Totem Poles

This project was a ton of fun and allows for students to be creative while following the guidelines. Students are provided information and examples of totem poles. Students choose an animal to use for their totem pole with two additional group members (the work is individual though). Students cut out their animal, then decorate it while sticking to a chosen color scheme while keeping the totem pole design symmetrical. Ideally, the teacher should provide fun patterned paper to add a little bit of excitement to the animal.

Totem poles would be able to be integrated easily with a study of Native American culture as well as east coast art. Students could then write a story about their totem pole. 

My animal is a fish because they remind me of fishing at the cabin, which was a vital part of my childhood. I chose to use blues, greens, and yellows because they remind me of water. This project would be great to use because it covers such a wide variety of standards while allowing for creativity.