The Egyptian Tree of Life

The Egyptian Tree of Life

While studying ancient Egyptian art, seventh grade students learned that the earliest reference to the concept of the Tree of Life is found in the philosophy of the ancient Egyptians.  The Tree of Life is a Universal symbol found in many spiritual traditions around the world.  It symbolizes life itself, with its branches reaching for the Heavens "Father Sky" and its buried roots, linking to "Mother Earth”.  Students drew their own version of the tree of life using oil pastels on black construction paper.

Egyptian Gods and Goddesses

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Eighth grade students learned that the ancient Egyptians worshiped over 2000 gods and goddesses.  Unlike other ancient cultures, whose gods looked somewhat like people, most ancient Egyptian gods had animal heads.   After viewing several examples, students drew an Egyptian god or goddess and added their names in the background using hieroglyphics.  After tracing over all their pencil lines with black marker, they added color with tempera paint.

 

 

The Greeks and Oceanography

Oceanus

 

Poseidon
















Sixth graders studied Greek art and learned that Greek mythology includes gods of the ocean such as Oceanus and Poseidon.  They also learned that oceanography is the branch of Earth science that studies the ocean and it comes from the Greek words meaning "ocean" and "to write."

Alexander the Great, King of Greece

After viewing a picture of Alexander the Great, the King of Greece, in an early type of submarine, we discussed the different types of invertebrates that he may have seen such as anemones, starfish and sand dollars. Then students created a composition of seven sand dollars using soft pastels, glue and gold glitter. 

African Masks

At the beginning of the third quarter, seventh graders viewed examples of prehistoric African art and discussed the purpose of African masks - to hide the person's identity during ceremonies.  Then they created their own masks using chalk pastels, beads, feathers and rafia.  Afterwards, they wrote stories to describe the purpose of their masks.

Australian Aboriginal Dot Paintings

Aboriginal Dot Painting

At the beginning of third quarter, sixth grade students learned that Australian Aborigines, the oldest known continuous culture in the world, are famous for their dot paintings.  Many dot paintings feature a "totem," an animal that serves as the artist's good luck symbol.  Sixth graders chose an animal for their "totem" and used tempera paint and q-tips to create an Aboriginal dot painting.