**National Park Service**

***Teaching with Museum Collections* Lesson Plan**

**Bandelier National Monument**

Jan, 2005

### 

### Title: Magical Collaborations

### Developers: 

###  Ranjit Khalsa, Teacher, Cesar Chavez Community School 

### Karen Sixkiller, Teacher, Turquoise Trail Charter School; Santa Fe, New Mexico

### Lesson Grade Level: 5th & 6^th^ grade, can be adapted to others 

### 

### Overview of this Collection-Based Lesson Plan

-   ***Park Name***: Bandelier National Monument

-   ***Theme***:

    -   Collaborations can enhance creativity.

-   ***Essential question*.**

    -   How did collaborating with her husband, daughter-in-law, and son
        enhance Maria Martinez's pottery making?

-   ***Museum collections used in this lesson plan***

    -   Maria Martinez and Popovi Da pottery \[see detailed descriptions
        below\]

-   ***Relevance***

    -   Emphasis on collaborative art and the act of \"letting go\" of a
        creative project to allow someone else to contribute to its
        completion.

### National Educational Standards

> [Visual Art]{.underline}
>
> English Language Arts Standard 11: Students participate as
> knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety
> of literacy communities.
>
> 5-8 Content Standard 4: Understanding the visual arts in relation to
> history and cultures
>
> [Achievement Standards]{.underline}: Students know and compare the
> characteristics of artworks in various eras and cultures. Students
> describe and place a variety of art objects in historical and cultural
> contexts. Students analyze, describe, and demonstrate how factors of
> time and place (such as climate, resources, ideas, and technology)
> Influence visual characteristics that give meaning and value to a work
> of art.
>
> K-4 Content Standard 6: Making connections between visual arts and
> other disciplines

-   **New Mexico Educational Standards**

> K-4 Benchmark III-B - Identify and use the types of literature
> according to their purpose and function. Grade 4 - 4 Compose fiction,
> non-fiction, poetry, and drama using self selected and/or assigned
> topics and forms.

### Student Learning Objectives 

-   Critically analyze objects based on how they were made and who made
    them.

-   Use the analysis to develop an understanding of art as a
    collaborative effort.

-   Experience collaborative art through creative writing.

-   Appreciate the potential for enhanced creativity through
    collaboration.

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-   **Background and Historical Context**

> In 1908, when Maria Martinez of San Ildefonso Pueblo was a young
> woman, her husband was working as a laborer for Dr. Edgar Lee Hewett
> who was doing archeological excavations in Frijoles Canyon in what is
> now Bandelier National Monument. Maria had accompanied Julian, and Dr.
> Hewett asked her if she could make replicas some of the broken
> Ancestral Pueblo pottery being found in the dwellings. The story goes
> that Maria objected that the potsherds were decorated, and that she
> knew how to make pots but did not decorate them. Dr. Hewett knew that
> Julian could draw, as he had been having him make drawings of the
> sites, and suggested that Maria ask him to do the decorating. That
> winter, when they went back to the pueblo, Maria and Julian began
> making pottery for Dr. Hewett. He liked the results so much that he
> helped them begin selling their work to people outside of the pueblo.
> This was the beginning of a new economic opportunity for many pueblo
> craftspeople, who previously had mainly done their work only for other
> people within their own villages.
>
> For many years, Maria made the pots and Julian decorated and fired
> them. During this time they came up with the famous matte-on-black
> style that has become the trademark of not only Maria and Julian, but
> their extended family and many other potters in San Ildefonso and
> Santa Clara Pueblos. After Julian died in 1943, Santana, wife of their
> son Adam, did the decorating. Later a younger son, Popovi Da, took
> over decorating and firing, as well as becoming a highly-regarded
> potter in his own right.
>
> Others in the family also collaborated on the pottery. Maria's sister
> Clara often did the polishing that led to the beautiful shiny surface
> that is a part of Maria's pottery being so renowned. Adam, Santana's
> husband, often oversaw the delicate firing process, especially after
> Popovi Da passed away in 1971.
>
> In many societies, artists often work alone and expect individual
> credit for their successes. For Pueblo people, for whom family and
> community ties are very important, working together on almost any
> project is second nature.
>
> Maria was the first Native American potter to be individually
> recognized for her pottery, and to make her living by making pottery.
> But she never intended for her success to be limited to herself or
> just her family. She made sure that it extended out to other potters,
> both in her own pueblo and in other Native American communities as
> well. She taught other potters, sharing her knowledge with anyone
> willing to work hard enough to master the techniques that produced the
> styles of pottery popular with buyers. As she became economically
> successful, she shared that with her village, too.
>
> Authors and others tend to speak of Maria's work as if it were an
> individual success story, and it certainly would not have happened
> without Maria being the person that she was. But it also wouldn't have
> happened without all those who collaborated with her in so many ways.
> We say that Maria led the way to many more people appreciating and
> wanting to buy work by Pueblo potters, and she did. But as much as she
> could, she did it in the traditional Pueblo way, collaborating with
> others to make a benefit for many.

### Museum Collections Used in this Lesson Plan

1\. [Pot, BAND
1667](http://www.cr.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/band/exb_contemporary/BAND1667_pot_exb.html)

2\. [Pot, BAND
1671](http://www.cr.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/band/exb_contemporary/BAND1671_pot_exb.html)

3\. [Pot, BAND
1672](http://www.cr.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/band/exb_contemporary/BAND1672_pot_exb.html)

Other Pueblo ceramic vessels can be selected.

### Materials Used in this Lesson Plan

### 

-   *Similar items*. Color printed and laminated copies of the three
    pieces of pottery in the Bandelier collection. If desired, use other
    images from the collection or elsewhere, or obtain actual pieces for
    comparison. A piece of San Ildefonso pottery is available for loan
    from Bandelier, (505) 672-3861.

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-   *Writing materials*: Large note-cards, lined paper, pencils

-   *Technology*: Computers with Internet connection and printers to
    access the Web.

### Vocabulary

### On a large chart in the classroom, create a word and concept list with students as the lesson unfolds. Write definitions with student input as words come into use during the lesson. For reference:

[Ancestors]{.underline} - people related to you who were born before you
were; this could include your parents as well as people hundreds or
thousands of years ago.

[Ancestral Pueblo people]{.underline} - the ancestors of the present-day
Pueblo Indians. Formerly called Anasazi, a Navajo word often translated
as Ancient Enemies; it is offensive to many Pueblo people, and Ancestral
Pueblo is preferred.

[Bandelier]{.underline} - Bandelier National Monument, near Los Alamos,
New Mexico. It was established in 1916 to preserve thousands of
archeological sites related to the Ancestral Pueblo people, and was
named for early anthropologist Adolph F.A. Bandelier

[Collaboration]{.underline} - when two or more people choose to work
together to accomplish a task that none of them could do as well alone.

[Culture]{.underline} - a group of people who share traditions, beliefs,
and customs. Sometimes the word is used to mean the traditions, beliefs,
and customs themselves, and things or activities related to them.

[Firing]{.underline} - in the process of making pottery, when the pot is
completely dry, it must be heated to a very high temperature to make the
clay hard and strong so it will not just turn back to mud. Many modern
potters use a kiln, a special kind of oven, while traditionally the
Pueblo people have built a fire around the pots to make the needed heat.

[Native American]{.underline} - also often known as Indians. The people
who were living on the North and South American continents before
explorers from Europe and other places arrived, and their descendents.

[Potsherd]{.underline} - a piece of a broken pottery vessel

[Pueblo]{.underline} - Spanish word for village, used to mean a
community of people with particular customs, including farming, weaving,
and making pottery, and their settlement. There are presently 19 pueblos
in New Mexico, plus the Hopis in Arizona and Isleta del Sur outside of
El Paso, Texas.

[San Ildefonso]{.underline} - a Tewa-speaking pueblo along the Rio
Grande north of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

[Matte-on-black]{.underline} - A type of pottery made famous by potters
in Santa Clara and San Ildefonso Pueblos. The background finish is shiny
black, and the designs are painted over the shiny surface with slip
which, when fired, has a matte (not shiny) texture.

-   **Teacher Tips**

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-   Download and print pictures of each art object and laminate ahead of
    time.

-   Read/review all background information and any available resources.

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-   **Lesson Implementation Procedures**

**[Activity 1: Introduction and Warm Up]{.underline}**

-   With an overhead projector and several color prints of the 3 pots
    made collaboratively by members of the Martinez family to pass
    around, begin a guided discussion, \"What are all the steps you can
    think of in making these objects?\" List students\' answers on
    chalkboard or chart paper. (Make sure you elicit making the pot from
    clay, decorating the pot, and firing it.)

-   \"Who could have contributed to the making of these objects?\"

-   Inform the students that all of these works were created
    collaboratively by Maria Martinez and her son Popovi Da.

**[Activity 2: View Video \"*Maria, Indian Pottery Maker of San
Ildefonso\"*]{.underline}**

-   View video \"*Maria, Indian Pottery Maker of San Ildefonso*\" - can
    be borrowed or bought from Bandelier National Monument; also
    available in DVD; contact 505-672-3861 x 513 for loan, x 515 for
    purchase

**[Activity 3: Collaborative Story Writing]{.underline}**

-   Ask students to describe a character on a notecard.

-   Be sure to include physical characteristics and appearance (clothes,
    make-up, jewelry, hairstyle, expression), personality traits,
    background (where from, profession, age, family, brothers, sisters,
    etc.) and motivations/likes & dislikes

-   Student passes card to another student with whom he/she would like
    to collaborate. Instruct students to begin a story with the
    character described on the card they receive. Give students an
    optional story starter such as, \"The hot sun beat down on the
    desert path.\" Other characters may be added.

-   After about 10 minutes, have students pass cards along to another
    chosen collaborator. Instruct students to read the previous work,
    and continue the story, but DO NOT end/finish it!!

-   Pass cards along for the final session. Instruct students to read
    the previous work and write the ending of the story.

-   Return the stories to the original student who developed the
    character.

-   Ask for volunteers to share a few stories. Let the students know
    they'll return to the stories tomorrow.

**[Activity 4: Story Sharing]{.underline}**

-   Break students into small groups of 5 or less for the students to
    share their collaborative stories with their group.

**[Wrap-Up Discussion]{.underline}** Discuss the effects of this writing
process.

-   Did collaborating change the outcome of the stories? Did it make the
    stories more interesting? More creative, with more depth or greater
    variety? Was it easier or harder to write a story this way? Did some
    people enjoy the process more than others? Did some people find it
    hard to give up control of the creative process? If you were going
    to collaborate with someone, how would you choose the right partner?

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-   **Evaluation/Assessment for Measurable Results**

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-   Assess participation during initial discussions while analyzing the
    art pieces.

-   Have students do a written reflection on 3 key questions:

> 1\. What were the effects of the writing project on you?
>
> 2\. What were the effects of the writing project on others?
>
> 3\. What kinds of changes do you think this project and/or art such as
> Maria Martinez's pots can create?

-   Completed writing project: have students rewrite stories in final
    form, and add illustrations (done by original writer or one more
    collaborator.) Post the completed stories in the classroom or in a
    public space in the school, with a written explanation of how the
    stories were created.

### 

### Extension and Enrichment Activities

-   [Writing:]{.underline} When storied come down from exhibit, compile
    into a classroom book. Compile into a classroom book, or display
    prominently.

-   [Art:]{.underline} Try the collaboration process with an art
    project. Possibilities could include a drawing of a pot, with one
    student drawing the outline, another adding the background color,
    and another doing the decoration; or a drawing in which different
    collaborators would do the background, the structures or plants, the
    people or animals, and a title.

-   [Research:]{.underline} Discover and research teams of people who
    have succeeded because they collaborated, in art and other fields.
    (Wright brothers, Burns and Allen, Gilbert and Sullivan, Helen
    Keller and Ann Sullivan, etc.)

-   [Archeology]{.underline}: Invite a park ranger or archeologist to
    give a presentation about artifact preservation so that future
    generations can appreciate the history of the area. This would
    include leaving artifacts where they are found, not moving or
    collecting them, and what can be learned from them.

### Resources

### Web Resources

### Bandelier National Monument Museum Collections web exhibit at [**www.cr.nps.gov/museum**](http://www.cr.nps.gov/museum) for downloading collection images from the web. This site contains many more pieces of Pueblo and Ancestral Pueblo pottery that may be of interest for additional study.

### *How to make a Pueblo Pot* series at www.cr.nps.gov/museum

### Scenery of Bandelier at: photo.itc.nps.gov/storage/images/index.html.

-   National Park Service Museum Collections website:
    <http://www.cr.nps.gov/museum> (\*\*)

-   Library of Congress: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem

[Books about Maria Martinez]{.underline}

Kreischer, Elsie Karr, *Maria Montoya Martinez Master Potter*, Pelican
Publishing Co, Gretna Louisiana, 1995.

Marriott, Alice, *Maria: The Potter of San Ildefonso*, University of
Oklahoma Press, Norman and London, 1949

Morris, Juddi, *Tending the Fire, the Story of Maria Martinez*, A
Biography for Young Readers, Rising Moon (Northland Press), 1997

Peterson, Susan, *The Living Tradition of Maria Martinez*, Kodansha
International, New York, 1977.

Spivey, Richard L., *Maria,* Northland Publishing, 1979

[Video/DVD]{.underline}

Maria, Indian Pottery Maker of San Ildefonso, National Park Service
Video, Cortez, Colorado, 1970.

**Charts**

*"How to Read an Object*" \[to be launched at www.cr.nps.gov/museum\]

### Site Visit - to a location displaying pottery by Maria Martinez and/or other Pueblo artists:

*[Virtual Pre-Visit]{.underline}*

*[Pre-visit:]{.underline}*

-   If planning to visit Bandelier National Monument, contact the
    Visitor Center (505-672-3861 x 517) to find out if any of the items
    you are interested in showing to the students are currently on
    display. Contact 505-672-3861 x 534 to make group visit
    reservations.

Also, Bandelier's online collection at
[www.cr.nps.gov/museum](http://www.cr.nps.gov/museum) contains many more
examples of Pueblo and Ancestral Pueblo pottery besides those
highlighted in this lesson.

-   Other possible locations:

*Museum of Indian Arts and Culture*, Santa Fe, New Mexico

710 Camino Lejo, Santa Fe, NM 87501 505-827-6463
[www.miaclab.org](http://www.miaclab.org/)

*Millicent Rogers Museum*, Taos, New Mexico

1504 Millicent Rogers Rd, Taos, NM 87571 505-758-2462
[www.millicentrogers.com](http://www.millicentrogers.com/)

*San Ildefonso Pueblo Museum*, San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico

Rt 5 Box 315A, Santa Fe, NM 87501 505-455-2273

*Indian Pueblo Cultural Center*, Albuquerque, New Mexico

2401 12^th^ St, Albuquerque, NM 87104 1-800-766-4405
www.indianpueblo.org

*Southwest Museum,* Los Angeles, California

234 Museum Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90065 323-221-2164
[www.southwestmuseum.org](http://www.southwestmuseum.org/)

*Museum of Northern Arizona*, Flagstaff, Arizona

3101 N Ft. Valley Rd, Flagstaff, AZ 86001 928-774-5213
[www.musnaz.org](http://www.musnaz.org/)

*Florence Hawley Ellis Anthropology Museum*, Ghost Ranch Conference
Center, Abiquiu, New Mexico

HC 77 Box 11, Abiquiu, NM 87510 505-685-4333
[www.ghostranch.org](http://www.ghostranch.org/)

-   Contact the proper office at the institution to make reservations,
    and find out practical matters you will need to handle ahead.
    Arrange for plenty of active, assertive, interested chaperones.

-   Before the visit, have students visit the institution's website for
    an overview, or obtain brochures and other written/visual materials
    about the site. Have the class come up with a list of questions to
    guide the visit. Work with site staff to arrange the visit with
    challenging activities.

> [*Site visit*:]{.underline}
>
> At the site, have students select at least two objects to analyze.
> Provide "How to Read an Object" sheets, which include an object sketch
> sheet (white space to make a detailed sketch of the objects). For
> younger students, develop a "scavenger hunt" object list to encourage
> close observation skills.
>
> *[Post-visit]{.underline}*: See extension activity list for ideas for
> post-visit student presentation ideas.
>
> *[Virtual visit]{.underline}*: If a park or institution has a website
> that provides a virtual visit, assign an activity that guides students
> in their exploration of the website, and leads them to related
> websites for more depth.