Art Awareness Lesson Plan – African Masks
ELA Theme:
Unit 1: The Journey challenges students to examine how people encountered over the course of one’s
life influences how one will develop as an individual.
Unit 2: What Shapes Our World requires students to look back on historical events to see how our
world and the people in it have been shaped by history. The way we live today is a result of what
happened in the past.
Objectives:
 To examine an individual’s experiences and what can be learned from them
 To construct a portrait of the student’s future self and the qualities they wish to embody
 To describe and discuss qualities of American leadership (individuals or groups ex. George
Washington, suffragists, WWII veterans, etc) and the impact of those qualities on the nation
Materials:
 Power Point presentation
 Notecards
 White paper
Procedure:
 Background: At pivotal points in a person or community’s life, masks have been used to celebrate the
past or prepare for future events. During the mask ceremony, the mask functions as a mediator
between the living world and the supernatural world of the dead, the ancestors, and other entities (eg.
Animal spirits). The dancer will enter a trance during which time he will be able to communicate with
the spirit within the mask to gain strength and wisdom. When the masks are created, the goal of the
sculptor is to depict the person’s psychological or moral characteristics rather than their physical ones.
 Presenter beware: If you would like to add masks to your presentation, please verify that they are
authentic Sub-Saharan masks, not 21st century reproductions.
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Before the lesson begins, gather 6-8 notecards. On each notecard, write the name of one prominent
American leader or group. Some choices you could use are: George Washington, Harriet Tubman, the
sitting President, Martin Luther King, Jr., war veterans, abolitionists, or early colonists.
Pass the cards out – one to each table group, have the students write down words that would describe
that person or group. The words could be positive or negative. Discuss their responses.
Connect to the art – Now that the kids have thought about the qualities of the person/group on their
card, have them come up with a picture of a memorial for that person/group in their mind’s eye.
Without further discussion show the children examples of African masks and talk about their
symbolism and use in Sub-Saharan Africa. (Use the background from above, the Power Point, and/or
your own research.)
You may want to read about the art online or at the library prior to giving this presentation. Here are
some websites to get you started:
http://www.historyofmasks.net/mask-history/history-of-african-masks/
http://www.rebirth.co.za/African_mask_history_and_meaning.htm
http://www.vub.ac.be/BIBLIO/nieuwenhuysen/african-art/african-art-collection-masks.htm
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Final Product: Once you have completed your Power Point about the masks, distribute the blank paper
to each child. They have thought about the qualities of historic Americans and explored the use of
masks in Sub-Saharan culture. Now is the time for them to think about themselves. Have the kids
draw a horizontal line 2/3 of the way down the page. In the area under the line, (the bottom third of
the page) they should write words that they hope will describe themselves by the time they are in 8 th
grade. In the top two-thirds of the page, they can draw a mask that corresponds to the words they
have written. The mask they draw should be in the style of the African masks they have been studying.
Parent Contact:
After completing the art awareness lesson with the students, please send a note home to explain what
you did and why to the caregivers. You can print out the note and send it home or email it to the classroom
teacher and ask him or her to forward it to families.
Parent Contact example letter:
Art Awareness Presentation – KW
March 26, 2014
Dear Caregivers,
Today in your child’s class, an Art Awareness presentation and art project was completed. After
reading How to Become a Perfect Knight in Five Days by Pierrette Dube, we talked about real knights and
heraldry. Noting that few people could read in the Middle Ages, pictures were an important way to tell people
something about yourself and your family. Also, the kids noticed that once in their armor, all of the knights
looked the same. Having a family crest (heraldry) on the shields helped soldiers identify each other in battle.
We talked about the meaning behind some of the colors and pictures that you might have found on a knight’s
shield, and then the kids had a chance to create their own shield. I hope you enjoy the final product!
There are many fiction and non-fiction books at the Naperville Public Library about knights and the
Medieval Era if you and your child would like explore the topic further. You can also check out this fun
website to create another coat of arms.
http://www.imaginon.org/fun/whippingboy/createacoatofarms.asp?themeid=2&activityid=8
Sincerely,
Sandy Beris
This program is brought to the students and teachers by the May Watts Art Awareness PTA committee.