Educational Galaxy

Integration of All Art Forms — EG's own notes, in simple words

Book: Kriti (CBSE, Class 7)  |  Chapter 20  |  Medium: English

Section: All Art Forms

Diagram (labels are printed on the image): Children dancing and playing drums at a celebration. A general teaching picture; it is not a picture from the book.

Children performing an integrated piece together. A general picture about joining art forms; no book picture is copied here.

What the chapter is about

Art is a powerful language that speaks to your mind and heart. What you feel and experience during a concert or while viewing a painting is something that cannot be put in words. Now, imagine all these art forms that you have learnt, coming together to give one unique experience! You are about to try doing that here.

Activity 20.1, Stories in Stone, is the chapter’s single activity, and it is also the book’s finale. Its objective is to inspire creativity and collaboration by using ancient sculptures as a starting point to build a story, and then bringing it to life through performance with music, movement and dialogue. It has five steps: preparation, story creation, incorporating art forms, rehearsal and practice, and presentation and reflection.

Preparation: look at all the pictures of sculptures and stone carvings in the book — they are there in all the four sections. You can also find more pictures from the ones found around you or from the places to where you have travelled; these could include depictions of gods, dancers, warriors, animals or everyday life scenes. You can also discuss with your Social Science teacher to provide more pictures of sculptures that could be used in the story. The pictures named in the chapter are: a carved wall inside the 7th-century temples at Pattadakal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site; a rock-cut Buddha-era cave in Mumbai; a Ganesh sculpture from the 12th century at Halebidu; Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu; Vijayanagara Empire, Hampi, in Karnataka; Chola Temples at Darasuram in Tamil Nadu; a temple wall in South India; the Thiruvalluvar sculpture at Kanyakumari; a temple in Chhattisgarh; the Gangaikondacholisvaram Temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram; the Brihadeeswarar Temple at Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu; the Qutub Minar in New Delhi; the Sanchi Buddhist Stupa in Madhya Pradesh; and the Jataka Tales at the Sanchi Stupa in Madhya Pradesh.

Story creation: make small groups of 4–6 students. Each group carefully examines the sculptures, and imagines the lives, emotions and actions of the figures depicted. With help from your teacher, create a story that connects the sculptures in a meaningful way. For example: a heroic adventure of a warrior statue; a festival scene featuring dancers and musicians; a divine story featuring gods and mythical creatures; or a simple tale from the life of common people. Arrange the pictures in the order of how the story progresses, so it makes sense when you look at it — almost like a comic strip, but with sculptures. Make it as creative and unique as possible.

Incorporating art forms: visual art — imagine the parts of the story which do not have pictures and make your own drawings to connect and express the story; recall the familiar visual storytelling traditions you have learnt about in this book, like Phad or Patachitra, take inspiration from these and create your own visual narrative, thinking about the variety of materials and techniques you can use to express your story. Movement — include dance or body movements and gestures to represent the hastas and postures of the sculptures. Dialogue — write short dialogues or monologues for the characters, inspired by the expressions or postures in the sculptures; this should help in taking the story forward. Music and songs — add traditional music or create simple songs that fit the story; you can clap, hum or use available instruments to create rhythm. Folk storytelling — try incorporating one of the styles of storytelling you have studied in this book, like Phad storytelling or Harikathe, or any other local form that you have seen.

Rehearsal and practice: each group is given time to rehearse their story, incorporating movement, music and dialogue. You can be creative by adding interesting parts to the story, but remember to keep the story clear and focused. Presentation and reflection: each group performs their story for the class. The audience (the rest of the class that is watching) can discuss how the sculptures inspired the characters, movements and actions. After the performances, facilitate a discussion on: what stories did the sculptures inspire; how did music, movement and dialogue enhance the story; and what emotions or messages did the sculptures convey through the performance? The outcome: this activity helps students connect with India’s rich heritage of temple art while encouraging teamwork, storytelling and creativity. By integrating music, movement and dialogue, they learn to bring history to life in an engaging and imaginative way. A note to the teacher adds that though this is presented as a classroom activity, the story performances can be presented in front of the school audience or in the assembly to motivate the children.

What you should learn

• Explain the objective of Stories in Stone and its five steps.
• Choose sculpture pictures from the book, your surroundings, travels, or your Social Science teacher, and imagine the figures’ lives, emotions and actions.
• Build a group story (4–6 students) connecting the sculptures, arranged like a comic strip.
• Add all five art-form layers: visual art, movement, dialogue, music/songs, and folk storytelling.
• Rehearse keeping the story clear and focused, perform for the class, and reflect on the three discussion questions.

Try it — Activity 20.1, step 1: preparation

1. Look at all the sculpture and stone-carving pictures in the book, across all four sections.
2. Find more pictures from around you or from places you have travelled (gods, dancers, warriors, animals, everyday life scenes).
3. Discuss with your Social Science teacher for more sculpture pictures for the story.

Try it — Activity 20.1, step 2: story creation

1. Form groups of 4–6 students; examine the sculptures and imagine the figures’ lives, emotions and actions.
2. With your teacher’s help, create a story connecting the sculptures meaningfully — a warrior statue’s heroic adventure, a festival scene with dancers and musicians, a divine story with gods and mythical creatures, or a simple tale of common people.
3. Arrange the pictures in story order, almost like a comic strip, as creatively and uniquely as possible.

Try it — Activity 20.1, step 3: incorporating art forms

1. Visual art: draw the story parts that have no pictures, inspired by Phad or Patachitra, using varied materials and techniques.
2. Movement: use dance, body movements and gestures for the sculptures’ hastas and postures.
3. Dialogue: write short dialogues or monologues from the sculptures’ expressions or postures, moving the story forward.
4. Music/songs: add traditional music or create simple songs; clap, hum or use available instruments for rhythm.
5. Folk storytelling: incorporate Phad storytelling, Harikathe, or another local form you have seen.

Try it — Activity 20.1, steps 4–5: rehearsal, presentation, reflection

1. Rehearse with movement, music and dialogue; add interesting parts but keep the story clear and focused.
2. Perform for the class; the audience discusses how the sculptures inspired characters, movements and actions.
3. Reflect together: what stories did the sculptures inspire; how did music, movement and dialogue enhance the story; what emotions or messages did the sculptures convey?
4. Optional: present the performances to the school audience or in assembly.

Chart / Table: Stories in Stone — the five steps

Step	What you do
1. Preparation	Gather sculpture pictures from the book, surroundings, travels, and your Social Science teacher
2. Story creation	Groups of 4–6 imagine the figures’ lives, emotions and actions, and connect them in story order
3. Incorporating art forms	Visual art, movement, dialogue, music/songs, folk storytelling
4. Rehearsal and practice	Rehearse with movement, music and dialogue; keep the story clear and focused
5. Presentation and reflection	Perform for the class; discuss inspiration, enhancement, and emotions/messages

Practice set — try it yourself

1. What is the objective of Activity 20.1, Stories in Stone?
   Hint: Hint: creativity and collaboration, from sculptures to a performed story.
2. List the five steps of Stories in Stone in order.
   Hint: Hint: preparation, story creation, incorporating art forms, rehearsal, presentation/reflection.
3. Name three sculpture pictures the chapter lists for preparation.
   Hint: Hint: Pattadakal, Mumbai cave, Halebidu Ganesh, Mahabalipuram, Hampi, Darasuram, Kanyakumari, Thanjavur, Qutub Minar, Sanchi — pick any three.
4. What are the five art-form layers added in step 3?
   Hint: Hint: visual art, movement, dialogue, music/songs, folk storytelling.
5. What are the three reflection questions after the performance?
   Hint: Hint: stories inspired; enhancement by music/movement/dialogue; emotions/messages conveyed.

Questions with Answers

1. What is Chapter 20 about, and what is its single activity?
   Chapter 20, Integration of All Art Forms — Sculptures Come Alive, imagines all the art forms learnt in the book coming together into one unique experience. Its single activity is Activity 20.1, Stories in Stone, whose objective is to inspire creativity and collaboration by using ancient sculptures as a starting point to build a story, then bringing it to life through performance with music, movement and dialogue.
2. Describe step 1 (preparation) and step 2 (story creation).
   Preparation: look at all the sculpture and stone-carving pictures in the book, across all four sections, and find more from around you or from places you have travelled (gods, dancers, warriors, animals, everyday life scenes); discuss with your Social Science teacher for more pictures. Named pictures include the carved wall of the 7th-century Pattadakal temples (UNESCO site), a rock-cut Buddha-era cave in Mumbai, a 12th-century Ganesh sculpture at Halebidu, Mahabalipuram, Hampi, Darasuram, a South Indian temple wall, the Thiruvalluvar sculpture at Kanyakumari, a Chhattisgarh temple, Gangaikondacholisvaram Temple, Brihadeeswarar Temple at Thanjavur, Qutub Minar, and the Sanchi Stupa with its Jataka Tales. Story creation: groups of 4–6 examine the sculptures, imagine the figures’ lives, emotions and actions, and with the teacher’s help create a story connecting them meaningfully — a warrior statue’s heroic adventure, a festival scene with dancers and musicians, a divine story with gods and mythical creatures, or a simple tale of common people — arranging the pictures in story order, almost like a comic strip, as creatively and uniquely as possible.
3. What five art-form layers are added in step 3?
   Visual art: draw the story parts without pictures, inspired by Phad or Patachitra, with varied materials and techniques. Movement: dance, body movements and gestures representing the sculptures’ hastas and postures. Dialogue: short dialogues or monologues inspired by the sculptures’ expressions or postures, moving the story forward. Music/songs: traditional music or simple created songs, with clapping, humming or available instruments for rhythm. Folk storytelling: Phad storytelling, Harikathe, or another local form seen by the students.
4. What happen in steps 4 and 5?
   Rehearsal and practice: each group rehearses its story with movement, music and dialogue, adding interesting parts while keeping the story clear and focused. Presentation and reflection: each group performs for the class, the audience discusses how the sculptures inspired characters, movements and actions, and the class reflects on what stories the sculptures inspired, how music, movement and dialogue enhanced the story, and what emotions or messages the sculptures conveyed. Performances may also be presented to the school audience or in assembly.
5. What is the outcome of the activity?
   Students connect with India’s rich heritage of temple art while building teamwork, storytelling and creativity, learning to bring history to life in an engaging and imaginative way — the book’s closing message that art speaks to mind and heart beyond words.

Extension Questions — for deeper understanding

1. Why is Chapter 20 placed last, and why does it have no new technique to learn?
   Because it is a finale, not a fresh lesson: its work is to combine everything already learnt — dance, music, storytelling, drawing — into one performance. A new technique here would distract from the integration the chapter exists to practise.
2. How does the comic-strip arrangement help a group tell a story from still sculptures?
   Still pictures have no built-in order, so arranging them in story sequence creates the narrative: first picture, then next, then next. The audience reads the story through the sequence, just as in a comic, with the group’s drawings filling gaps where no sculpture picture exists.
3. Why does the chapter ask groups to discuss with the Social Science teacher?
   Because the sculptures are also history: the teacher can supply more pictures and keep the imagined stories grounded in real heritage, so creativity builds on knowledge rather than on invented facts about the monuments.
4. A group’s story is exciting but the audience cannot follow it. What does the chapter advise?
   To keep the story clear and focused during rehearsal, even while adding interesting parts. Creativity serves the story; if additions confuse the audience, they work against the performance’s purpose.
5. How do the reflection questions complete the learning?
   They turn performance into study: what stories the sculptures inspired (imagination), how music, movement and dialogue enhanced the story (integration), and what emotions or messages came through (meaning). Without reflection, the activity would be only a show; with it, it is learning.
6. If your group chose only sculptures of dancers, what story could you still build?
   Any coherent story works — for example, a festival scene in which the dancer figures prepare, perform and celebrate, with musicians added through music and dialogue. The chapter’s four example story types are suggestions, not limits; the requirement is a meaningful connection, not a particular plot.

How to use this page: Read the summary, say the Key Terms in your own words, then try the practice set without looking. Check your answers against Questions with Answers, and ask your teacher or parent to check your work.