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

Visual Arts: Signs, Symbols and Art Traditions

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 recognize a style and describe what makes it special.
I can describe how art forms and styles carry messages, long ago and today.
I can describe how art traditions reflect the cultures, times and places where they were made.
I can learn about First Nations, Métis and Inuit art respectfully.

Words to know

sign
A picture, shape or word that gives quick information or an instruction, like a stop sign.

symbol
A picture or object that stands for an idea, a group or a feeling, like a maple leaf standing for Canada.

style
A recognizable way of making art: the special look of one artist, group, time or place.

tradition
A way of doing things that is passed down from one generation to the next.

wampum
Beads made from shells. The Haudenosaunee and other Nations weave wampum into belts that record important agreements and history.

petroglyph
An image carved into rock.

context
The time, place and way of life that an art work comes from.

Remember from Grade 3

You read symbols in maps, everyday life and art (a poppy for remembrance, a dove for peace), and compared art traditions like rangoli, Chinese paper cutting, Métis finger weaving, Inuit prints and carving and Haida crests.

In Grade 4 you will look closer at signs and symbols, learn to recognize an artist's style, and explore how art carries messages across time and place.

No words needed

You're riding in a car. You're too far away to read the words on a sign, but you see an eight-sided shape and know the car will stop. You see a sign with an upside-down triangle and know to let other cars go first.

Shapes and colours carry meaning, even without words. That's how signs work, and artists use the same power in art.

A blank red and white upside-down triangle traffic sign beside a country road with farm fields. — This sign has no words, yet drivers know it means yield. Its shape and colours carry the message. AI-generated image

Three road sign shapes: an eight-sided stop sign, an upside-down triangle for yield, and a five-sided shape for a school zone.

Signs and symbols

A sign gives quick information or an instruction: stop, yield, washroom, exit. You need to understand it fast.
A symbol stands for a bigger idea, a group of people or a feeling. The maple leaf on our flag stands for Canada. A heart stands for love.

Some symbols have a deep meaning for a community:

The Métis flag shows a white infinity symbol (a sideways figure eight) on a blue or a red background. The infinity symbol is often explained as the joining of two cultures and the idea that the Métis Nation will live forever.
The Hiawatha Belt is a wampum belt of the Haudenosaunee (the Six Nations Confederacy). It shows four squares and a tree in the middle, joined by a line. They stand for the five original Nations joined together in peace: the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga (the tree in the centre), Cayuga and Seneca. The Haudenosaunee flag is based on this belt.

Signs (left) give quick information or instructions. Symbols (right) stand for bigger ideas: a heart for love, and the Métis flag's infinity symbol for the idea that the Métis Nation will live forever.

Style: an artist's "handwriting"

You can often tell who wrote a note just by the handwriting. Art is like that too! Style is the special look of an artist, a group or a tradition.

Métis floral beadwork has bright flowers, leaves and curling vines, beaded onto moccasins, jackets, bags and more. The Métis are sometimes called the Flower Beadwork People. Today, Métis artist Christi Belcourt paints plants and flowers with thousands of tiny dots, in a style inspired by beadwork.
Ancient Egyptian painting has its own style: people are shown with the head and legs from the side but the eye and shoulders from the front, and the most important people are drawn biggest.
Chinese brush painting uses flowing black ink lines on paper or silk; artists often paint bamboo, plum blossoms, birds and mountains with just a few strong brush strokes.

Just for fun

Riddle: I'm red, I have eight sides, and I say the same word to every car, all day long. What am I?

A stop sign. And I never get tired of it!

Art form	When and where	What it shows or does	What it tells us about its context
Kinomagewapkong petroglyphs	carved long ago, near Peterborough, Ontario (in Petroglyphs Provincial Park)	hundreds of images carved into rock, including people, animals and other shapes	The Anishinaabe call the site Kinomagewapkong, "the rocks that teach." It is a sacred place that is still honoured today.
Wampum belts (Haudenosaunee and other Nations)	long ago and today	patterns of purple and white shell beads	Belts record agreements and history. For example, the Two Row Wampum shows two purple rows on white: two vessels travelling side by side, each in its own path, a symbol of friendship and respect between peoples.
Ancient Egyptian wall paintings	thousands of years ago, in Egypt	pharaohs, gods, daily life, symbols	Art followed strict rules; it was often made for tombs and showed people's beliefs about life after death.
Métis floral beadwork	long ago and today	flowers, leaves and vines in bright beads	Shows Métis identity and a love of the land's plants; skills are passed down through families.
Ukrainian pysanky	a long tradition, still made today in Ukraine and in Ukrainian communities across Canada	eggs decorated with wax and dyes in bright patterns	Many patterns have meanings: for example, wheat can stand for a good harvest. They are often made at Easter.
Murals and street art	today, in cities and towns everywhere	big paintings on walls	Share a community's history and messages about things people care about, like nature, fairness or welcoming newcomers.

Art forms carry messages, long ago and today

Learning about Indigenous art with respect

Use the name of the Nation or community (Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, Métis, Inuit, Haida...), not just "Indigenous."
Remember that First Nations, Métis and Inuit art is living art, made by artists today, not only long ago.
Some places and designs are sacred or belong to families and communities. At Kinomagewapkong, visitors are asked to treat the petroglyphs with respect. We can learn about and admire these works, but we don't copy sacred designs as our own.
Be inspired to create symbols about your own life, family and community.

Worked example

Example: Reading a symbol in an art work

Let's read the Two Row Wampum like an art detective.

Look: a long belt of white beads with two parallel rows of purple beads that never touch.
Ask: what might the two rows stand for? The Haudenosaunee explain that they are two vessels: a canoe for the Haudenosaunee and a ship for the European newcomers, travelling down the same river side by side.
Meaning: each people keeps its own ways and doesn't steer the other's boat. The white beads between them stand for peace and friendship.
Context: the belt records an agreement made long ago, and the Haudenosaunee still talk about it today when they speak about respect between peoples.

Simple lines and colours carry a big message about respect. That's the power of a symbol.

Worked example

Example: Comparing two art traditions

Let's compare Métis floral beadwork and Ukrainian pysanky.

Same: both use bright colours and patterns with symbols from nature (flowers, wheat, leaves). Both are traditions passed down in families. Both are still made today, including here in Canada.
Different: beadwork is sewn with beads onto clothing and bags; pysanky are made on eggs with wax and dye. Beadwork often uses curling vines and flowers; pysanky often use geometric shapes divided into sections.
Context: each tradition reflects the culture and way of life of its people: Métis life on the land, and Ukrainian farming life and spring celebrations.

Compare what is the same, what is different, and what each tradition tells us about the people, time and place it comes from.

Hands-on activity

Symbol hunt and my personal symbol

You need: paper, a pencil, pencil crayons or markers, and (optional) a phone or tablet to take photos.

Part 1: Symbol hunt

Go on a walk around your home, street, school or a store with a grown-up.
Find five signs and five symbols. Draw or photograph each one.
Next to each, write what it means and whether it's a sign (information or instruction) or a symbol (stands for an idea).

Part 2: My personal symbol

Think of three things that are important to you: your family, a hobby, a place, your culture or language, an animal you love.
Make a simple symbol for each, using shapes and colours with meaning (not words!).
Combine your three symbols into one design, in your own style. Use what you learned this unit: lines with feeling, radial symmetry or a focal point.
Write an artist statement: "My symbol shows ___. The ___ stands for ___ because ___."
Share it with your family. Can they guess the meanings before you explain?

Your turn

What is the difference between a sign and a symbol?

What does a stop sign's shape look like?

What is style in art?

What does the infinity symbol on the Métis flag often stand for?

What is wampum?

Name two features of ancient Egyptian painting style.

What does the Anishinaabe name Kinomagewapkong mean, and what kind of place is it?

More practice: warm-up

Is a washroom picture on a door a sign or a symbol?

What does the maple leaf on our flag stand for?

What is a petroglyph?

True or false: First Nations, Métis and Inuit artists are making art today.

What are pysanky?

More practice: on your own

Explain what the Hiawatha Belt shows.

How does Christi Belcourt's painting style connect to an older tradition?

Why do road signs use shapes and colours, not just words?

Describe one way a mural today can carry a message.

Why is it respectful to not copy sacred designs or family crests as your own?

Challenge

Compare ancient Egyptian wall paintings and murals today. Give one way they're the same and one way they're different, and say what each tells about its context.

Design a road sign (shape and picture, no words) that warns "Turtles crossing". Explain your choices.

Explain how the Two Row Wampum is both an art work and a record of history.

Check your understanding

Quiz

A symbol ___.

A stop sign has ___ sides.

Style in art means ___.

The Métis are sometimes called the ___.

Wampum belts are made from ___.

In ancient Egyptian paintings, the most important people are often drawn ___.

Which is the most respectful way to learn about Indigenous art?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Grade 4 students show awareness of the meaning of signs and symbols in daily life and in works of art (D2.3), describe how art forms and styles represent messages and contexts past and present (D3.1), and show awareness of a variety of art forms, styles and traditions and how they reflect the cultures, times and places in which they were made (D3.2).

How to help:

Go on a symbol hunt in the car, the grocery store or on a phone screen.
If you can, visit Petroglyphs Provincial Park (near Peterborough), a local museum or a gallery. Many galleries have free days. Online, look at Métis beadwork, wampum belts and pysanky on museum websites.
Talk about your own family's symbols and traditions: holiday decorations, embroidery, jewellery, flags.

Respect note: Present First Nations, Métis and Inuit art as living traditions. Use Nation names, and explain that some designs and places are sacred or belong to families, so we admire and learn rather than copy.

Common difficulties:

Mixing up signs and symbols. Ask, "Does it tell me what to do, or does it stand for an idea?"
Saying traditions are "weird" or "old-fashioned." Encourage curiosity: "What does it tell us about the people who make it?"
Copying an existing symbol for the personal symbol activity. Gently steer toward their own life and ideas.