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Lesson Title: Using West African Gold Weights and African Masks as a Way of Communication

Name: Katie Smit and Stacey Wages

Discipline: Language Arts

School: Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School, Prince George’s County, MD

Grade Level: 8

Time Period: Four 90-minute periods

I. Conceptual Framework

Big Idea: Communication

Rationale:
Communication is a common human experience. Great communication can lead to a viable community, while miscommunication can lead to misunderstandings and conflict. Using communication to study artistic forms of West Africa will demonstrate how societies and cultures use a variety of forms to connect with one another. Also students will understand communication as a visual, oral, tactile, or written form. Students will understand how communication can have either a favorable or detrimental result for a community. Using concepts of communication will provide students with a framework for understanding West African art and society and to relate it to their own cultures.

Essential Questions:

• What counts as communication?
• Why is communication important?
• How do you communicate? and How do various cultures communicate?
• What do artistic symbols express? or How are artistic symbols forms of communication?
• What do symbols say about the culture in which they are found?

Key Concepts:

• Communication can be verbal and non-verbal.
• Communication requires interpretation.
• Communication can be public and private.
• Communication can be literal and symbolic.
• Communication can persuade, inform, describe, and entertain.

State and Local Standards:

Standard 1: General reading process

• Indicator 2. Use strategies to prepare for reading (before reading).
• Indicator 3. Use strategies to make meaning from text (during reading).
• Indicator 4. Use strategies to demonstrate understanding of the text (after reading).

Standard 3

• Indicator 6. Analyze and interpret important ideas and messages in literary texts.
• Indicator 7. Analyze and evaluate the author's purposeful use of language.
• Indicator 8. Read critically to evaluate literary texts.

Standard 4

• Indicator 1. Compose texts using the prewriting and drafting strategies of effective writers and speakers.
• Indicator 2. Compose oral, written and visual presentations that express personal ideas, inform, and persuade.

II. Topics

How communication forms are used to teach lessons about life

Rationale: Communication is a key way for students to learn West African culture. In learning different forms of communication in West African culture, students will be able to connect to and apply these ideas to their own lives and cultures. The ability to compare and contrast their own ways of communicating with knowledge about the way West African communities communicate gives students a way for deeper understanding of how communication affects their lives.

Key Concepts:

• Proverbs and fables reflect the values and beliefs of a culture.
• Objects, artifacts, artworks, literature, and performances can be interpreted to provide life lessons.
• Objects, artifacts, artworks, literature, and performances are created for functional and non-functional purposes.

Different forms of communication are important

Rationale: Different forms of communication allow for increased opportunities for expression and understanding. Exposure to different forms of communication and how they relate to social functions that differ from their own ways of communicating will increase student understanding of the possible functions of artistic communication.

Key Concepts:

• Different forms of communication, such as objects, artifacts, artworks, literature, and performances, can be used to convey the same message to a wide and varied audience.
• Art is shaped by values and beliefs.
• Symbols express values and beliefs of a culture.

III. Artworks/art forms/artifacts

• African masks
• Proverb (in written and symbolic form)
• Gold Weights
• F ables and Storytelling

IV. Lessons

Day One (90 minutes)

Objectives:

• Students will analyze and evaluate figurative language that contributes to meaning and/or creates style in order to understand the purpose of proverbs and to write their own proverb.
• Students will analyze imagery that contributes to meaning and/or creates style in order to create symbols to represent their proverbs.
• Students will evaluate proverbs from West Africa in order to connect the meanings to their own lives.

Warm Up:
Read the proverb on the board and write one to two sentences explaining what you think it means. (Use a common proverb)

TDA/Whole Group Activity:
Teacher will define proverb and explain its function in society. Teacher will lead a discussion based on the following:

• Now that you know what a proverb is can you think of any proverbs common in your culture? What messages are these proverbs sending?
• Proverbs are a way that people can communicate life lessons to children and society as a whole—they are used throughout the world. Now we will look at specific proverbs from West Africa and how they are used to communicate lessons and values of their culture and environment.

Small Group Activity:
Pass out packet on proverbs. Look at different West African proverbs and their meanings. Half the sheet will provide the meanings of the proverbs. The other half will have a blank space. Students will be split into cooperative groups to come up with what they think are the meaning of the proverbs. After the groups have finished working, the class will evaluate the meanings to come up with the best meaning of each proverb.

Explain to students and discuss with them how these proverbs teach universal life lessons even though the symbols used in the proverbs are specific to West African culture and environment.

Individual Practice:
Students will complete page 3 of their packet. They will be given two proverbs and they will write how the proverb provides universal life lessons.

Closing:
Students will share the meaning of their proverb with the class.

Day 2

Warm Up:
Students will copy the definition of a proverb to reinforce what they have learned the day before.

TDA:
Now that students are familiar with proverbs, ask students to think about life lessons that apply to themselves. Prompt students to think about their own life if they are having trouble.

Teacher will model how to write a proverb using the writing workshop model in the packet.

Individual Practice:
Students will complete the writing workshop.

Closing:
Ask for volunteers to read their proverb and why they think its lesson is important to learn.

Day 3

Warm Up:
Students will answer the following question: Why are proverbs important in society?

TDA:
Define and discuss symbolism with students. Gold weights will be introduced as symbols of proverbs, as well as a way that was used to measure currency. Discuss gold weights as an art form.

Examples of gold weights and their proverbs and symbolism will be shown and explained.

Teacher will model creating a symbol for the proverb that she wrote the previous day in the writer’s workshop.

Individual Practice:
Students will brainstorm symbols appropriate to the proverb they wrote. They will create a symbol or combination of symbols for their own proverb and explain why that symbol represents their proverb.

Students will create a rough draft of their symbol and show shape, color, etc. Students will decide what their artistic medium will be for the representation of their proverb symbol. (clay, paper, drawing)

Closing:
Review proverbs, symbolism, and gold weights as an art form. Call on selected students to verbally assess what they have learned.

Day 4

Final draft of project and assessment. Presentation of projects.