Art as Storytelling

Active learning works for this topic because students need to see art as part of their daily lives, not just objects in a frame. When they physically explore their community or role-play as artists and commissioners, they connect emotionally to the stories art tells and the people who create them.

• 2nd Grade
• Visual & Performing Arts
• 3 activities
• 15 min–40 min

Learning Objectives

1. Analyze visual elements in historical artworks to identify narrative components.
2. Compare how different cultures use visual symbols to record historical events.
3. Explain the potential message or story an artist intended to convey in a wordless artwork.
4. Classify artworks based on the historical period and the storytelling techniques used.

Inquiry Circle

⏱ 30 min·Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Community Map

On a large map of the local town or school neighborhood, students work in groups to mark where they have seen art (murals, statues, decorated signs). They discuss why those specific locations were chosen for art.

Prepare & details

How can a painting tell a story without using any words?

Facilitation Tip: Before the Community Map activity, provide a simple example of a 'hidden art' item like a manhole cover or a fence pattern to help students start their observations.

Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials

Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template

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

Simulation Game

⏱ 40 min·Small Groups

Simulation Game: The Public Art Commission

The class is 'hired' to design a new mural for a bare wall in the school cafeteria. Small groups must brainstorm a theme that represents their whole school and present a 'pitch' to the class (the commission) explaining their design choices.

Prepare & details

What message do you think the artist was trying to share in this historical artwork?

Facilitation Tip: During the Public Art Commission simulation, assign students to keep a running list of questions they hear from peers to guide later reflection on public needs versus personal taste.

Setup: Flexible space for group stations

Materials: Role cards with goals/resources, Game currency or tokens, Round tracker

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Think-Pair-Share

⏱ 15 min·Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Statue Stories

Show a photo of a local or famous public statue. Students think about who the person is and why the community wanted to remember them. They share their ideas with a partner, then discuss if there is someone in their own life who deserves a statue.

Prepare & details

How do different cultures use art to remember and record their history?

Facilitation Tip: For Statue Stories, give each pair a sticky note to jot down one detail about the statue before they share with the class, ensuring all voices are heard.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

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

Teaching This Topic

Approach this topic by treating students as local experts from the start, asking them to teach each other about art they’ve seen in their neighborhood. Avoid starting with definitions of art or public art—instead, let students discover criteria through exploration. Research shows that when students identify art in their own context, they retain the concept longer and develop a stronger sense of community ownership.

What to Expect

Successful learning looks like students confidently pointing out art in unexpected places, explaining how public art represents community values, and taking on roles to propose or defend artistic choices. They should articulate why art matters beyond decoration.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During the Collaborative Investigation: The Community Map activity, watch for students who only mark buildings or statues as art. Redirect them by asking, 'What patterns or shapes do you notice in the sidewalks or lampposts? Could those be art too?'

What to Teach Instead

During the Simulation: The Public Art Commission activity, if students say public art is just decoration, ask them to look back at their Community Map and point to an example where art tells a story or honors a person. Have them explain what the art communicates.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

After the Collaborative Investigation: The Community Map activity, ask students to add one new item to their map that they initially overlooked, such as a bench or a patterned tile, and write one sentence explaining why it is art.

Discussion Prompt

During the Simulation: The Public Art Commission activity, listen for students using phrases like 'this represents our neighborhood' or 'this could bring people together' as evidence they understand art’s communicative role.

Quick Check

After the Think-Pair-Share: Statue Stories activity, show a new image of a statue and ask students to write one sentence describing a story it tells and one sentence identifying a symbol they see.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge: Have students design a new public art piece for a space in the community they identified as needing improvement during the Community Map activity.
• Scaffolding: Provide sentence stems like 'This part of the building reminds me of... because...' for the Sensory Walk portion of the Community Map activity.
• Deeper exploration: Invite a local artist or city planner to speak about how public art projects are approved and funded, connecting classroom ideas to real-world decisions.

Key Vocabulary

Narrative Art	Art that tells a story, either as a sequence of events or as a single moment that implies a larger story.
Symbolism	The use of images or objects to represent abstract ideas or concepts, often without explicit explanation.
Historical Context	The social, political, and cultural environment of the time when an artwork was created, which influences its meaning.
Visual Literacy	The ability to interpret, negotiate, and make meaning from information presented in the form of an image, extending the notion of literacy beyond written or spoken words.