Task 3

Micronesian, Caroline Islands
Coconut grater,
Wood, mother-of-pearl (nacre), twine
1ft 3in x 11in x 2ft 0in (38.1cm x 27.9cm x 61cm)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Hanes
LINK: http://ncmoa.org/artnc/artifact.php?artifactid=71

Grade level:
2nd/3rd

Content areas:
Social Studies
Language Arts
Art
Technology

I thought that this was a beautiful artifact especially when I realized it's purpose.Women could actually stradle the seat and grate coconuts from the top of the structure. Since coconuts were a primary staple, this structure was highly useful.

After introducing students to this work of art and the history and details of it,I thought that it would be interesting to have students write about an invention of their own. For example: given a prompt like" My invention will create ___________." I would then encourage students to brainstorm things that they could create to make life easier. I may even brainstorm some ideas pre-writing to assist students that may be having difficulty in ideas.  

I would also give students the option of drawing a picture of their creation or actually creating something from an array of materials of their choice. As a modification, students may do either the writing prompt, the art activity or both.



I also would show students the Caroline Islands and discuss further food sources or other interesting facts.
 Here is an informative link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caroline_Islands