B. Drama / D. Visual Arts · Drama and Visual Arts

Visual Arts: Signs, Symbols and Messages in Art

D2.3 D3.1 D3.2About 35 minutes

Learning goals

I can find signs and symbols in my daily life and in works of art.
I can tell what message a symbol or an art work sends.
I can describe how art sent messages long ago and how it sends messages today.
I can name art forms I see at home, at school and in my community.
I can talk about art from many communities, including First Nations, Métis and Inuit art, with respect.

Words to know

sign
A picture or words that give information or tell you what to do, like a stop sign.

symbol
A picture, shape or mark that stands for something else. A heart can stand for love.

message
An idea or feeling that someone wants to share.

petroglyph
A picture carved or scratched into rock. Say it "PET-ro-glif".

pictograph
A picture painted on rock.

mural
A large painting on a wall.

Pictures that talk

You are walking to school. You see a red octagon. You stop. Nobody said a word! The sign told you what to do.

Pictures can send messages. Artists have been sending messages with pictures for thousands of years.

Signs and symbols

A sign gives information or tells you what to do: a stop sign, a washroom sign, an exit sign.
A symbol is a picture or mark that stands for something else: a heart stands for love, a maple leaf stands for Canada.

You learned about symbols in Grade 1. This year we'll look for symbols inside art works, and learn how art sent messages long ago and today.

A large painted mural on a brick wall showing sunflowers, a lake, hills, a bright sun, a chickadee, a flying Canada goose and a heron. — A mural on a town wall uses pictures from nature: birds, sunflowers, a lake and a shining sun. What message do you think the artist wanted to send to people walking by? AI-generated image

A sign tells you what to do, like the red octagon that says stop. A symbol stands for an idea: a heart stands for love.

Symbol	Where you see it	What it stands for
🍁 maple leaf	Canada's flag	Canada
a loon	the one-dollar coin (the "loonie")	Canada's nature and wildlife
a polar bear	the two-dollar coin (the "toonie")	Canada's North and wildlife
♻️ arrows in a triangle	recycling bins	recycle
an infinity sign (∞) on a blue or red flag	the Métis flag	the Métis people, joining two cultures, and that the Métis people will live on forever
an orange shirt	Orange Shirt Day, September 30	"Every Child Matters": remembering the children who were sent to residential schools

Symbols in daily life in Canada

Inuksuit: messages made of stone

In the Arctic, Inuit have built stone figures called inuksuit (one is called an inuksuk) for a very long time. An inuksuk can help people find their way, mark a good place to hunt or fish, or show that people have been there. It is a message made of stones!

Messages from long ago

Long before paper and phones, people made art on rock to share messages and stories.

Cave paintings: In France, there are paintings of horses, bulls and deer on cave walls that are many thousands of years old.
Petroglyphs in Ontario: At Petroglyphs Provincial Park near Peterborough, hundreds of pictures of people, animals and other images were carved into rock by Indigenous people long ago. The Anishinaabe call this place Kinomagewapkong, which means "the rocks that teach". It is a sacred place.
Pictographs: At Agawa Rock on Lake Superior, Ojibwe people painted images on the rock with red ochre (a red earth paint), including canoes and animals.

People have sent messages with pictures for a very long time: first on cave walls and rock, and today on murals, posters and logos.

Messages today

Today, artists still send messages with pictures:

Murals on buildings share a community's story.
Posters tell us about events or remind us to keep our planet clean.
Picture book illustrations help tell stories.
Logos are symbols for teams and businesses.
Stamps and coins show symbols of our country.

Talking about Indigenous art and places with respect

Use the Nation's name when you know it (Anishinaabe, Ojibwe, Inuit, Métis).
Places like Kinomagewapkong are sacred. If you visit, follow the rules there (for example, photos of the petroglyphs are not allowed).
Symbols like the orange shirt are about real people and families. We use them with care and respect.

Worked example

Example: Reading the symbols in a picture

Look at a poster at the library. It shows a smiling Earth holding a recycling symbol, with green trees around it and the words "Keep Our Park Clean".

Find the symbols: the recycling arrows ♻️ and the Earth.
What do they stand for? Recycling, and our whole planet.
What other clues? Green trees: nature. A smiling face: happy, healthy.
What is the message? Recycle and keep the park clean so nature stays healthy.

The poster uses symbols (recycling arrows, the Earth) and colour (green) to send a message: take care of our park and planet.

Worked example

Example: Comparing art long ago and today

How is a petroglyph like a mural? How is it different?

Same: both are made on a large surface (rock or a wall) for people to see.
Same: both can share stories, teachings or messages about a community.
Different: a petroglyph is carved into rock long ago. A mural is usually painted on a wall today.
Different: many murals are in busy cities. Petroglyphs are often in special natural places.

Art forms change over time, but people have always used art to share messages and stories.

Just for fun

What did the traffic light say to the car?

"Don't look, I'm about to change!"

Art forms all around you

Visual art is everywhere you go:

At home: family photos, a quilt, a painted mug, the drawings on your fridge
At school: class murals, picture books, art displays in the hall
In the community: murals, statues and sculptures in parks, stained glass windows, art galleries, signs and posters

Hands-on activity

Design your own symbol and message poster

You need: paper, crayons or markers.

Part 1: Symbol hunt. Walk around your home or neighbourhood and find 5 signs or symbols. Draw each one and write (or say) what it means.

Part 2: My symbol. Design a personal symbol that stands for you. Think: What do you love? A soccer ball? A cat? A snowflake because winter is your favourite? Combine two or three ideas into one simple picture.

Part 3: Message poster. Make a poster with a message for your family or school, like "Turn off the lights!" or "Be kind." Use at least one symbol, and choose colours that help send the message.

Your turn

What is the difference between a sign and a symbol?

What does the maple leaf on our flag stand for?

What is a petroglyph?

What is an inuksuk, and who builds them?

What message does an orange shirt send on September 30?

Name an art form you can see in your community.

What is a mural?

More practice: warm-up

What does a red octagon sign mean?

What animal is on the loonie?

What does a ❤️ usually stand for?

Name one place you see art at home.

What does "Kinomagewapkong" mean?

More practice: on your own

Find a logo on a cereal box or a sports team shirt. What do you think it stands for?

How is a pictograph different from a petroglyph?

Why do you think people long ago made pictures on rock?

What does the infinity symbol (∞) on the Métis flag stand for?

Look at a picture-book cover. Find one symbol or colour that tells you about the story.

Challenge

Design a symbol for your family. What does each part stand for?

Compare a cave painting from long ago with a poster today. Give one way they are the same and one way they are different.

Why should we follow the rules (like no photos) when visiting a sacred place like Kinomagewapkong?

Check your understanding

Quiz

Which is a symbol for Canada?

A petroglyph is ___.

Inuksuit are built by ___.

A large painting on a wall is a ___.

What does the recycling symbol (arrows in a triangle) tell you?

Kinomagewapkong, the petroglyph site near Peterborough, means ___.

Which art form shares a message today?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Grade 2 students become aware of signs and symbols in daily life and in works of art (D2.3), describe how visual art forms and styles represent messages and contexts in the past and present and the art forms they see in their home, school and community (D3.1), and become aware of works of art and artistic traditions from diverse communities, times and places (D3.2).

How to help:

On walks, collect signs and symbols: road signs, logos, flags, murals.
Look at coins together (loonie, toonie) and talk about the symbols.
If you live near Peterborough or Lake Superior, Petroglyphs Provincial Park and Agawa Rock are powerful places to visit. Follow posted rules.

Sensitive topic: Orange Shirt Day / the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (September 30) is introduced simply here as remembering the children sent to residential schools. Your child's school will mark it too. Answer questions honestly and simply ("For many years, many Indigenous children were taken from their families to schools far away, and that was wrong. We remember them and listen to their stories.") and use books written by Indigenous authors for this age.

Common difficulties:

Mixing up sign and symbol. A sign tells you what to do; a symbol stands for an idea. (Many signs use symbols!)
Thinking Indigenous art is only from long ago. Pair old art (petroglyphs) with art by living artists.