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21 Teachable Totem Pole Activities

February 15, 2023 //  by  Brittney Hallmark

Totem pole activities are a great addition to any Native American unit and a great introduction to cultures that students may not yet be familiar with.  These teaching resources are a wonderful way to include creativity and artistic freedom in your lessons. Blend your history and art lessons together to provide meaningful instruction and enhance student engagement in your next Native American unit. Check out these 21 fun totem pole projects and activities!

1. Carved Wooden Totem Pole 

This fun project will require supervision. Students can carve their own designs and create their own totem crafts. As students learn the history of totem poles, they can choose what designs or which animals to include in their detailed totem pole project. They can later add colors with paint or markers. 

Learn More: ehow

2. Paper Towel Totem Pole Craft

A simple and easy totem pole using a tall paper towel tube is a fun project for your elementary school students. Let them create their design plans and then put together their Native American totem pole craft. These can be made using construction paper and glue. 

Learn More: Educatall.com

3. Mini Totem Pole

Recycle small containers to build a mini totem pole craft. Simply stack a few containers and cover them in paper or paint. Students can use totem pole symbols or animal totem meanings to design their mini totem poles. This will help them understand the meaning and history of totem poles. 

Learn More: Education.com

4. Log Totem Pole

This totem pole activity is pretty cheap and simple to make. Find logs outside to use in the creation of this Native American totem pole activity. Students can paint the logs, including animal totem meanings or totem pole symbols, to create this fun activity. 

Learn More: All Free Kids Crafts

5. Totem Pole Bookmark 

Using paper to craft a totem pole bookmark is another great way to get students’ creative energy flowing. A perfect addition to a Native American culture lesson, this bookmark will allow students to make their own totem pole using paper and colored pencils. They can add words to the middle or draw pictures. 

Learn More: Native Americans

6. Coffee Can Totem Pole 

Recycle old coffee cans for this Native American totem pole activity. You can paint them first and then later add additional details and features. Add paper wings and tails to create the animals. You can even add eyes, noses, and whiskers to the faces. Attach the coffee cans together using a hot glue gun. 

Learn More: The Crafty Crow

7. Recycled Totem Poles

A perfect addition to Native American heritage month, these recycled totem pole projects will be a beautiful addition to your unit. Students can do this at home to create a family totem pole project and this will help bridge the school-to-home connection. They can repurpose recycled items to create their Native American totem poles. 

Learn More: Recycled Crafts

8. Printable Totem Animal Templates

This Native American totem pole craft is a pre-made printable. Simply print in color or let the students color it in. Then, put them together to form this adorable, all-paper totem pole. Students could add beads or feathers for additional pizazz. 

Learn More: Pinterest

9. Stuffed Paper Bag Totem Poles

Collect brown paper bags to recycle for this project. Each student could create one piece of a bigger totem pole and the pieces can be put together and assembled against the wall. This will be a perfect collaborative project for Native American Heritage Month.

Learn More: Minds in Bloom

10. Virtual Field Trip 

Take a virtual field trip and explore the Native American Totem Poles of the Pacific Northwest. This activity is ideal for teaching fourth to sixth-grade students about Native American tribes and different types of totem poles. They will be able to see details of animal designs up close. 

Learn More: Teachers Pay Teachers

11. Drawing Totem Poles

This activity requires students to do some reading about totem poles first. After that, students can design their own totem poles. They can sketch it out on paper first. Later, they can build it or draw it on heavier paper with oil pastels and use many different colors. 

12. Totem Pole Poster

While learning about Native American Heritage Month, invite students to create their own personal totem poles. As they learn about fascinating tribes, they will begin to understand the meaning of totem poles and their designs. Students can choose animals and have a chance to explain why they chose each piece and build a totem on paper. 

Learn More: Really Good Stuff

13. Printable Totem Pole Template 

This printable totem craft is great for younger students. They can use these on a tall paper towel tube or simply build it on paper. If built on paper, there is a 3-dimensional aspect that will help this totem pole stand out a bit. 

Learn More: Google

14. Totem Pole Cards

There is no shortage of baseball or trading cards in childhood classrooms. Use some to build a totem pole art project. You could also use cardstock paper cut into this size. Paint each piece and put them together to form a striking totem pole craft. 

Learn More: Bloglovin’

15. Cardboard Animal Totem Pole 

Combine art and history to create an educational event to showcase Native American art tributes, like these totally recycled animal totem poles. Save boxes and wrap them in old newspapers. Cut additional features out of recycled cardboard to make eyes, noses, beaks, and wings. Add the cut-outs to your boxes to form animals. 

Learn More: ARTiFun

16. Animal Totem Pole 

Let students use small boxes to create individual animal faces. They can then add some animal facts and information to go alongside the animal faces. Have students work together to put the pieces on top of each other to form a large totem pole. 

17. Seven-Foot Totem Pole

This giant totem pole is a fun project for the whole class to collaborate on. You can use this project to help foster a healthy classroom climate as students work together. Each student can design their own piece of the totem pole using a printable that can be colored. Students will love seeing this totem pole grow into a 7-foot structure as you put it together. 

18. Totem Pole and Writing Activity

This educational resource is a great way to combine writing and artwork. Add some literature to your Native American unit study so that students can learn more about totem poles and aspects of culture. Let them design and color the printable. Then, have students complete the writing to describe why they choose to design it the way they did. 

Learn More: The Art of Learning

19. Toilet Paper Totem Poles

This totem pole craft is a three-part activity. Use three separate toilet paper tubes to create three tiny totem poles. Then, attach all three on top of each other to form a series of three parts. These are simple and easy to make and are sure to make a fun Native American project. 

Learn More: Kitchen Counter Chronicles

20. Colorful Totem Poles

For this Native American totem pole project, let the colors flow freely! Have plenty of toilet paper tubes or paper towel rolls and lots of colorful paper, feathers, and craft sticks at the ready. Give students a glue stick and let them get creative! 

Learn More: It is Art Day

21. Paper Cup Totem Pole

Making this paper cup totem pole is simple and will allow for plenty of student choice and creativity! it’s perfect for older students who possess good fine motor control. Let students use colorful markers to draw intricate details to represent beautiful poles. 

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This fun activity allows students to make their own totem poles with associated meanings. Each totem pole has five symbols. These print out beautifully with the totem pole and symbolism descriptions. These take students less than five minutes to complete.

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4th grade totem pole animals!

totem pole assignment

These Totem poles look great! I am having the students I work with make a Totem pole for our classroom while teaching the about Native American heritage month. I can't wait to see what our students come up with

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Compsci 101, Fall 2012, Totems/Assignment 1

*totem poles*

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  5. How to Draw Worksheets for The Young Artist: How To Draw A Totem Pole

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  6. 21 Teachable Totem Pole Activities

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  1. 21 Teachable Totem Pole Activities

    1. Carved Wooden Totem Pole This fun project will require supervision. Students can carve their own designs and create their own totem crafts. As students learn the history of totem poles, they can choose what designs or which animals to include in their detailed totem pole project. They can later add colors with paint or markers. Learn More: ehow

  2. Native American Heritage: Understanding Totems Activity for ...

    This teacher-made Totem Pole Activity is ideal for your kinesthetic learners who enjoy a hands-on approach to learning. This worksheet helps your children to explore the incredible history of totem poles. Show more Related Searches totem pole art totem pole craft totem pole totem poles totem pole template totem Ratings & Reviews Curriculum Links

  3. PDF Totem Poles of the North American Northwest Coast Indians

    The totem pole is an arrangement of symbols or memory devices in sequence created for the purpose of recalling a story or event. These symbols function as a form of "writing"—pictures, not written letters, convey meaning. Further, these stories conveyed symbolically a visual expression of what the Indian culture meant.

  4. totem pole

    Bob and Ira Spring The tall, carved logs called totem poles were erected by prominent people among certain Northwest Coast Indians. The carved and painted faces on a pole represented the owner's totem animal or bird. A totem was a person's mythical ancestor and might help in gaining power in war, hunting, whaling, or other activities.

  5. Totem pole

    The word totem refers to a guardian or ancestral being, usually supernatural, that is revered and respected, but not always worshipped. The significance of the real or mythological animal carved on a totem pole is its identification with the lineage of the head of the household. The animal is displayed as a type of family crest, much as an ...

  6. Totem Pole Maker

    This fun activity allows students to make their own totem poles with associated meanings. Each totem pole has five symbols. These print out beautifully with the totem pole and symbolism descriptions. These take students less than five minutes to complete. Choose an animal from the list The Thunderbird always stays on top

  7. PDF ANIMAL TRIBE

    The totem that appears at the top of your totem pole guides you from the spirit world and protects you always. Part One: Download Your Totem Pole Cut Outs 1) Visit the following address: www.animaltribe.com/totem-pole.html to open and print the "TotemPole - CutOuts.pdf" document. (To open this file you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed.

  8. PDF LESSON GUIDE: Totem Pole: Oral Narrative in Art Form

    A totem pole is a form of art that tells clan stories, describes historical events, and some are even the final resting place of clan leaders. A totem pole typically features symbolic and stylized human, animal, and supernatural forms. Common crests include the raven, eagle, wolf, frog, brown bear, killer whale, thunderbird and salmon.

  9. Totem Pole Project Ideas

    The totem pole is an important part of cultural identity for many Native American/First Nation cultures. ... This can be easily turned into a creative writing assignment by asking students to ...

  10. Totem Pole Writing and Project by Tina Mediate

    Description. Students can explore totem poles and create their own custom totem poles. Students poles become 3-d representations connected to a writing assignment. Sure to impress parents at parent teacher conferences. Power Point that goes along with this lesson is available. Fun for Thanksgiving/ Native American lesson!

  11. Totem Pole Lesson Teaching Resources

    Totem Poles is a collaborative lesson where each student makes one totem pole face to place on a classroom pole. What a great way to help build classroom rapport. ... This activity can be used as a lesson guide, homework assignment, or as a study sheet, as well. This resource is created by Stephen Campbell. Subjects: Native Americans, Social ...

  12. Totem Poles Drawing Teaching Resources

    by. Hope Creek Studios. 4.5. (2) $6.99. PDF. Pacific Northwest Art and TOTEM POLES!This is a 15 page resource and includes (use as worksheets or use as slides on a screen):Introduction to what a totem pole is and the 6 types of totem poles. 4 totem pole styles and enlarged sheets/slides for each style.

  13. PDF Totem Pole Lesson.pdf

    Definition: A totem is a physical representation of a person's / tribe culture and history. One type of totem pole created by Native Canadian uses people and animals to describe family history. In this lesson, students will research their own family history and create a totem pole to describe that history.

  14. PDF Touching Spirit Bear: Final Novel Project

    Option #1: Symbolic Totem Pole & Interpretation • Create a totem pole that represents a personal life lesson. Your totem pole should include one symbol (object or animal) for each member of your group as well as one symbol to represent Cole Matthews. Keep in mind: o Before creating your totem poles, you are encouraged to: ~reference the novel ...

  15. Compsci 101, Fall 2016, Assignment 2

    This page describes the assignment. (image from Wikimedia, public domain) In this assignment you will create variations of heads for totem poles. You'll do this by creating variations of eyes, hair, noses, The heads will be generated by using functions and print statements. randomly generating totem poles. What is a totem pole? Pacific Northwest.

  16. Totem Pole Assignment by Aaron Peoples

    What Do Totem Poles Mean? Mostly, totem poles tell stories Totem Animal: Gorilla Symbolic Attributes: Communication, Loyalty, Connectivity, Compassion Totem Animal: Wolf Symbolic Attributes: Friendliness, Generosity, Intellgence Totem Animal: Shark Symbolic Attributes: Instinct, Curious, Effective The End! Before We Talk About Totems..

  17. welcome to art class: 4th grade totem pole animals!

    After deciding, the 4th graders practiced drawing a stylized version of their animal on paper, & then got started on the collage. You can see these amazing totem poles on display in the Irvington cafeteria! These Totem poles look great! I am having the students I work with make a Totem pole for our classroom while teaching the about Native ...

  18. Totem pole

    Totem poles ( Haida: gyáaʼaang) [1] are monumental carvings found in western Canada and the northwestern United States. They are a type of Northwest Coast art, consisting of poles, posts or pillars, carved with symbols or figures.

  19. Compsci 06, Spring 2012, Totems/Assignment 1

    At Duke, we can trace programming assignments that involve creating totem poles as far back as 1994 when C++ was first used in the equivalent of Compsci 6. The last time an assignment to generate totem poles was given was in spring 2004, the last time C++ was used in Compsci 6.

  20. Totem Pole Assignment

    Directions: Click on the below link. Make your own totem pole, choosing the different animals that you would like to represent your family. Print the totem pole out and return it to school. Due...

  21. Compsci 101, Spring 2017, Assignment 2

    This page describes the assignment. (image from Wikimedia, public domain) In this assignment you will create variations of heads for totem poles. You'll do this by creating variations of eyes, hair, noses, The heads will be generated by using functions and print statements. randomly generating totem poles. What is a totem pole? Pacific Northwest.

  22. Compsci 06, Spring 2011, Totems/Assignment 1

    At Duke, we can trace programming assignments that involve creating totem poles as far back as 1994 when C++ was first used in the equivalent of Compsci 6. The last time an assignment to generate totem poles was given was in spring 2004, the last time C++ was used in Compsci 6.

  23. Compsci 101, Fall 2012, Totems/Assignment 1

    At Duke, we can trace programming assignments that involve creating totem poles as far back as 1994 when C++ was first used in the equivalent of Compsci 101. The last time an assignment to generate totem poles was given was in spring 2004, the last time C++ was used in Compsci 101. When Java was used, from fall 2004 to spring 2010, no totem ...