Connie Graves photo courtesy of the Oregon Historical Society
Overview
Lesson 1: Introduction to the Grand Ronde Nations Traditional Burden Basket
Lesson 2: Design and Create a Burden Basket with a Strap
Lesson 3: Research and Make a Poster of the Three Types of Basket Materials
Extending the lesson/References
Standards
THE ARTS
AR.03.CP.03—Create, present, and/or perform a work of art that demonstrates an idea, mood, or feeling.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
EL.04.SL.07—Ask thoughtful questions and respond orally to questions with appropriate discussion.
CD Segments to Play
Background
The teacher will write the following criteria for researching the three basket materials on the board or print and handout to students:
Common name of plant
Native name of plant (if listed)
Illustration of plant
Suggested Strategies
Younger students need direct step-by-step instruction on how to research the three types of basket materials. Please modify the lesson instructions for your students. K-1st grade students could be guided in their “research” by picking a plant information card, (already researched and printed out by the teacher) to choose from. The younger student could rewrite one or two important sentences and draw a picture of the plant.
Older students can either work independently or in teams. Students will need to access the teacher-created resource library/audio center to the Connie Graves segment and/or Elaine LaBonte’s segment. The teacher could assign each group with one of the three basket materials to research.
Activities
1. Discuss
Before passing out poster paper and drawing supplies, revisit the KWL wall. Dialogue about what a designer is from lesson #2. Remember the two words, inspiration and experimentation.
2. Discuss
What questions do you think a designer of a Native fiber basketry poster would need to ask before starting their work? List the questions that the students pose and have the students answer them.
3. Art project
Pass out poster board and drawing supplies to all students for their studio time. Again, with each studio workshop, traditional Native music helps create a calming classroom atmosphere.
4. Talking Circle
At the end of the studio workshop, have the students come to the talking circle to share their work. Ask the students to share what worked and what did not work for them. Display their poster in the classroom.
5. Report
Allow enough time to come together at the end of the class period to have groups report to class their findings and post their work.
6. Homework
For extra credit and/or a homework assignment: Students will design another poster after viewing and listening to their peers in the talking circle. The student will write a paragraph about why they used the design elements in their second poster.
