will be based on the attached rubric: