Art With Ms. Ammons: Storyteller Dolls

The first grade students are making the most of their extended time in the art room. They have jumped right in, using clay and making connections with an upcoming Social Studies lesson on Native Americans.

Sample of a Traditional Storyteller Doll

Traditionally, storytellers held a place of great importance in Native American Pueblo communities. The older members of the tribe would help preserve the culture and heritage of the tribes by telling traditional folktales and historical stories to the younger generations. Pueblo people also have a great tradition of clay sculpture. They were especially good at creating small figures of people or animals. The Pueblos combined their skill at sculpture with their love of storytelling and began a tradition of creating "storyteller dolls." A storyteller doll was usually a small clay sculpture of a man or a woman. The figure always was depicted with its mouth open to indicate that it was entertaining listeners with songs or stories that conveyed the culture of the people. The storyteller was always accompanied by several “listener figures.” Usually, these listeners were children that were being taught by the elder storyteller.

Our students have been making basic shapes like spheres and cylinders, and have learned how to "scratch and attach" the pieces and smooth them out. Three students finished the sculpting in only 2 days! They will finish up next week, and they will paint their projects. It is great to see them so active, working with such a hands-on medium.

To help adjust to a longer class period and a tough winter, I set up a movement station in the back of the room, and students take breaks in pairs to do some fun exercises on my rug. They can choose three popsicle sticks that are labeled with an exercise and a number. They might find jumping jacks, mountain climbers, sit-ups, imaginary jump rope, running in place or doing their favorite dance move. The number is for them to count so they know how long their turn can be. They are not limited with the number of breaks they can take. So far, they are moving around a lot, and they are getting to use paint and clay! It is fun to be helping a student and to look back and see kids choosing an activity independently on the rug. In addition to the movement station, the students are working while standing a lot of the time, and I am allowing water and bathroom breaks that I previously discouraged.