INDIA
“India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of
history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grandmother of tradition. Our most
valuable and most astrictive materials in the history of man are treasured
up in India only!” – Mark Twain
Grades K-2 PowerPoint Lesson Plan
OBJECTIVES
HISTORY: Places an artwork in its historical context.
Students will examine how religious diversity in India has resulted in a broad range of
mediums and styles in its art. Students will also examine the elephant as a theme in the
art of India.
CRITICISM: Informed talk about art.
Students will identify the use of shapes and forms in Indian art, specifically art depicting
elephants.
AESTHETICS: Questioning the nature, value and beauty of art.
Students will discuss the beauty and/or value of art that is specific to a religion or culture.
PRODUCTION: Creating art.
Students will produce a twirling puppet of an elephant that incorporates shapes and/or
forms.
VOCABULARY
Note to volunteers The vocabulary will be in bold italics throughout the lesson. They
will be defined within the text of the lesson and do not need to be presented separately.
The definitions used under this section of the lesson are very detailed and are intended
for adults.
Form: describes the volume, or the three-dimensional (height, width, depth) aspects of
objects that take up space.
Shape: an area enclosed by a line. Shape has two dimensions - height and width. A shape
does not have volume or take up space like a form does. Shapes can be geometric
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(squares, triangles, circles, etc. - hard edged, precise) or organic (free form - usually
found in nature).
Note to volunteers To demonstrate the difference between shapes and forms bring in a
ball (form) and a circle cut-out (shape) for comparison so that the students have a visual
example of a shape and a form. A cut-out of a square or rectangle could be compared to
a box.
RELIGION GUIDELINES
Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley issued this statement from the U.S. Department of Education, in
June of 1998. (These guidelines were re-released in December of 1999 without change.)
Teaching about religion: Public schools may not provide religious instruction, but they may teach about
religion, including the Bible or other scripture: the history of religion, comparative religion, the Bible (or
other scripture)-as-literature, and the role of religion in the history of the United States and other countries
all are permissible public school subjects. Similarly, it is permissible to consider religious influences on
art, music, literature, and social studies.
To look at the specific Beaverton School District policy on studying religious beliefs and customs, visit the
school district’s website, www.beavton.k12.or.us. Click on school board, then school board policies, then
section IGACA.
INTRODUCTION
Note to volunteers If you don’t like these clues or you want to make them grade level
appropriate feel free to use different clues. Feel free to change the order of the clues. Do
not spend a great deal of time, this game is meant to be a quick introduction to India.
Let’s play a game like 20 questions to start out Art Literacy today. I’m going to give you
some hints and I want you to see if you can guess what country we are going to learn
about today. When you think you know the answer raise your hand. Don’t say the answer
out loud so that everyone has a chance to figure out the answer from the clues.
1. This country is one of the oldest civilizations in the world.
2. Over 16 major languages and 1,000 dialects are spoken in this country.
3. Over one billion people live in this country, which is, 4 times as many people as live in
the United States.
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4. This country is only 1/3 the size of the United States.
5. Chess was invented in this country.
6. This country is home to the King Cobra.
7. Three major religions have origins in this country.
8. This country is home to the Asian elephant.
9. More scientists and engineers come from this country than any other country besides the
United States.
10. There are at least seven different classical dance forms along with numerous folk dances.
11. The McDonalds in New Delhi serves lamb burgers in its Happy Meals.
12. The Taj Mahal is probably the most famous building in this country. It took 21 years to
build the Taj Mahal.
13. This country has the largest film industry in the world known as Bollywood.
14. The practice of Yoga originated in this country.
15. The food in this country is typically spicy with a generous helping of various spices and
herbs.
16. This country is home to the tallest mountain range in the world – the Himalayas.
HISTORY
ELEPHANT SEAL
India is a very old country. There have been many rulers and different groups of people
living in India over the last 3 thousand years. All of these rulers and different people have
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brought many religions, beliefs and languages to India. Because of all the different
beliefs and religions, there are all kinds of art in India. Today, we will look at some of the
different kinds of art. The art that we look at today will have one thing that is the
same…see if you can figure out what it is!
This is a seal from 3,000 years ago. The print of the seal was put on important paper and
letters to keep the information private. It was kind of like putting something in an
envelope and licking it shut!
EAST GATEWAY – GREAT STUPA AT SANCHI
Long ago, one group of people in India called Buddhists, would bury religious people or
items under big mounds of earth. They would surround the mound with fancy gates that
would tell different stories from their religion – they did this because most people at that
time could not read and write. If they looked at the gates they could learn more about
their religion.
Did you notice the elephants? They look as if they are carrying the weight of the gate on
their shoulders. Elephants have always been important in India because they are so big
and strong that they can do a lot of work. These elephants are carved from stone and are a
sculpture. A sculpture is a form. A form is an object that has three dimensions: height,
width and depth. A form takes up space. This is unlike a shape, which only has two
dimensions: height and width. Shapes are flat and they do not take up space.
Note to volunteers Use the visual illustration explained under the vocabulary to show the
students the difference between shapes and forms.
KAILASA TEMPLE OF SHIVA AT ELLORA
Another group of people in India called Hindus said that elephants were the guardians of
the four directions and that elephants also held the world of the gods on their backs and
shoulders. Here, you can see the elephants keeping guard over this temple, which is the
home of one of the Hindus’ gods.
Are these elephants shapes or forms? (Forms.)
ELEPHANT AT MAMALLAPURAM
This elephant is also guarding this Hindu temple.
STANDING GANESHA
One of the Hindu gods even has an elephant head. He is Ganesha (gah-naysh’-uh), and it
is believed that he can help people by removing obstacles (problems or things in their
way) and he helps when people are beginning new things in their life.
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1. Is this a form or a shape? (Form)
2. Would this sculpture look the same from the back and from the sides? (No) Describe
what it might look like from the back.
CRITICISM
CROWNED GANESHA
Here is another picture of Ganesha. Do you notice something unusual about this god
besides the fact that his head is an elephant head? (He has four arms.) Gods in the
Hindu religion are often pictured with more than 2 arms. To the Hindus this is a simple
way of showing the power of the god who could do many things at once. Some gods can
be very powerful and have up to 16 arms.
Sensory Properties: What do you see?
1. Why is the elephant in this painting different from the elephant sculpture seen in the last
slide? (This elephant is made up of shapes. He only has two dimensions – height and
width.)
2. What kind of shapes do you see in this painting? (Triangles on crown and throne, circles
on jewelry and crown, stripes on clothing, etc.)
Formal Properties: How is it arranged?
1. Where do you see repeated shapes that create a pattern? (The shapes in the crown are
repeated to make a pattern, the repeated lotus shapes create a pattern, the arms are
repeated shapes, the jewelry on the arms creates a pattern, etc.)
Technical Properties: What media, tools and techniques were used?
1. What materials were used to make this picture? (Paper, paint, brushes.)
Expressive Properties: What mood or ideas does it express?
1. Does this picture make you thing that this is a powerful god? Why or why not?
AESTHETICS
Note to volunteers This question is meant to be open-ended and there is no right or
wrong answer.
BABY KRISHNA SITTING ON THE LAP OF LORD GANESHA
The art of India seems unusual to us because it was inspired by religions and a culture
that are not familiar to most Americans. We don’t always understand the meaning of the
artwork from India.
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Is art less valuable if we don’t understand the meaning behind it?
HISTORY (cont.)
TAJ MAHAL
Another group of people in India, called Muslims built this building. This is the most
famous building in India and it is called the Taj Mahal.
Is a building a form or a shape? (Form – a really big form!)
ELEPHANT STABLES
One of the great Muslim rulers was named Akbar the Great. Akbar loved elephants. He
had so many elephants that he had huge stables built to hold them (seen here). Elephants
were used in royal processions, they were ridden on tiger hunts and even into battles.
Abar also loved to learn about art, music and dance.
AKBAR RESTRAINS HAVAI
Akbar was so interested in art that he had many paintings done. Akbar often combined
his love of elephants with his love of paintings – which can be seen here.
Are the elephants in this painting a shapes or a forms? (Shapes – they are flat.)
What did the art we looked at, have in common? Does anyone know? Elephants! After
looking at the art of India we can see that elephants have been important in India for
thousands of years. Today, elephants are still used for different kinds of work – they are
very important for logging and for work in forests. They are also ridden in festivals and
processions and are beloved by the people of India. We have also seen that the religions
of India have had a great influence on the art of the country. Today, religion and culture
still influence the art of India.
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