AP Art History starts year in a prehistoric cave

Dr. Gravel’s AP Art History students didn’t just learn about prehistoric art on their first day of class—they lived it. To kick off Unit 1, Dr. Gravel transformed her classroom into a prehistoric cave. The room was dimly lit with lanterns and candles, and students used charcoal to sketch animals and human figures on simulated “cave walls.”

The immersive activity wasn’t just for fun—it illustrated the way early artwork reveals what mattered most to cultures without a written language. Students discussed why animals were depicted with intricate detail while people were drawn as simple stick figures: animals were vital to survival, as they provided food in a world where the next meal was never guaranteed.

Using charcoal connected students to history in another way—it’s an organic material that archaeologists and historians rely on for radiocarbon dating, stratigraphic dating, and contextual evidence to understand when and why buried art was made.

Students left with a deeper appreciation for the idea that art is more than images on a wall—it is a record of survival, culture, and human experience. As one student shared, “It felt like we were really in a cave making history.” Another commented, “How cool it was… this is where it all started.”

By stepping into the past, students began to see how art tells the story of humanity when words are not available.

Using charcoal connected students to history in another way—it’s an organic material that archaeologists and historians rely on for radiocarbon dating, stratigraphic dating, and contextual evidence to understand when and why buried art was made.

Students left with a deeper appreciation for the idea that art is more than images on a wall—it is a record of survival, culture, and human experience. As one student shared, “It felt like we were really in a cave making history.” Another commented, “How cool it was… this is where it all started.”

By stepping into the past, students began to see how art tells the story of humanity when words are not available.