The Arts · Grade 2

Active learning ideas

Art in Our Community

Active learning helps students connect deeply with Indigenous arts by moving from abstract ideas to hands-on experiences. When students touch, observe, and discuss materials and symbols, they build understanding that art is a living tradition, not just a historical artifact.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• VA:Cn11.1.2a

• 15–25 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Inquiry Circle
• 25 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: Natural Materials

Provide samples of materials used in traditional Indigenous arts (e.g., cedar bark, smooth stones, faux sinew). In small groups, students touch the materials and discuss why an artist living in a specific part of Canada might choose them.

Differentiate between various forms of art found in our community.

Facilitation Tip

During Collaborative Investigation: Natural Materials, circulate and ask guiding questions like 'What story could this twig tell?' to keep the focus on meaning, not just the texture.

What to look for

Provide students with a handout showing images of different types of community art. Ask them to label each image with its art type (e.g., mural, sculpture) and write one sentence describing where they might see it in their community.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Think-Pair-Share
• 15 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: The Power of Symbols

Show a piece of art featuring a traditional symbol (like an Inukshuk or a Medicine Wheel). After learning its meaning, students share with a partner why that symbol might be important for a community to remember.

Analyze how local art reflects the culture and history of our neighborhood.

Facilitation Tip

For Think-Pair-Share: The Power of Symbols, model how to ask questions like 'Why might someone choose a turtle symbol over a bear?' to deepen peer discussion.

What to look for

Show students a photograph of a well-known piece of local public art. Ask: 'What story or feeling does this artwork communicate about our community? How do you think it makes people feel when they see it?'

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Gallery Walk
• 20 min · Small Groups

Gallery Walk: Indigenous Art Styles

Display images of Woodland style painting, Inuit stone carving, and Métis beadwork. Students move around to find 'connections', like similar colors or themes of nature, and discuss how each style tells a different story.

Predict how a new piece of public art might change a community space.

Facilitation Tip

During Gallery Walk: Indigenous Art Styles, provide a simple checklist (e.g., 'Find a piece with curved lines') to focus attention on patterns and techniques.

What to look for

As students walk around their school grounds or neighborhood (with supervision), have them take photos or sketch one example of public art they find. They should then share with a partner what type of art it is and why they think it was placed there.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should approach this topic by grounding lessons in local Indigenous artists and artworks, using contemporary examples to counter the idea that Indigenous art is only historical. Avoid having students replicate sacred symbols directly; instead, focus on inspired use of shapes and patterns. Research shows that when students learn about Indigenous art in relation to land and community, they develop a stronger sense of cultural continuity.

Successful learning looks like students confidently discussing symbols, using natural materials thoughtfully, and engaging respectfully with Indigenous art styles. They should connect symbols to land, stories, and community, explaining their choices with examples.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Collaborative Investigation: Natural Materials, watch for students assuming Indigenous art is only from the past.

  Display a small set of natural materials alongside images of both traditional and contemporary Indigenous art that uses similar materials. Ask students to compare the artworks and notice how artists today reinterpret these materials in new ways.

• During Think-Pair-Share: The Power of Symbols, watch for students trying to copy sacred symbols in their own artwork.

  Provide a sheet with simple, inspired shapes (e.g., curved lines, circles) that resemble Indigenous symbols but are not sacred. Use peer discussion to brainstorm how these shapes could tell personal or community stories without copying traditional symbols directly.

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Methods used in this brief

• Inquiry Circle
• Think-Pair-Share
• Gallery Walk