5th-Grade Art

The Lesson: In lieu of the annual African mask-inspired metal-tooling mask-making project carried out in 5th-Grade art, this year's 5th-Grade students (and myself) were introduced to another tradition practiced in African art-making: ASAFO Flags. Created by the Fante people of Ghana, for over 400 years now, while ASAFO flags (a.k.a. Fante flags) were originally designed in celebration of the military collaboration between Great Britain and Ghana (prior to Ghana's independence from the U.K. in 1957), these handmade flags continue to pass on traditional wisdom via the illustration of long-standing cultural proverbs displayed on these colorful flags. For this project, the 5th-Grade students were to research a proverb from the culture/country of their choosing; illustrate the proverbial meaning; and insert the flag that represents the proverb's county of origin.

Lesson Objectives: Students can infer intended meaning using the language of visual art and design and investigate how artists communicate points of view through personal works of art based on lived experiences, as they make decisions during the creative process that best supports the intended point of view and reflect on how intended meaning influences the artmaking process (Visual Arts - 2020 Colorado Academic Standards, 2020).

References:

Visual Arts - 2020 Colorado Academic Standards. (2020). Colorado Arts Standards. https://www.cde.state.co.us/coarts/2020cas-va-p12