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Lesson Plan Image

Inuksuk Stone Statues

An inuksuk is a type of stone landmark traditionally used by the Inuit and other peoples of Canada and the North. Students will learn about this structure and create a replica out of Model Magic or Air-Dry Clay.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

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  • Recycled Cardboard

Steps

  • Step 1

    An inuksuk (plural: inuksuit) is a structure of either one stone or piled stones (cairn) that's used to communicate with people, traditionally the Inuit, in the Arctic region. They are navigational aids that mark the location of camps, hunting grounds, and where a food cache might be found. They also have spiritual connotations. Have students learn about these structures. In what countries would they be found? What other groups rely on them? What are the four general shapes of inuksuit?

  • Step 2

    Have students look at images of some inuksuit and then construct one out of Model Magic or Air-Dry Clay. They can form rock shapes with their hands or use a bottle as a rolling pin to roll out the features.

  • Step 3

    When the structure is dry, have them glue the "rocks" together and attach to a base such as a recycled cardboard. Then have them present their inuksuit to the class and discuss some of the facts they learned about these structures.

Standards

SS: Culture: Create, learn, share, and adapt to culture.

SS: Individual Development and Identity: Describe factors important to the development of personal identity and the context of identity within families, peer or affinity groups, schools, communities, and nationalities.

Adaptations

Have students learn about the Inuit, the Indigenous peoples of the Arctic and subarctic regions of North America, predominantly in Canada, Alaska, and Greenland. What are some of their traditions? What are the predominant languages? What art forms are represented?

Have students investigate and look at images of other notable cairns, such as Stonehenge in England, The Temples of Malta, or the monuments at Alcalar in Portugal.