Culture, Community, and the Classroom: Afghan Kites

“Have you ever flown a kite?” Sometimes, a simple question can be an entry into profound learning. In this residency, students not only learned about the craftsmanship required to create a kite that is visually pleasing and capable of flying, but they also learned about the kite’s cultural significance in Afghanistan. By inviting artist Ahmad Shah Wali into the classroom, students learned firsthand how art and design contribute to quality of life within a culture, including their own.
Class Subjects

Themes

Research Topics

Supplies
2-mm bamboo sticks (cut to desired length), Heavyweight tissue paper (35 gsm), Nylon thread, Visual Journal, Scissors, Ruler, Pencil and eraser, Glue sticks
Downloads

 

Acknowledgements

A Culture, Community, and the Classroom Lesson by teacher Ariana Schrader-Rank.

This CCC project was supported in part by the New York State Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Individual Donors to Local Learning.

TITLE: Afghan Kites

AUTHOR AND TEACHER: Ariana Schrader-Rank
Ariana Schrader-Rank is an Elementary Art Teacher at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Elementary School in Schenectady, NY.

ARTIST COLLABORATOR: Ahmad Shah Wali, Afghan Kite-making

LENGTH: Two class periods of 60 minutes

Find the complete lesson plans in the sidebar under “Downloads.”

NEW YORK STANDARD(S) ADDRESSED:

4 VA:Pr5.1., VA:Re9.1.5, VA:Cn11.1.5, VA:Cr1.1.4, VA:Cr2.2.5 

Standard 4 Element 4b of the NYS K-8 Social Studies Framework