Half Person, Half Animal, All FUN

I blogged about this lesson years ago, and if you want more of the how to (and a look at the craziness my life was four years ago, click here).  Third graders are FUNNY.  And they like to BE FUNNY, so it's perfect for them!

We talk about art history all year in third grade and think about questions like "why do we have art?" and "what does art do for people?" When we get to this point of art history, about 8000 BC or so, we talk about the ancient village of Catal Huyuk.  (You can also learn more here or here)  The points I want them to remember is that Catal Huyuk was mostly built the way it was for safety, and there were drawings/paintings on the walls of the homes just like the nomadic tribes who painted on cave walls.
Here are some of the interesting ones from this year:

There were a lot of half horses and half fish this year.  I love that they have to work TOGETHER and do some problem solving.  I wish I would've had students do some writing about them, because their writing adds an element of kid-truth that you can't dispute.
Enjoy your day, art teacher friends!