Teach the youngest children about totem poles from a children's picture book on the subject. "Totem Pole" by Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith is a book about a boy whose father is a modern day carver. "Totem Poles and Tribes" is another book for children about totem poles by Nancy Lyons. After reading the books, let children work on their own totems with drawing paper and crayons. Have children use modeling clay to construct small totem poles.
Older elementary school children can construct their own totem poles with construction paper and cardboard paper towel tubes. Use a separate piece of brown construction paper to create four or five sections about 3 inches wide. Ask children to draw animals typically used in totem poles, such as salmon and bear, with one animal in the center of each section. Then, glue the paper to the cardboard rolls. Let them cut out wings and arms from another piece of paper and glue them to the totem poles.
Middle school students should visit a museum with totem poles or look at slides and photographs of actual totem poles. Direct students to analyze the construction process and the mythology behind totem poles. Middle school students should speculate on the cultural importance of the totem poles. Let the students choose animals with which to design their own totem on a round paper plate. Using Native American design sensibilities, students construct their own symbolic animal designs. Then, lead the class in building a public totem pole with air-dry clay using a few of their designed animals.
High school and college students should make a more in-depth study of Native American tribes that used totem poles. Have them conduct research that they then apply toward a well-developed creative project. For instance, let them carve their own totem poles from balsa wood, a soft, light wood, and present them and their meaning. Alternatively, have students write or illustrate their own totem mythologies.