12. We Are Grateful: Native American Art & Lit Project
This Native American project explores the concept of Giving Thanks using a wonderful Cherokee Book for inspiration. Children will create a list of items they are grateful for all year. Next they will create a Gratitude Tree. The Tree is created from an air dry modeling material, but if your budget is limited, a paper tree would be beautiful too! The options for this lesson are endless. I used simple watercolors and a sharpie, the backgrounds were watercolor paper and a cereal box! Both are framed with construction paper. You decide what works best for you! You can expand with a writing component too!
This lesson idea can be modified for most grade levels thru High School! The book is the inspiration and beautifully written!
Included:
- KWL focus activity
- Links: Hear from the author and a Cherokee Choir sing a part of the book!
- Directions for making the tree with photographs
- Vocabulary list
- Links to explore Cherokee culure, use at your disgression
- Assessment rubric
- National Core Art Standards checklist
**Does NOT include the book!