4. What do you see?
What do you feel?
What do you wonder?
5. Petroglyphs
• A carving made on the surface of the rock.
These carvings are found world-wide, and are
often associated with prehistoric peoples.
• Comes from the Greek words Petro“stone/rock”, and glyphein, which means “to
carve”
• Carved with stone and bone tools
8. Pictographs
•Images painted onto the rock surface
•Paint typically made with minerals found in the
earth. The predominantly used colors were
RED, BLACK and WHITE.
•Pigment powder was ground and mixed with a
liquid.
•Paint applied with fingers, a brush or stamps.
•Some tribes would put hands or feet on the rock
and blow paint or powder around it to leave a
print.
9.
10. WHY?
•Telling a story. The natives peoples wanted to
tell hunting stories, stories of their families and
what life was like.
•Communicating their beliefs. Often rock art
shows us what the various tribes worshiped or held
in high importance
•Communicating with others. Traveling tribes
would leave drawings to tell others where water
and game was. Maybe what areas to avoid.
Newspaper rock was one of those places. It was an
information center. Tribes traveling through would
12. Rock Art in Ireland
• Rock art is found all over Ireland, as well as most
of Europe.
• A place called Loughcrew (Ireland) has art that
they believe to be about 5,000 years old. That’s
older than the pyramids
• Looking at the following pictures. Can you tell me
what a popular symbol was?
18. Your Piece of Rock Art
• Before you begin we think about what you
want to say with your art?
• What is important to you? What is a symbol
that says something about you? What are
your favorite things? What do you want
others to know?
• Be inspired by the Nature Idea Wall!
• Now how can you put that on your rock?
19. Steps to Create Rock Art
1. Select a rock
2. Put your first name and year on “the back” with the
Sharpie marker
3. Get Supplies: cup of water, paint tray, brush, paper
towels
4. Volunteers will squeeze out paint - What colors do
you need? Please use only what you need
5. Think about how your painting will fit on the rock.
6. When changing colors clean brush in water and dry
on paper towel. Blend colors as needed.
7. When finished take rock to your “class” table.
20. What next?
• Spray on sealant to protect
from weather
• Place along inner circle of
Memorial Garden for
permanent display
Editor's Notes
Introduce the theme and yourself and other helpers.
This is our first project this year.
We can ask ourselves these 3 questions when we look at any work of art.
Let students talk in pairs or table groups. Can call on a few to share if you want to.
Explain that what they just saw is a petroglyph.
Scientists believe that Newspaper rock was started approximately 2000 years ago by people that would go through this area of Utah. No peoples ever lived here. It was an ‘information’ station. The Navajo called it “the stones of Stories”. Looking at the rock what stories or information were people trying to tell?
What do you see? What do you feel? What do you wonder? Cave art from Altamira spain Very old and we do not really know how they made colors to last so long!
Scientists continue to evaluate the age of the cave art at Altamira Spain. In 2008, researchers using uranium-thorium dating found that it proved beyond doubt that the caves were more than twenty thousand years old some even upwards of 40,000 years. This is a great mystery, because those who painted those colors seem to have known much more about colors than we know at present. We may have been able to reach the moon, but we have not been able to make colors that can remain fresh and last longer than a hundred years. Those who made these colors twenty thousand years ago knew much more about the science of color than we do. We don’t know who these people were. The paintings of Van Gogh, which are not even one hundred years old, are already fading; the pictures Picasso painted in his youth have become as old as he himself. The colors used these days by artists throughout the world don’t last more than a hundred years; they are bound to fade within a century.
Red paint was made with ochre. Ochre is a natural earth pigment containing hydrated iron oxide, which ranges in color from yellow to deep orange or brown. It is also the name of the colors produced by this pigment, especially a light brownish-yellow. A variant of ochre containing a large amount of hematite, or dehydrated iron oxide, has a reddish tint known as “red ochre”. Black paint was made with charcoal. White paint was made with natural chalk or light colored clay. Liquids used to mix with the mineral varies depending on what color was wanted. Liquids used: urine, blood, water or egg yolk.
Can you see the hands? How were they made? How many can you see? 2
Share reasons why people might paint or carve into rocks.
The first writings appear on this rock 2,000 years ago.
In Navajo, the rock is called “Tse’ Hone” which translates to a rock that tells a story.
What stories are being told? What information could be gathered?
They are thought to date from about 3300BCE. The pyramids of Giza were completed in 2560 BCE.
What do you see? What do you wonder? These are Petroglyphs because they are carved. Pictographs are painted.
More petroglyphs from Europe.
Rock are in North America is not as old as that found in Europe, but it is still very old.
Ic can be found all over the rock canyons of Utah and Arizona among other places.
What do you think is a symbol they liked to use? What was important to them?
Any similarities to the art you saw in Ireland? They should see spirals and circles being used by both.
What do you think this artist likes?What is important to her/him? What do you see, feel, wonder?
What do you think this student was trying to communicate?
Give them a few minutes to think and share ideas with a neighbor, and or look at the nature wall. Can distribute supplies (water, paint tray, paper towels)
Dismiss in table groups or rows to choose rock from front table and go back to seat and put first name and year on bottom of rock
Walk among students and squeeze out small amount of paint - use wisely
Cover table in back of room and write teacher or grade level name on paper and have students bring rocks to that table to dry.
Explain the next steps in the process. Arrange a date with teacher to put rocks in garden after the sealant process is complete. (Volunteers do not need to be there for this step,) Teachers can have each student take his/her rock to the garden.