Native Americans:

Cave Painting
Cave Paintings illustrating stories of milestones
By: Jenny Connelly

Lesson Overview- 2
Grade

nd

Students will learn about the culture of Native Americans,

specifically their cave paintings. They will learn about the
importance of cave paintings and the reasoning behind the
art.

Students will then learn more in-depth about the art and
specific pieces through reading a book about Native American
paintings. Students will learn about the history of cave art
and learn what meaning was hidden behind the paintings
through literature.

Following this study, students will do their own cave painting

by the class recreating the cave environment and drawing
images and symbols representing a milestone in their lives.

Students will also write a short paragraph describing their

artwork. Afterwards, the students will look at each painting
and see if they can correctly guess what each image
represents and students will share their written paragraph.

Key Concepts
1. Visual Art:

Students will
understand the
meaning behind
cave art and
that art is a
form of
communication

Students will
learn how to
create their own
cave paintings
using cave-like
situations

2. Literacy:
Students will read
about the
importance of art to
Native American
culture and the
symbols and images
commonly found in
cave art and discuss
what they have read.
Students will
practice writing
descriptions of their
cave art to describe
their images.

3. Social
Studies:
Students will
learn about the
history of cave
painting and its
connection to
Native
American
culture.
Students will
study the
importance of
cave art and
how it affected
the

Essential Questions
How do people express ideas and moments
through art?

Why do people use symbols and images to tell

stories to communicate?

What can we learn from others by looking at an

image?

Lesson Objectives
Visual Art: The students will be able to . . .

Discuss the meaning behind cave art as a mode of communication

Design their own cave paintings using cave-like situations
Literacy: The students will be able to . . .

Inspect the writing about Native American Cave Painting and discuss the
text and what it means

Write and explain their cave art by describing their images and thoughts
behind them
Social Studies: The students will be able to

Discuss the history of cave painting related to Native American culture

Explain and discuss the importance of cave art and its affect on art
development

Content Areas Integrated

Visual Art (Inspiration Artist: Various Native Americans)

Painting: Native American cave paintings, what is cave art, how cave
painting is a form of communication
Literacy

Inspired Author: Yvette La Pierre

Reading: a look at various cave paintings, what is the story behind
these paintings, why do these paintings exist, how to tell a story
about an event through cave art
Social Studies

Native American artwork: a look at different cave paintings, special

symbols of each painting, the effect on Native American culture, how
cave art preserves their history.

Opening
I will open with a Visual Thinking Strategy
session of an old cave painting image. Students
will be asked to discuss and interact orally in a
whole class discussion.

Summative Assessment
The summative assessment for this lesson will
be in the form of a rubric. The students will be
given the rubric before creating their cave art so
they can see what is required of them. The
rubric will include the use of symbols, conveying
a milestone/message through art, matching
their description to their art, and discussing the
importance of cave paintings to Native American
culture in a concise manner. These are
components that the students will need to
include in their cave paintings and paragraphs.