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Lesson Title: Power of Symbols in West African Art
Name: Jessica Guzman
Discipline: Photography/Digital Arts
Grade Level: 9-12
Time Period: Six class periods
I. Conceptual Framework
Big Idea: Power
Rationale: High school is a time in my students’ lives where they begin to learn more about themselves, peers, and their place in the community. The issue that consistently rises in their lives is power. What is it? How can they obtain it? These are some of the questions that can be answered in the examination of West Africa. West Africa has a history of power struggles from outsiders and insiders, amongst the peoples, and struggles for a voice. These are the themes that my students will be able to relate to. The analyzing of symbols used in the Asante community and in the Adinkra cloth will help students understand the power of persuasiveness and voice. Students will learn to express their own meaning and power through the creation of their own symbols on the computer. They will also create a new a short story with their new symbols and become griots for their culture. My expectation is that examining West Africa will help students learn more about Ghana, the power of symbols, and different types of power such as: voice, dominance, conflict, possession, insiders and outsiders, and persuasiveness.
Essential Questions:
- What is power?
- How does power affect the human experience?
- How does power relate to symbols?
Key Concepts:
- Power is voice.
- Power is about dominance and conflict.
- Power is about possession.
- Power is about insiders and outsiders.
- Power is about persuasiveness.
State and Local Standards:
Fine Arts
- Select and use the visual characteristics and organizational principles of art to communicate ideas.
- Select materials, techniques, and processes to effectively communicate ideas.
- Employ organizational principles and analyze what makes them effective or not in the communication of ideas.
- Analyze, describe, and demonstrate how factors of time and place (such as climate, resources, ideas, and technology) influence visual characteristics that give meaning and value to a work of art.
II. Topics
The power of symbols to create meaning in West Africa
III. Artworks/art forms/artifacts
- Adinkra cloth
- Digital Art
- Griot as oral historians
- Logo Design
IV. Lesson
Title: The Power of Symbols
Topic: The power of symbols to create meaning
Essential Questions:
- How can symbols be powerful?
- What are the similarities and differences in how Asante uses symbols and how we use symbols today?
- Is the art of griots lost forever?
Key Concepts:
- Power of voice.
- Power of symbols to create meaning.
- How power is expressed in the human experience.
- Power is about insiders and outsiders.
- Power is about persuasiveness.
Objectives:
- Analyze Adinkra cloth and explain the background and history of Adinkra (Asante from Ghana) symbols.
- Explain how Adinkra cloth can be used to communicate messages. (Show Ghana on the Map) See Worksheet.
- Investigate values presented in the community and school
- Analyze portrayals of well known symbols in the media
- Identify symbols of power presented through the media, community, and culture
- Design a symbol system of their new community on the computer/by hand
- Investigate the significance and role of griots in West Africa.
- Choose a symbol to represent their community and create a short story or history of their community.
- Become their own griot and present their symbol system and short story/history of their culture.
Instruction and Activities:
Day 1
Warm-up: Students will define: What is power?
Teacher directed activity: Student will discuss and present their definitions of power.
Guided activity: Use the following guiding questions to help generate a discussion about symbols and power:
- How does power make you feel?
- How can it influence people and how we live our lives?
- How do we know when we see power?
- How is power represented?
Independent student activity: Students will be divided into groups. Each group can be given a different set of questions. They can then come together and present their answers to class:
- What is a symbol? List examples.
- Has any symbols ever angered you? Made you feel really good about yourself?
- What does having a “voice” mean?
- Describe a time when you felt you didn’t have a “voice.” What did you do?
- Who is an insider or outsider in the community and school?
- Is it important to have a voice?
- How can you express your voice if you couldn’t write letters? Give examples.
- Students will use the computer to answer the following questions only.
- Who are the Asante people?
- What is Adinkra? What is it used for?
- How did they use symbols?
- How did they show power?
Research links:
- Adinkra symbol meanings
- Stamps/symbols
Closure activities: Students will be asked how symbols are used in Ghana. Why was it important to show power then and today? Give examples of power struggles in your life and how you reacted.
Day 2
Warm-up: What is a logo? Give examples.
Teacher directed activity: Guided discussion on logos Discussion on logos.
- Give examples of Logo ideas in symbolism.
- They will also define the characteristics of a good and bad logo. They will draw and or find examples in a magazine.
- Traits of good symbols
Guided activity:
- Use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast Adinkra symbols and logos of today.
- Students will look for logos in a magazine and explain their meaning
Independent student activity:
- Students will make thumbnail sketches on white paper for their symbols.
- They must make 15 symbols. 1 must be of power. Symbols can be scanned onto the computer and developed in Adobe Photoshop CS.
Closure activities: Students will share their thumbnail sketches for their symbols. They will also explain their meanings.
Day 3-4
Independent student activity: Students will continue to work on their Symbols in Adobe Photoshop CS.
Closure activities: Homework: Students are to research what kinds of stories or sayings are told in their family. Are their ones that are passed down from generation to generation?
Day 5
Warm-up: Who are the story tellers in your family? What stories to they tell?
Teacher directed activity: Discussion
- Define what a griot is.
- What is their role in West Africa?
- Which is more accurate? Written or oral history? Why?
- Why music was sometimes used to accompany the griot?
- Are there any examples of griots today?
- Does music enhance the storytelling? If so, how?
- Why is it important for a griot to have a good memory?
- What would it be like if your favorite song didn't have any music to it? Would you still like it as much?
- Why was the griot so important?
- The teacher will show the students where Ghana is on the map.
Guided activity: Teacher will model an example of how to write your own short story or history that must include a beginning, middle, end, characters, description of setting, proverb, or learned lesson.
Independent student activity: Students will write their own history or short story. Students will review presentation rubric.
Closure activities: Homework: Students will practice their presentation for next class. They must have their symbols and short story or history.
Day 6
Activities: Students will present their story and symbols. Students will conduct a peer evaluation with the presentation rubric sheet.
Closure activities: Students will write a reflection paper. Click here for questions.
IV. Assessment
- Student assessment/reflections
- Student participation in discussions
- Student participation in activities
- Reflection on their performance and activities
- Students should be able to explain the significance of power and symbols
- Students should be able to explain the role of Adinkra and meaning.
- Students should be able to make the connections between Adinkra and how logos are used today to express meaning.
- Students should be able to create art and written works that is based on West African traditions, and demonstrates an understanding of its context.
- Students should be able to explain the significance of the griot and its role in West Africa.
- They must have 15 symbols. One must represent Power.
- Students will be limited to three minutes of presenting their story and 15 symbol systems.