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Description
Indigenous art reflects spiritual beliefs and cultural heritage, while often emphasizing respectful relationships with the land and waters that sustain life. This outdoor activity introduces students to texture as an element of art through the discovery of found objects with different surfaces, which are then used to create artwork inspired by Mi'kmaw traditions. Art and environmental learning help students explore the connections between the natural world and visual storytelling. Developed by Mi'kmaw educators and artists, this experiential activity addresses the following learning outcomes:
- Recognize and describe different textures in both natural and built environments
- Create and present a three dimensional art piece in a local environment to express ideas about the links between texture, nature and human feelings and values
- Explore examples of Indigenous petroglyphs to understand how artistic expression connects to history, culture and place
- Inspired by the work of Indigenous artist Marcus Gosse, design and paint a rock with a scene that describes a personal connection to Mother Earth
General Assessment
Recommendation of how and where to use it
This resource supports Grade 4-6 Visual Arts units that are exploring texture as an element of art and using art vocabulary to observe, describe and represent textures. Creative expression and personal storytelling skills are practiced as students design and complete their art projects. Teachers are also encouraged to involve a local Indigenous artist, Elder or Knowledge Keeper in the learning experience to enrich understanding of First Nations values, customs and connections to the land. Inviting an Indigenous community member and making use of the accompanying Land Acknwledgement and extensive supporting resources like "Mi'kmaw History - Kejimkujik: The Petroglyphs" supports a holistic lesson that encompasses a range of Arts, Social Studies, History and Indigenous Studies content.
The video introduction to the activity features an artist creating a piece on a beach using both natural materials and discarded items such as plastic. After the waste is removed and properly disposed of, only the natural elements remain. This message of sustainability could inspire a collaborative project in which students organize a community clean-up of a local green space by following Indigenous customs such as offering thanks or conducting a land acknowledgement. Local artists might also create nature-inspired art that honours Mother Earth and highlights the close connections between people and the natural world. Information about preparing for a neighbourhood clean-up can be found here.
Relevant Curriculum Units
The following tool will allow you to explore the relevant curriculum matches for this resource. To start, select a province listed below.
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- Alberta
- British Columbia
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 4
- Step 3Select a subject
- Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Arts Education: Artists experiment in a variety of ways to discover new possibilities
- Arts Education: Creative expression is a means to explore and share one’s identity within a community.
- Arts Education: Dance, drama, music, and visual arts are each unique languages for creating and communicating.
- Arts Education: Exploring works of art exposes us to diverse values, knowledge, and perspectives.
- Grade 5
- Step 3Select a subject
- Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Arts Education: Artists experiment in a variety of ways to discover new possibilities and perspectives.
- Arts Education: Dance, drama, music and visual arts are each unique languages for creating and communicating.
- Arts Education: Engaging in creative expression and experiences expands people’s sense of identity and belonging.
- Arts Education: Works of art influence and are influenced by the world around us.
- Grade 6
- Step 3Select a subject
- Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Arts Education: Artistic expressions differ across time and place.
- Arts Education: Dance, drama, music, and visual arts are each unique languages for creating and communicating.
- Arts Education: Engaging in creative expression and experiences expands people’s sense of identity and community.
- Arts Education: Experiencing art is a means to develop empathy for others’ perspectives and experiences
- Manitoba
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- Grade 4
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- Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Visual Arts
- Indigenous Languages and Cultures
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- Cultural and Linguistic Diversity: Other Cultures: Connections and Influences
- Cultural and Linguistic Diversity: Specific Aboriginal Culture
- Grade 5
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- Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Arts: Visual Art
- Indigenous Languages and Cultures
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Cultural and Linguistic Diversity: Other Cultures: Connections and Influences
- Grade 6
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- Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Arts: Visual Art
- Indigenous Languages and Cultures
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- Cultural and Linguistic Diversity: Other Cultures: Connections and Influences
- New Brunswick
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- Grade 4
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- Arts
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- Arts General: Creating, Making, and Presenting
- Arts General: Perceiving & Responding
- Arts General: Understanding and Connecting Contexts of Time, Place, and Community
- Indigenous Languages and Cultures
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- Wabanaki Languages: Knowledge and Identity
- Social Studies
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- My Province, Exploration, History of the Atlantic Region: Wabanaki
- Visual Art
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- Communicate
- Connect
- Create
- Grade 5
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- Arts
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- Arts General: Creating, Making, and Presenting
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- Arts General:Understanding and Connecting Contexts of Time, Place, and Community
- Indigenous Languages and Cultures
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Wabanaki Languages: Knowledge and Identity
- Social Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- My Province, Exploration, History of the Atlantic Region: History
- Visual Art
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- Communicate
- Connect
- Create
- Grade 6
- Step 3Select a subject
- Indigenous Languages and Cultures
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Wabanaki Languages – Mi’kmaw: Knowledge and Identity
- Visual Art
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- Communicate
- Connect
- Create
- Newfoundland & Labrador
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- Grade 4
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- Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Art: Connecting Contexts of Time, Place, and Community
- Art: Creating, Making, and Presenting
- Art: Perceiving, Reflecting, and Responding
- Social Studies
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- Exploring Our World
- Grade 5
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- Arts
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- Arts: Creating, Making, and Presenting
- Arts: Perceiving, Reflecting, and Responding
- Arts: Understanding and Connecting Contexts of Time, Place, and Community
- Social Studies
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- Societies: Exploring the Past
- Grade 6
- Step 3Select a subject
- Social Studies
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- Expressions of Culture
- Visual Art
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- Art: Creating, Making, and Presenting
- Art: Understanding and Connecting Contexts of Time, Place, and Community
- Art:Perceiving, Reflecting, and Responding
- Northwest Territories
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- Grade 4
- Step 3Select a subject
- Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Arts Education: Artists experiment in a variety of ways to discover new possibilities
- Arts Education: Creative expression is a means to explore and share one’s identity within a community.
- Arts Education: Dance, drama, music, and visual arts are each unique languages for creating and communicating.
- Arts Education: Exploring works of art exposes us to diverse values, knowledge, and perspectives.
- Indigenous Languages and Cultures
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Dene Kede: The Land
- Grade 5
- Step 3Select a subject
- Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Arts Education: Artists experiment in a variety of ways to discover new possibilities and perspectives.
- Arts Education: Dance, drama, music and visual arts are each unique languages for creating and communicating.
- Arts Education: Engaging in creative expression and experiences expands people’s sense of identity and belonging.
- Arts Education: Works of art influence and are influenced by the world around us.
- Indigenous Languages and Cultures
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Dene Kede: The Land
- Grade 6
- Step 3Select a subject
- Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Arts Education: Artistic expressions differ across time and place.
- Arts Education: Dance, drama, music, and visual arts are each unique languages for creating and communicating.
- Arts Education: Engaging in creative expression and experiences expands people’s sense of identity and community.
- Arts Education: Experiencing art is a means to develop empathy for others’ perspectives and experiences
- Indigenous Languages and Cultures
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Dene Kede: The Land
- Nova Scotia
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- Grade 4
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- Indigenous Languages and Cultures
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Mi'kmaw Language
- Social Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Social Studies 4: Physical Environment
- Visual Art
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Visual Arts 4: Analyse
- Visual Arts 4: Create
- Visual Arts 4: Respond
- Grade 5
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- Indigenous Languages and Cultures
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Mi'kmaw Language
- Social Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Societies: Introduction
- Social Studies 5
- Visual Art
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Visual Arts 5: Analyse
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- Visual Arts 5: Respond
- Grade 6
- Step 3Select a subject
- Indigenous Languages and Cultures
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Mi'kmaw Language
- Visual Art
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Visual Arts 6 Analyse
- Visual Arts 6: Create
- Visual Arts 6: Respond
- Nunavut
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- Grade 4
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- Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Arts Education 4: Creative/Productive
- Arts Education 4: Critical/Responsive
- Arts Education 4: Cultural/Historical
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- Relationship to the Environment
- Social Studies
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- Provinces and Territories: Our Places, Stories, and Traditions: The Land: Place & People
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- Arts Education 5: Creative/Productive
- Arts Education 5: Critical/Responsive
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- Grade 6
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- Arts
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- Arts Education 6: Creative/Productive
- Ontario
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 4
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- Arts
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- Arts: Visual Arts
- Social Studies
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- Heritage and Identity: Early Societies, 3000 BCE -1500CE
- Grade 5
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- Arts
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- Arts: Visual Arts
- Grade 6
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- Arts
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- Arts: Visual Arts
- Prince Edward Island
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- Grade 4
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- Social Studies
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- Exploring the Landscapes of Canada
- Visual Art
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Visual Arts: Creating and Presenting
- Visual Arts: Exploring Forms and Cultural Context
- Visual Arts: Fundamental Concepts
- Visual Arts: Reflecting, Responding and Analysing
- Grade 5
- Step 3Select a subject
- Social Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Investigating Past Societies: Decision Making
- Visual Art
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Visual Arts: Creating and Presenting
- Visual Arts: Exploring Forms and Cultural Contexts
- Visual Arts: Fundamental Concepts
- Vsual Arts: Refl ecting, Responding, and Analysing
- Grade 6
- Step 3Select a subject
- Visual Art
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Visual Art: Exploring Forms and Cultural Contexts
- Visual Art: Reflecting, Responding, and Analysing
- Visual Arts: Creating and Presenting
- Quebec
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 4
- Step 3Select a subject
- Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Arts: Visual Arts: To appreciate works of art, traditional artistic objects, media images, personal productions and thos of classmates
- Arts: Visual Arts: To produce individual works in the visual arts
- Grade 5
- Step 3Select a subject
- Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Arts: Visual Arts: To produce individual works in the visual arts
- Arts: Visual Arts: To appreciate works of art, media images, personal productions and those of classmates
- Grade 6
- Step 3Select a subject
- Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Arts: Visual Arts: To produce individual works in the visual arts
- Arts: Visual Arts: To appreciate works of art, media images, personal productions and those of classmates
- Saskatchewan
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 4
- Step 3Select a subject
- Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Arts Education 4: Creative/Productive
- Arts Education 4: Critical/Responsive
- Arts Education 4: Cultural/Historical
- Social Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Saskatchewan: Dynamic Relations
- Grade 5
- Step 3Select a subject
- Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Arts Education 5: Creative/Productive
- Arts Education 5: Critical/Responsive
- Arts Education 5: Cultural/Historical
- Social Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Canada: Dynamic Relations
- Grade 6
- Step 3Select a subject
- Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Arts Education 6: Creative/Productive
- Arts Education 6: Critical/Responsive
- Arts Education 6: Cultural/Historical
- Yukon Territory
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 4
- Step 3Select a subject
- Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Arts Education: Artists experiment in a variety of ways to discover new possibilities
- Arts Education: Creative expression is a means to explore and share one’s identity within a community.
- Arts Education: Dance, drama, music, and visual arts are each unique languages for creating and communicating.
- Arts Education: Exploring works of art exposes us to diverse values, knowledge, and perspectives.
- Grade 5
- Step 3Select a subject
- Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Arts Education: Artists experiment in a variety of ways to discover new possibilities and perspectives.
- Arts Education: Dance, drama, music and visual arts are each unique languages for creating and communicating.
- Arts Education: Engaging in creative expression and experiences expands people’s sense of identity and belonging.
- Arts Education: Works of art influence and are influenced by the world around us.
- Grade 6
- Step 3Select a subject
- Arts
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Arts Education: Artistic expressions differ across time and place.
- Arts Education: Dance, drama, music, and visual arts are each unique languages for creating and communicating.
- Arts Education: Engaging in creative expression and experiences expands people’s sense of identity and community.
- Arts Education: Experiencing art is a means to develop empathy for others’ perspectives and experiences
Themes Addressed
Ecosystems (1)
- Appreciating the Natural World
Indigenous Knowledge (2)
- Rituals, Spirituality and Worldviews
- TEK -- Traditional Ecological Knowledge
