African Masks and Amulets with First

First grade students began their African mask unit by taking a look at a variety of mask examples.  We learned why people wear masks, what they are made of, and even how they are worn.  Then we looked closer at the masks and decided that they all had two things in common:  Symmetry and Pattern.  To begin our project, we folded some brown construction paper in half to help make our masks symmetrical.  Then, we designed our masks using lots of pattern.  Students used construction paper crayons on the brown and black paper to really make the masks PoP!  When we finished these masks, we decided to make an amulet to go along with them.  We talked about how amulets are usually meant to bring luck or give the wearer a "special power". Students used model magic clay to create their amulets and painted them with metallic watercolors.  While they were drying, we took some time to think and write about what powers our amulets may give us.