Broadcasts 1-15 Intro, Ancient Civs, African and Tribal Civs

Related Themes Lessons: The Natural World Comparing American and Native American Folk Music Dance Basics (handout) Nature Moves Us (dance) Cinquain (poetry) Relationships Jacob Lawrence, Heroes (visual arts) Creating a Ritual Dance Dance Basics (handout) Search for Self Creating an Animal Totem (visual arts) Creating a Cubist Self-Portrait (visual arts)

Broadcast 1 - Handout may precede class. No answers provided--use for class discussion.
Class objective: an introduction to humanities--the arts as a window into culture.

1. This class is built around the idea that the arts are a window into culture. List some of the clues to early Sumerian culture that are provided by the Tell Asmar Figures.
2. Describe the world of Jan Vermeer, the Netherlands in the mid-1600's.
3. Open Response: You're a film maker and you have been asked to create a short video illustrating the culture of your own county or home town. What are some of the images that you'd photograph? What pieces of art (dance, music, theater) would give clues about your own local culture? What music would you choose to accompany your documentary?

Broadcast 2
Class objective: Part two, introduction to the humanities. A review of the elements of each of the arts.

No need to blank out! This is a basic reference sheet on dance, music, visual arts and theater. Start with these terms for writing or discussion.
DANCE	Elements of Dance Time: How fast or slow a movement is; how it unfolds rhythmically Space: directions and pathways of dance; shapes the dancers bodies make Force: power or energy of a dancer's gestures, movements, leaps.	Locomotor Movements take the dance from place to place. (running, skipping) Non-locomotor Movements the dancer is moving but not travelling across the stage. (bending, stretching.)	Ceremonial: African Egungun Dance Recreational and Social dances: line dancing, square dancing, ballroom dancing.
MUSIC	For a complete review of the elements of music, with examples, see The Music Gallery
VISUAL ARTS	Elements of Art Line Shape Color Form Texture Space Value	Principles of Design Repetition Pattern Balance Emphasis Contrast Rhythm Proportion Movement	Check out Connections - Visual Arts Basics CATS Visual Arts Scrimmage
THEATER	Elements of Drama Plot Development Rising Action Turning Point Falling Action Suspense Theme Language Empathy Motivation Discovery	Elements of Production Staging Scenery Props Lighting Sound Costumes Make-up	Elements of Performance Breath control Diction Body alignment Control of isolated parts of the body Check out Field Trip to Horse Cave Theatre

Broadcast 3
Class objective: to get a view of diverse African arts. To understand how traditional lineage-based cultures view the life experience. To locate west African tribes that are most noteworthy in terms of the arts. To see how rituals and ceremonies of traditional Africa reveal cultural information.

1. The arts of Africa are very diverse...in other words, there are many different types. What factors do you think contribute to the diversity of arts in traditional Africa?
2. We will study the arts of traditional African culture. What does this term mean to you? How do you think modern African culture is different from traditional culture?
3. Write or chart an explanation of: linear culture, circular culture
4. On a map of Africa, locate (or write in): Ghana, Benin, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Morocco.
5. The culture of North Africa is somewhat different from the culture of Sub Saharan Africa. What are some of the distinctive Moslem sounds of North African music?
6. Define from your notes:

   -non-western: -percussion: -polyrhythms: -ensemble: -the oral tradition:

   -chant: -call and response: -funga: (from drummer presentation) -gimbe drum:(from drummer presentation)

Broadcast 4
Class objective: to recognize these elements of dance: space, time, and force. To see dance as a window into African Culture. To see how body alignment differs between African dance and European dance.

1. Dance in Africa often imitates the movements of animals and birds. If you were translating the movements of these animals or birds into dance, how might the dance motions look?
   • Gazelle:
   • Giraffe:
   • Panther:
   • Buzzard:
2. How might the dance elements FORCE, SPACE, TIME be used differently to show:
   warlike life of coastal tribes:
   relaxing lifestyle of inland farmers:
3. Kings of Ghana and Kings of France used dance to highlight political power. Give an example of how choreography could do this:
   • In West Africa:
   • In the Court of Louis XIV:
4. An egungun is an important character in the dances of the Yoruba tribe. Describe the role of the egungun.

Broadcast 5
Class objective: To become familiar with diverse African arts. To review the principles of design and elements of art through traditional African works

Notesheet for African Arts

Big Ideas: All traditional African arts are useful. African arts are important in carrying on customs and traditions.

Give examples from class, or--even better--come up with your own examples.

1. pattern and repetition
2. balance
3. emphasis and contrast
4. proportion
5. rhythm and movement

Household or personal objects

6. Stools and headrests are carefully crafted works of art in Africa. What superstition causes the owner of the stool to turn it on its side when it is not in use?
7. The Boyo pot lid shows a woman beating her head upon the ground. What social customs surround this sculpture?

Fetish Figures

8. A fetish is an object of supernatural power. They're also unique sculptures, made with a variety of materials. Describe a typical West African fetish.

Ritual and Religious Objects

9. What is kente cloth used for, and how is it made?
10. Masks have a unique place in African culture. What are some of the uses of masks? In traditional African society, how was a mask "initiated?" Stored? Destroyed?
11. A sculpture that has exaggerated sex characteristics probably had what use or meaning in traditional African society?
12. Define: Juxtaposition
13. Define: Reliquary Figure
14. What is a "primordial couple?"
15. Can you give examples of primordial couples in cultures other than African?

Broadcast 6
Class objective: to appreciate the oral tradition in Africa. The sample a variety of African writings. To see connections between traditional African culture and our own culture.

1. An "oral tradition" is part of the culture of many countries. Give an example of an American story that is part of our own oral tradition.
2. Often people use the word "myth" to refer to an imaginary story. How may a myth be just the opposite---a profound truth?
3. Storytellers who work in the "oral tradition" must have a highly developed memory. Cultures which have strong oral traditions also have a strong sense of "ethnic identity." Try to write an explanation of "ethnic identity." Can you think of a work of literature that helped shape your own ethnic identity?
4. Retell a story from your own background that helped shape your ideas about the following:
   The Creation of Man
   Conflict between God and Man
   The origin of life, or mankind
   Did you discover that most people had a similar or different background regarding these ideas? What shaped the ideas of most of your class members?
5. The Yoruba people loved riddles. In the space below, list a riddle that you think everyone in your class is familiar with. Why do you think riddles are popular in so many cultures?
6. Give an example of a "Trickster Tale" from one of the following sources: The Bible, a fairy tale, a novel, or a movie.

Reading in class is from Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart.

Broadcast 7
Class objective: students connections between works of Picasso and African masks.

1. What was Picasso's nationality? Where was he living at the time he painted Demoiselles d'Avignon?
2. Describe the museum visit that changed Picasso's painting style.
3. Why was Picasso's visit to the Musée de l'Homme (Museum of Man) in 1907 so important in the development of his work?
4. List some phrases that describe Picasso's Demoiselles d'Avignon.
5. Review: explain the terms "convention" and "innovation" in art.
6. Demoiselles d'Avignon was the beginning of cubism in visual art. Define and describe cubism.
   
   About the same time Picasso was painting Demoiselles, Louis Armstrong was singing for pennies in New Orleans.
7. Review: Define or describe these terms, which are present in African music and in the jazz sounds of Louis Armstrong: percussive sounds, polyrhythms, call and response

Broadcast 8
Class objective: to segue into a brief look at the Harlem Renaissance, and the work of Langston Hughes; to see the influence of jazz in the works of Langston Hughes.

1. Briefly describe the Harlem Renaissance.
2. Who were some of the "big names" in the Harlem Renaissance?
3. Name some of the connections between Hughes Weary Blues and jazz.
4. In the poetry of Langston Hughes, the reader can expect to find (1) unpoetic words, (2) jazz rhythms (syncopation, improvisation) and (3) literary innovations (changes from traditional subjects, rhymes, and meters). Find an example of each of these qualities in , the poem below.
   

   Crystal Stair Well, son, I'll tell you: Life for me ain't been no crystal stair. It's had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor -- Bare. But all the time I'se been a-climbin' on, And reachin' landin's, And turnin' corners, And sometimes goin' in the dark Where there ain't been no light. So boy, don't you turn back. Don't you set down on the steps 'Cause you finds it's kinder hard. Don't you fall now -- For I'se still goin', honey, I'se still climbin', And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

*If you have completed worksheets on Broadcast 1-8 and reviewed answers with Liz or your classroom teacher, you should have no problem with Test 1: The African Cultural Root. Good Luck!

Broadcast 9
Class objective: To see the origins of governing, writing, and building in Mesopotamia.

Keep in mind-- we are starting at the earliest civilization and working toward the 20th Century, but the interests, needs, and concerns of most human beings remain the same.

1. The Mesopotamians were one of the first cultures which fused art and technology. What were some of their early inventions?
2. Where was ancient Mesopotamia located? What is the literal meaning of the word "Mesopotamia?"
3. Mesopotamia is the site of two great revolutions in culture. The first revolution occurred when hunters and gatherers stopped migrating and began farming. How were the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers central to this first revolution?
4. Draw your version of a Mesopotamian reed hut.
5. What is bitumen and how did this substance contribute to building efforts in early Mesopotamia?
6. Broadcast project: What institutions or organizations are present in all modern civilizations?

Broadcast 10
Class objective: to have an overview of an archaeological process. To see how archaeological finds give us maps of an entire civilization. To study Mesopotamian works of art.

Some terrific websites for this class:

• Treasures from the Royal Tombs of Ur
• Mesopotamia
• Write like an Babylonian: create your monogram in cuneiform the way an ancient Babylonian might have written it.
• Boardgame: the Royal Game of UR

1. Mesopotamian religion was highly organized, and there were a number of important religious positions. What were some of these positions in the hierarchy of the temple?
2. How did the form of a temple-tower or ziggurat follow or mirror its function?
3. What is the term we use to describe this great meeting place at the top---where mortals symbolically meet the gods?
4. What is useful or utilitarian about the Tell Asmar Figures?
5. A convention is an accepted practice in the arts. What are three Mesopotamian artistic conventions?
6. The Standard of Ur gives us many clues about life in Mesopotamia. List three things we learn from this mosaic.

Broadcast 11
Class objective: To review yesterday's class, and continue to view Mesopotamian culture through religion, music, and writing.

1. List phrases which define or describe religion in any culture.
2. We know that the ancient Sumerians asked questions that have always interested human beings. According to Sumerian belief, what did the world look like? Who were the god and goddess that originated the world?
3. Early Sumerians were polytheistic people who believed in a pantheon of gods. Define polytheistic and pantheon.
4. The early Sumerians had many important female deities. Inanna was one of these. What was her role in the pantheon?
5. List the steps in a proper Mesopotamian burial.
6. Although we can't listen to Sumerian music, we know their love of beauty was expressed in the craftsmanship of the instruments. What are some of the materials used in Mesopotamian instruments?
7. How were music and dance used in Mesopotamia?
8. What was the dominant shape used in Mesopotamian writing?
9. What was the use of a cylinder seal in Mesopotamia?
10. What was the name of a professional writer in Mesopotamia?
11. What are some of the types of writing that were preserved in cuneiform?

Broadcast 12
Class objective: Part 1. To consider Gilgamesh as the first epic hero.
Part 2. Introduction to the Egyptian culture through the Narmer Palette.

1. Mesopotamia gave us our first epic hero in the character of Gilgamesh. According to the story, who was Gilgamesh? How was he both human and super-human?
2. Who was Enkidu and what was his role in the story of Gilgamesh?
3. What was the central quest of Gilgamesh?
4. What famous story from Genesis has close parallels with a story in Gilgamesh?
5. Many scholars believe that the history of Egypt begins with Narmer. Who was Narmer and why was he so important?
6. What is the repeated theme of the Narmer Palette?

Block Segment Project: a group discussion
List these arts in the order of importance- Visual arts, dance, theater, literature, sculpture, weaving, pottery, architecture.
Defend your reasons in discussion with your class.

Broadcast 13
Class objective: to gain an understanding of Egyptian religion. To see how the pyramid evolved.

1. Who was the god of the dead, who presided over mummification? Describe this god.
2. Osiris, the first king of Egypt was supposedly murdered by his brother. How was he resurrected from the dead?
3. What is the symbol of the living pharaoh?
4. Ancient Egyptians believed in an eternal life force or spirit that could only exist if the body were preserved. What is the name for this spirit?
5. What is a sarcophagus?
6. Name and describe the first Egyptian tombs.
7. Define necropolis.

Broadcast 14
Class objective: to continue viewing the development of the pyramids, and to see their connection to the Egyptian world view. To see a sampling of Egyptian sculpture and learn about conventions of Egyptian art.

1. Why have Egyptian pyramids lasted much longer than Mesopotamian ziggurats?
2. Where are the most famous true pyramids?
3. Give a general description of the interior of a pyramid.
4. Give a general description of the exterior of a pyramid.
5. Egyptians believed that animals were sacred. How was this evidenced in the appearance of the sphinx?
6. Throughout the 3000 year history of Egypt, artistic conventions remained the same. What was the most conventional arrangements for the figure?

*If you have completed have completed worksheets for Broadcasts 9-14 you should be ready for the Ancient Civs test. Go over the answers with your teacher or send a message to Liz if you need help.

NOTE: Broadcast 15 "American Indian Culture" may be used any time during the course, and may be paired with Broadcast 64 "Modern Native American Art." Broadcast 15 is not covered on the unit test; there is a notesheet and key for this broadcast in the Resources file.

Broadcast 15

The Plains Tribes

1. In the Osage creation story, who is said to be the father of the tribe members?
2. Describe the hierarchy or relative importance of people, earth, and animals in Plains Tribe beliefs.
3. What is the purpose of the Plains Indian's ritual "Vision Quest?"
4. What type of decoration might be on an "exploit robe?"
5. Why do you think early Plains settlers felt especially threatened by the "Ghost Dance?"
6. What were some of the purposes of the ritual "Sun Dance" in Plains tribes?
7. Describe two of the symbolic aspects of the plains headdress.
8. In the last section of the Osage Creation story, to whom does the warrior appeal for help? What does this suggest about the Plains Tribe's relationship to the natural world? The Osage depended on beans, corn, potatoes, grasses, and trees, for livelihood. According to the Osage Creation Story, where did these blessings originate?

Native Art of the Southwest

9. What does the name "Hopi" mean?
10. Why did Spaniards want to destroy Hopi Kivas, or ceremonial chambers?
11. What is the use of a Hopi Kachina, or doll? How is the kachina used in ceremonies or rituals?
12. In the Navajo Story, who is the Spider Woman?
13. In the Navajo Story, what does the Spider Woman create to help the people cross a great canyon?
14. In what type of ritual is the Navajo sand painting often used?
15. According to Navajo mythology, what was the magical use of the woven blanket?
16. Southwest Hopi Indians believe that all things in nature have specific roles to play. According to Hopi belief, what happens if tribe members do not observe the prescribed rituals?

The Woodland Tribes--Art and Ritual

17. What were some of the natural objects of southeast America used in Woodland Tribes' art?
18. What did the Cherokee sometimes call themselves?
19. What was considered to be "fire's messenger" and celebrated in tribal rituals?
20. The Cherokee believed in one God, what was their name for this spirit?
21. In the Cherokee creation story, what is the original appearance of the earth?
22. Before making people, Someone Powerful created plants and animals -- they were told to be watchful for how many days and nights?
23. The Cherokee were forced to leave their homeland in a movement which historians often call the "Trail of Tears." Give details about this relocation.
24. What generalizations can you make about Native Americans' art?
25. Describe one work of Native American art, artifact, ritual, mythology, etc. that you would like to remember from the class.