Maui - One Man Against the Gods: Section 2

Maui - One Man Against the Gods

SECTION 2

Maui: a legendary super hero of the Pacific.

·  What happens when Maui wants to go fishing … or when he tries to stop the sun?

·  What attributes of Maui are captured in the show “Maui”?

·  Where in the show does he reveal his weaknesses?

·  How does Maui try to control forces that are bigger than us?

Resources required:

General

·  Whiteboard

·  DVD player

·  CD Player

·  DVD of Maui - One Man Against the Gods

·  A version of the story of Maui fishing up the North Island or Maui and the sun e.g. Gavin Bishop’s Taming the Sun: Four Maori Myths ISBN 1-86941-612-0.

·  TKI (www.tki.org.nz/r/maori/ngapakiwataia/index.e.ph) for the stories of Maui

·  Journal stories relating to Maui

·  Crayons/ pens and large paper

·  Resource Sheets E, F, G, H, I, J and K

Sound Arts: Music

·  Soundscape for Lake and River by Douglas Lilburn (from Our Music by Elizabeth Kerr, Learning Media resource)

·  A range of sound making instruments including tuned and untuned percussion, found sounds and environmental sound makers

Drama

·  Drama in the Classroom (Ministry of Education) unit: Maui and the Sun (Te Ra) pages 22-23

Dance

·  Dance Wall Charts (Ministry of Education).

·  Dancing The Long White Cloud (Ministry of Education).

·  Discovering Dance – video and teaching notes on TKI (www.tki.org.nz) (Ministry of Education).

Visual Arts

·  Weaving Earth and Sky (2002, Robert Sullivan, illustrated by Gavin Bishop, Random House).

·  Taming the Sun, four Maori myths (2004, Gavin Bishop, Random House).

·  Legends of the Outcast (by Robert Sullivan, illustrated by Chris Slane)

Ministry of Education resources:

·  Exploring Visual Arts Y1-6 Design: refer to Gavin Bishop posters, artist interview and questions for viewing his art. Design process steps also useful to display (page 29).

·  Exploring Visual Arts Y1-6 Printmaking: refer to Gabrielle Belz, printmaker and poster of Hinemanu – singing in the dawn, the artist interview and notes on mono-printing (page 26).

·  Exploring Visual Arts Y1-6 Fabric & Fibre: Maori pattern (page 6).

·  Exploring Visual Arts Y1-6 Painting: Maori pattern (page 22).

·  Maori Visual Language Y7-10 : refer to Poster and Unit 4 on printmaking Papatuanuku and her Patterns (page 36).

·  Visual Arts Exemplar: A story from Italy - Design (Level 4)

·  Visual Arts Exemplar: A slice of Aotearoa (Level 2)

·  School Journal illustrations e.g.:

o  Part 2 Number 2, 2003 p. 28: Tane me Te Whanau Marama - illustrations

Connected 1 , 2004 , p.26 : The winds of Tawhirimatea - story and illustrations

·  School Journals: Stories about illustrators and their design processes e.g.:

o  Part 2 Number 3 2002 p.2 : Bringing stories to life – artist Ali Teo

o  Part 1 Number 2 2003 p.2 : Wild and wacky – the art of Fraser Williamson

·  School Journals: Articles about customary Maori art forms, their context and meaning e.g.:

o  Part 2 Number 1 2001 p.16 Te Papa Tongarewa

o  Part 1 Number 2 2001 p.8 Not just a house

o  Part 1 Number 3 2003 p. 10 Patterns in Wood

Equipment:

Printmaking rollers, water-based printing inks, material for printing blocks and for palettes on which to roll out ink (eg pieces of card or Perspex), paper, dry media (pens, drawing pencils), paper towels, newspaper

Extension options:

Media for adding colour e.g. dye and brushes, coloured pencils; tools for mark making directly onto the ink such as cotton buds, brushes, ripped paper, sponges

Connecting the Arts learning – you find the through lines that suit your students best
Dance: Choreographing a dance sequence using movement ideas from the ‘Pou’ (ancestors) dance in the DVD of Maui
Drama: Maui and the Great fish, sibling rivalry
Sound Arts: Music: Creating a sound score for Maui and the Great fish
Visual Arts: Printmaking using the stories of Maui

Maui - One Man Against the Gods: Section 2

Learning Experience / Suggested Sequence of Learning / Teaching Notes
1 / Printmaking: Maui the superhero
How could this printmaking connect with the other arts learning?
This printmaking could:
·  build on from the visual arts sequence described in step 1 as students go on to create their own images of the superhero Maui.
·  take place before or after students attend Maui - one man against the Gods
·  build on the Section 2 music learning sequence where students develop a sound scape based on Maui and the great fish .The sound-scape could accompany a PowerPoint presentation of the visual images students create to re-tell the story.
·  connect to the knowledge being developed about Pou figures – the early beings in the Section 2 dance learning
Learning intentions:
Students will:
1  Generate and develop ideas for a mono-print through drawing and following the steps in a design process, using imagination and information from a traditional story (DI, PK)
2  Identify the ways in which use of line, scale, viewpoint and focal point impact on communicating ideas and mood in selected artists’ works (UC, CI, DI)
3  Describe how line, scale, viewpoint and shape have been used in their composition to communicate the heroism of Maui (CI, DI)
4  Negotiate the layout of the class art works to create a visual narrative and develop a rationale for how they could be organised (DI, PK,CI, UC)
Assessment:
1  Students will print their final design and assess it in relation to the shared criteria developed for a quality print and the design process (PK) / Sketches and ideas in the visual diaries also can provide an assessment opportunity for the delopment of ideas in the unit (DI)
Further outcomes: could also include the following if time and care is taken to research the importance of pattern in customary Maori visual culture and the considerations for teaching about it. Refer to the supporting material in Maori Visual Language Years 7 – 10 ( 2004, Ministry of Education) especially pages 2-10.
Students will:
1  Explore and identify kowhaiwhai and tukutuku patterns in the wharenui and in contemporary artworks and research their importance and meaning (UC, CI)
2  Explore ways to incorporate Maori visual elements into their compositions to convey meaning (UC, DI, PK)
Understanding the visual arts in context / Learning Sequence:
Session 1: Exploring and building knowledge of Maori visual culture
Teacher:
·  Use questions and images to motivate discussion and research about contexts for traditional Maori designs (Refer to resource list above including the School Journal articles which students can read and research)
·  Display students’ findings or use PowerPoint to share the research.
·  List relevant language to use during the unit.
Students:
·  Research customary Maori visual language – its context in the wharenui and values. Visual diaries can be used to record draft ideas, words and images.
·  Practice using the associated language when describing customary patterns and forms.
·  Sketch in visual diaries – with time to practice accurate forms and patterns
Viewing and responding to artworks / Session 2: Exploring how artworks communicate
Teacher:
·  Support students to discuss and compare the importance of oral storytelling in customary Maori society and visually in picture books today
·  Introduce Gavin Bishop’s mono-printed and mixed media picture book illustrations in books such as Weaving Earth and Sky and Taming the Sun, four Maori myths
·  Sequence questions for viewing this and other relevant artworks and illustrations. Give looking and thinking time. Students could respond in groups or as a class and offer evidence for their interpretations.
Students:
·  View work by artists discussing use of line, focal point, viewpoint, shape, contrast and scale in the composition to communicate mood and meaning. Artists such as Gavin Bishop, Gabrielle Belz, picture book illustrators could all be suitable.
·  Use visual diaries for recording ideas and any sketches / >The illustrators are art heroes!
Josh Smits’ illustrations for The Winds of Tahirimatea (Connected 1 2004 p.26) are particularly relevant when discussing variety of viewpoint and use of scale, as well as creating impact and focal points through leading lines in the composition.
Teacher:
·  Ask students about their prior knowledge of the process for designing illustrations and to speculate on possible steps a designer might go through.
·  Introduce the design brief and steps which Gavin Bishop uses when creating illustrations (Refer to Exploring Visual Arts Y1-6 Design: page 29).
Students:
·  Could view the Visual Arts Level 4 exemplar (Responding to a design brief : A Story from Italy) which also shows how other students designed their illustrations by working through the steps in a design brief.
·  Could read School Journal articles about illustrators to research their design approaches (see resource list), and then discuss similarities and differences.
Exploring techniques and procedures / Session 3: Exploring mono-printing
Teacher:
·  Introduce the reason for exploring mono-printing, linking to Gavin Bishop’s illustrations and the way in which students will design their own images based on Maui as superhero.
·  Demonstrate the initial process for mono printing. Have materials ready including the paper cut to size. Card can be used as the inked up block to print from as well as smooth surfaces like plastic.
·  Show how much ink to use, the even inking of the roller and how to check the developing image.
·  Set up space to ink rollers, print, dry and store work. Establish routines for using the rollers and ink, and the clean-up procedures ahead of time. (Refer to Exploring Visual Arts Y1-6: Printmaking notes on mono-printing, page 26)
Students:
·  Explore mark-making with pen or pencil and Maori pattern/symbols using the mono-print process. Focus on variety in line and shape.
·  Review techniques that produce a ‘good’ print result using the relevant language for techniques, tools and the elements/principles.
·  Keep these explorations for future reference in visual diaries or as a class ‘in progress’ display.
·  Extension: explore variety of line quality in the mark making when practising the mono-print process using different drawing tools such as card, finger pressure, crayon.
Generating ideas / Session 4: Developing a design brief
Teacher and students:
·  Decide whether students will develop a class storyboard to retell key events in a Maui legend or work through an individual design process to develop a composition of Maui as super hero. (Refer to Exploring Visual Arts Y1-6 Design notes on making books page 24 -26) / Plan time for the action-reflection cycle: pause, review ideas, and set next steps, during the session. Refer back to the design process steps throughout.
·  Record the possible design process steps together. Success criteria to guide the learning can be discussed and recorded during each session and become a focus for feedback and self/peer evaluation.
·  Select activities to explore picture book design from Exploring Visual Arts Y1-6 Design (page 22 -3) if the students are going to eventually develop a class book.
Session 5: Exploring the theme through drawing
Students:
·  Revisit the Visual diary notes and images from the Section1 Visual Arts learning, to review ideas about heroes and how they are depicted in a range of images.
·  Share prior knowledge about Maui in groups and read/retell the selected traditional story. / >This could be drawn up as a chart to keep referring to.
·  Discuss Maui’s attributes and actions. Identify the key events in the story that link to these.
·  Generate ideas through drawing for a composition related to a heroic figure at a moment of action or tension in the story.
·  Draw quick thumbnails (a series of small sketches) of possible compositions around a key idea, moment in the story or message. Consider where Maui could be positioned, the setting and any objects that need to be included.
·  Discuss and analyse how the use of scale and viewpoint can support the communication of mood and message at a moment of action or tension in the story. (Students could refer back to artist images again eg Weaving Earth and Sky or Maui and the Sun in Taming the Sun, four Maori myths) / >You could link to the drama learning section at this point as students reflect on Maui’s attributes.
·  Develop further ‘roughs’ or sketches that show that scale and viewpoint have been considered. Think about main shapes and whether they might overlap or ‘bleed off’ the page. / Again plan time for the action-reflection cycle: pause, view each others’ work and set next steps, during the session.
Developing ideas and applying knowledge of elements and principles / Session 6: Refining the composition based on research
Students
·  Select and refine one composition through further drawing.
·  Again ensure that the scale of the figure in the composition adds to the story/meaning/mood and think about how to create a focal point.
·  More detail, pattern and background information could be included.
·  Research any further aspects that might be required for the subject matter such as the background landscape or the physical pose of the hero. A digital camera could provide a useful record of the body position to refer to when drawing.
·  Incorporate Maori motifs that have been researched to add to the meaning or message.
·  Discuss the mood or message they want to communicate and how the composition is showing that.
Using art-making processes and procedures / Session 7: Printing the design
Teacher
·  Review the mono-printing process and routines with students
·  If possible plan for students to create more than one print
·  Discuss the possible different approaches of tracing a prepared drawing when printmaking or using it as reference to re-draw the image directly.
Students
·  Set up the room for printmaking
·  Trace over the final drawing (it could be enlarged on the photocopier) or re-draw the design freehand with variations to make mono-print (s)
·  Reflect on one or more prints in relation to the design brief
Extending the art-making: