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

Visual Arts: Symbols and Art Across Times and Cultures

D2.3 D3.1 D3.2About 45 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can explain the meaning of signs and symbols I see in daily life and in art works.
  • I can describe how art forms send messages, long ago and today.
  • I can describe art traditions from many communities, including First Nations, Métis and Inuit, and what they show about the people, times and places.
  • I can design my own symbols respectfully, without copying sacred or family designs.

Words to know

symbol
A picture, shape or colour that stands for an idea, like a poppy standing for remembering.
map legend
A box on a map that explains what each symbol means.
art form
A kind of art, like painting, carving, printmaking, weaving or a mural.
tradition
A way of making or doing something that is passed down from older people to younger people.
crest
A symbol, often an animal, that stands for a family or clan, used by many First Nations of the Pacific Northwest Coast.
print
A picture made by pressing ink from a carved block, stone or plate onto paper. One block can make many copies.

Remember from Grade 2

You learned that a sign gives information and a symbol stands for something else. You found symbols on coins and flags, and learned about inuksuit, petroglyphs and art that sent messages long ago.

This year you will read symbols in maps, everyday life and art works, and compare art traditions from many communities, past and present.

Symbols are everywhere

Look at a phone or tablet screen. A tiny battery shows how much power is left. A magnifying glass means search. A house means home. A little trash can means delete.

Nobody wrote a single word. The symbols told you everything!

A white dove perched on a branch against a blue sky.
In many art works around the world, a white dove is a symbol of peace. A symbol stands for an idea without using words. AI-generated image
battery= power leftmagnifying glass= searchhouse= hometrash can= delete
Screen symbols tell us what to do without words. Can you think of another symbol you see every day?
SymbolWhere you see itWhat it means
a red poppypinned on coats in early Novemberremembering people who served and died in wars (Remembrance Day, November 11)
a person in a wheelchair (white on blue)parking spots, doors, washroomsthis place is accessible for people with disabilities
a sun with a clouda weather app or forecastpartly sunny
a small tenta map legenda campground
a ❤️ heartcards, emojislove, caring
an orange shirt with "Every Child Matters"Orange Shirt Day, September 30 (National Day for Truth and Reconciliation)remembering the children who were sent to residential schools, and honouring survivors
Symbols in daily life in Canada

Symbols inside art works

Artists use symbols too. When you look at art, ask: "What might this stand for?"

  • A dove often stands for peace.
  • Red in Chinese paper cuts stands for good luck and happiness.
  • In many paintings, a sunrise can stand for a new beginning.
  • In Woodland art, artists like Norval Morrisseau and Daphne Odjig often draw lines connecting people, animals and plants. These lines can show how all living things are connected.
  • Many First Nations of the Pacific Northwest Coast, like the Haida, use crests such as Raven, Eagle, Bear and Killer Whale. A crest stands for a family or clan and its history.

Art forms send messages, long ago and today

Art formLong ago or today?What message or story it shares
Egyptian hieroglyphsabout 5000 years agoPicture-symbols were used as writing on walls and scrolls to record names, events and beliefs.
Stained glass windows in old European churchesabout 800 years agoColoured glass pictures told stories to people, many of whom could not read.
Carved poles of the Haida and other Northwest Coast Nationslong ago and todayCarved crests tell family histories and honour people and events. In 1969, Haida artist Robert Davidson raised the first new pole in his village of Old Massett in about 90 years, and carvers still raise poles today.
Inuit prints from Kinngait (Cape Dorset), Nunavutsince the late 1950s and todayPrints show animals, people, the land and stories. Kenojuak Ashevak's The Enchanted Owl (1960) became famous across Canada.
Drawings by Annie Pootoogook, an Inuk artist from Kinngaittoday (early 2000s)Pencil crayon drawings of everyday modern life in her community: families eating, watching TV, shopping. They show that Inuit life today is both traditional and modern.
Murals and posterstodayShare a community's history, celebrate people, or remind us to care for the Earth.
Art forms and their messages

Art traditions from many communities

Each tradition shows something about the people, time and place where it was made:

  • Rangoli (India): colourful patterns made on the floor with coloured powder, rice or flower petals, often for Diwali, to welcome guests.
  • Chinese paper cutting: red paper cut into flowers, animals and words, put on windows for Lunar New Year.
  • Métis finger weaving: the colourful Métis sash is woven by hand. It was once used by voyageurs as a belt, a rope or a tumpline, and today it is a proud symbol of the Métis Nation.
  • Inuit carving: for a very long time, Inuit have carved stone, bone and ivory. Many carvings show animals of the Arctic and the people who live there.
  • Papel picado (Mexico): cut tissue-paper banners for celebrations.

Learning about Indigenous art with respect

  • Learn the artist's name and their Nation or community.
  • Remember that First Nations, Métis and Inuit art is living art, made by artists today, not only long ago.
  • Crests and some designs belong to families and communities. We can admire them and learn about them, but we should not copy them as our own.
  • Instead, be inspired to create your own symbols about your family and life.
Worked example

Example: Reading symbols on a map

Your family is planning a summer trip to a provincial park. The map legend shows: a tent, a picnic table, a canoe, and a swimmer. Let's read the map.

  1. Tent: campground, a place to sleep in a tent.
  2. Picnic table: picnic area.
  3. Canoe: a canoe launch, a place to put a canoe into the water.
  4. Swimmer: a swimming beach.

The symbols tell us where to camp, eat, paddle and swim without using many words. A map legend explains them.

lakeSunny Lake Park (a made-up map)Legendcampgroundpicnic areacanoe launchswimming beach
A made-up park map. The legend tells you what each symbol means, so you can find where to camp, eat, paddle and swim.
Worked example

Example: Comparing art from two times

Let's compare cave paintings of animals (made many thousands of years ago in France) with Annie Pootoogook's drawings (made in the 2000s in Kinngait, Nunavut).

  1. Same: both show everyday life of the people who made them, and the things that mattered to them.
  2. Different (time): cave paintings show animals people hunted long, long ago. Pootoogook shows modern life: a TV, a fridge, a phone.
  3. Different (form and materials): cave paintings were made with earth colours on rock walls. Pootoogook used pencil crayon and ink on paper.
  4. What it tells us: art is like a window into a time and place.

Both art works share messages about daily life, but the time, place and materials are different. Art helps us understand how people lived.

Just for fun

Fun fact: The word emoji comes from Japanese: e means "picture" and moji means "character" (a written letter or sign). It sounds like "emotion", but that's just a happy accident!

Hands-on activity

My family symbol

You need: paper, pencil, crayons or markers.

  1. Think about your family: What do you love to do together? Where are you from? What is important to you?
  2. Choose three things and invent a symbol for each. For example: a mitten for winter walks, a pot for cooking together, a wave for the lake you visit, a star for a place your family comes from.
  3. Arrange your symbols in a circle or shield shape. Add variety in size, line and colour.
  4. Make a legend below that explains each symbol.
  5. Share it: "My mitten stands for..."

Remember: create your own symbols. Don't copy crests or sacred designs from other cultures.

Your turn

1

What does a red poppy stand for in Canada?

2

What is a map legend?

3

Name one symbol on a phone or tablet and what it means.

4

What is a crest in the art of the Haida and other Northwest Coast Nations?

5

Why were stained glass windows in old churches important for people who couldn't read?

6

Name an Inuk artist and one thing about their art.

7

Is First Nations, Métis and Inuit art only from long ago? Explain.

More practice: warm-up

1

A dove in art often stands for ___.

2

What colour is most used in Chinese paper cuts for Lunar New Year?

3

Which Métis art form is woven by hand and is a symbol of the Métis Nation?

4

What festival is rangoli often made for?

5

True or false: Annie Pootoogook drew everyday modern life in her community.

More practice: on your own

1

A weather app shows a cloud with raindrops and a lightning bolt. What does it mean?

2

Why should we not copy a Haida family crest for our own art?

3

Compare Egyptian hieroglyphs and phone emojis. How are they alike?

4

What does a mural in a community today often share?

5

Why might Kinngait artists show Arctic animals like owls, seals and bears so often?

Challenge

1

Choose an art tradition from this lesson. Explain what it tells us about the people, time or place it comes from.

2

Design a symbol for "Be kind to each other" for a school poster. Describe it and explain why it works.

3

Why do you think Robert Davidson's pole raising in 1969 was important to the people of Old Massett?

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

A symbol is ___.

2.

A map legend tells you ___.

3.

In early November, many Canadians wear a ___ to remember those who served in wars.

4.

Kenojuak Ashevak's The Enchanted Owl is a ___.

5.

Stained glass windows in old churches helped people who couldn't read by ___.

6.

What is the respectful way to use crests or sacred designs from another culture?

7.

Annie Pootoogook's drawings mostly show ___.

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Grade 3 students show awareness of the meaning of signs and symbols in daily life and in art (D2.3), describe how art forms send messages in the past and present (D3.1), and show awareness of art traditions from diverse communities, times and places (D3.2), including First Nations, Métis and Inuit art.

How to help:

  • Play "symbol spy" on a walk or drive: road signs, store logos, park signs, map symbols.
  • Look up works by Kenojuak Ashevak, Annie Pootoogook, Robert Davidson, Norval Morrisseau, Daphne Odjig and Christi Belcourt in library books or gallery websites (the National Gallery of Canada and the Art Gallery of Ontario hold works by several of them).
  • Connect to Orange Shirt Day and Remembrance Day when they come up in the school year.

Talking about residential schools: at this age, keep it simple and true: "For more than 100 years, until about 30 years ago, many Indigenous children were taken from their families to live at schools far away, and they were not treated fairly. Orange Shirt Day helps us remember them and say every child matters."

Common difficulties:

  • Thinking Indigenous art only belongs to the past. Stress that these are living traditions.
  • Copying crests or sacred designs. Encourage original symbols about the child's own life.