1. Docent Material & Setup List:
African Plate Necklaces – World Art
Docent Material & Setup List:
Give each student :
Pre Cut Plate
Pencil (for name)
Paintbrush
Give each table :
Tray of paints
Basket of ‘Gems’, feathers, beads etc.
Water pots
Tacky glue
Docent Clean up List:
Make sure names are on artwork
Wipe down tables, refill any items and return handouts and materials to bins as you found them, turn off projector, close lens cap – thanks for doing this and leading the lesson!
Docents the pre made plates are in the AFRICAN NECKLATES BIN all the embellishments are in the bin too. HOWEVER, please take the tempera paints and pour in the small plates so the students can use these. Please stick to BLUE< YELLOW< ORANGE< RED <GREEN AND WHITE

2. African Plate Necklace
Welcome in the students. State the lesson name.

3. Today’s Lesson Skill Development: African Plate Necklaces – World Art
Today you will learn about about the jewelry and life of the Maasai Tribe to create your own world art necklace.
Introduction to world culture and art
You will learn:
To create a mixed media art piece
Symbolism
Painting and embellishing
Explain the lesson objective and description.
Have students think about how they could make something from a humble paper plate (flying saucer, A fan, A hat etc.)
Hopefully someone will say necklaces and you can move onto next slide which shows necklaces from different cultures. If not make a nice segway into that ….

4. African Plate Necklaces – World Art
African facts:
Africa is the birth place of mankind and human civilization.
It is also where people first made and wore jewelry, ‘beads’ from 75,000 years ago were found in a cave, named Blombos, on the coast of South Africa.
We will keep this high level and introduce the idea of colors being symbolic (one slide is dedicated to this).

5. What is a Tribal necklace?
African Plate Necklaces – World Art
What is a Tribal necklace?
The Maasai tribe of Africa is well known for its traditional handmade bead jewelry.
The jewelry they create is not only beautiful but also has important cultural significance.
The beadwork an individual wears will signify their age and social status
Docents there is a ton of information on the internet about the history and context of tribal necklaces in many countries. African jewelry is seldom just ornamental; religion, rituals and ceremonies play a large part. Found objects are often included and can carry personal and symbolic meanings for the wearer.
NOTE: Much of it not appropriate for this age group, therefore we will keep this high level and introduce the idea of colors being symbolic.

6. What do the colors mean? Red - stands for bravery, unity.
African Plate Necklaces – World Art
What do the colors mean?
Red - stands for bravery, unity.
White - peace, purity, and health.
Blue - energy and the sky.
Orange and Yellow - hospitality.
Green - health and land.
Black - represents the people and the struggles they must endure.
SYMBOLISM = REPRESENTS / SHOWS.
The principal motifs of the beading is the symbolism of color. This is the style to encourage the students to use today when painting / decorating their necklaces.
Docents this is not for the students but more for your information: :
RED: Often a cow is slaughtered when the Maasai meet and therefore unity is associated with red.
WHITE: The association with health comes from white cows milk which the tribe drinks to stay healthy.
BLUE: Rain falls from the blue sky which provides water for the cattle.
ORANGE: The association with cattle is that visitors are served cows milk from orange gourds.
YELLOW: The animal skins on visitors beds are yellow.
GREEN: Cattle graze on the green grass of the land.

7. African Plate Necklaces – World Art
Docents have this slide on the screen while students are working on their piece – thank you!
Remind students - The principal motifs of the beading is the symbolism of color. This is to be encouraged when students are painting / decorating their necklaces.

8. Process: Put your name on the back of the plate
African Plate Necklaces – World Art
Process:
Put your name on the back of the plate
Paint patterns, using color, circles, semi circles, spirals, dots and lines
Use the basket of extras to create texture (not too much)
Have fun!
The principal motifs of the beading is the symbolism of color. This is the style to encourage the students to use today when painting / decorating their necklaces.

9. LESSON PLAN ADAPTED FROM MRSBROWNART.COM
Art history lesson slides are from various sources.
by Tara Button, Art theory from various sources
April 2016, updated Sept 2017