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I have created another web log on arts education. This site will house current information on the state of Arts Education as well as ongoing community projects and lesson plans.

Reading Respones

Week One:
- Chapter 1: By far the most useful part of this chapter is the 11 reasons why the arts should be integrated into the curriculum. The most meaningful for me is #5 “The arts provide avenues of achievement for students who might otherwise not be successful.” (Pg 5) In my work as a director at a camp for kids with LD’s the music and art therapy programs excelled in promoting a sense of confidence and achievement to students whose academic records were poor. Through the arts students were able to engage in a process of meaning making, propelling their self-awareness and self worth.
- The Role of Artistic Play: An art student myself, I have always enjoyed the fact that I had options and control of my projects. I was really able to demonstrate what was most meaningful to my learning in ways that made sense to me. This article calls for this type of experiential learning, citing that children need the time to play in constructive ways that will develop their understanding of themselves and their surroundings. I especially enjoyed the link between making choices, communicating these choices and receiving feedback on these choices – this is an excellent process for students to go through and play is an excellent medium.

Week Two:
- Chapter 2: This chapter demonstrates the importance of meaningful integration of the arts throughout the academic curriculum. Of particular importance is the list of principles and strategies that should be consulted for integration. (Pg 36) This list of 10 ideas provides teachers with a strong foundation for creating arts-based units and integration across the curriculum. I especially liked numbering 2, teaching arts concepts and skills. It is a huge pet peeve of mine when teachers do ‘soft’ integration of art into other curriculum areas such as “paint a picture of a rain forest.” For it to be a meaningful integration, teachers must also provide lessons on HOW to paint, the concepts behind the elements of painting and proper examples of artistic work. This ‘hard’ integration provides a more rich and meaningful experience for the student.
- A Community Art Museum Celebrates Diversity: I spoke more directly to this article in my entry on the cultural museum activity. I thought it was a great basis and written in a manner that could inspire teacher’s to create a program in their schools. I still have concerns that without proper consultation, this could turn into an objectified ‘turnstile’ event rather than a therapeutic approach to differences. I will have to conduct more research on this I think.
- Keepers of the Earth: I want this book! I love resources that integrate tradition and modern usage and this book does both – the teacher’s guide allows for succinct lesson planning that refers to the material and allows for expansion. I am personally quite interested in First Nations culture and always have been – this was a great addition to this course. Like many cultures, the arts and arts concepts run deep in Native traditions, gaining exposure to this in an academic way was very important for me.

Week Three:
- Chapters 5&6: These two chapters offer a wealth of information on reasons why and how to integrate the visual arts into the curriculum. Even for someone with a strong arts background, these chapters are relevant and integral for arts education. I love the handy hints and format of these chapters. They are easy to read and what’s more – easy to reference for future, more practical usage.
- Activities for Creating Pictures and Poetry: I loved this selection so much I have actually purchased the book. As my degree is in Art History and cultural heritage education, I love resources that bring together art history and practice and these activities are fun and worthwhile.

Week Four:
- Keepers of Life: This chapter demonstrates a meaningful and useful integration between the normally distinct disciplines of art and science. In many ways art is a science and science is an art. Using tradition, this article shows their homeostatic relationship.
- Material Culture in the Classroom: DO

Week Five:
- Chapters 7&8: Like chapters 5&6, these are very chalked full of information on the process of drama education. In the French immersion programme at my high school, I was allowed to take Gr. 10 drama in French. This was an excellent method of improving my communication skills in another language to become more proficient and understanding of the subtleties of the spoken word. PLUS DRAMA IS FUN!!!!
- Reaching Inner-City Youngsters Through the Arts: This is my dream. I think in many ways I was meant to complete a program like this. I still need to do a lot of work in this area of working with Inner-City youth and practical arts Ed experiences but the research has proven TIME and TIME again how effective the arts can be.

Week Six:
- Chapters 11&12: Like 5, 6, 7&8, these two chapters deal with the music curriculum and integration. By far my weakest of arts areas, these are two chapters I will return to as I prepare music education lessons. I am lucky in that music runs deep in my family. My mother was a singer, two of my brothers are extremely musical and my other brother and myself are both able to read music and play instruments. For me, music is so important to understanding society – its one of the most primitive forms of artistic expression. In the words of Dick Clark “music is the soundtrack to our lives.”

Week Seven:
- Keepers of the Animals: Like the other two excerpts from this book, this chapter links the arts through the message of animal beings. This reminded me of the basic principles of drama that students employ from the very beginning “let’s pretend”. What is important in this book is that the story is presented in conjunction with discussion topics and activities to consolidate the learning. It’s a one-stop resource for teachers making it highly useful and usable.

Week Eight:
- Chapter 14: WOHOOO assessment! Ask any teacher candidate in the PJ stream and they will tell you they want to know more about assessment. Here is an entire chapter on assessment and the arts AND its not solely based on assessing provincial curriculum. Not only does this chapter provide information on how and what to assess, it provides assessment tools to try out and adapt to suit your own needs. AMAZING!

Alice Williams - Quilter, a response

I was very moved by Alice Williams’s presentation on her personal history and quilt making. I very much enjoyed the process of listening to her explain her background and then link it to her quilting practice. I have always been quite interested in First Nations culture and found great value in having the opportunity to meet a practising First Nations artists.

Since my undergrad degree is in Art History, I was quite used to the format of the lecture on art and artefacts. While some of my peers found her lecture style to be bland and sterile, I enjoyed returning to my time as an art history student where sociology, cultural anthropology, critical and artistic practice are woven together. I felt that her lecture style spoke to another time, when storytelling was a vital component to the structure of cultural values.

I learned a great deal about her artwork, namely her integration of the medicine wheel, and her interpretation of that symbol. Having a common thread between works of art is central to many artists, what I liked about her integration of the medicine wheel was how it was never central to the design of the piece, meaning that there were more explicit elements for the eye to wander through, yet the wheel and its significance to the artist’s culture was never compromised.

I have been specially trained to listen to these types of lectures and to look at art and artefacts from many vantage points. I found it quite disconcerting and saddening in many ways, that some of my peers could not look past the format of the lecture to see the value not only in what was being said, but also in the method that it was being transmitted. I question their ability to inspire in their students the ability to look for meaning and importance in the events they witness.

Lastly, I found this lecture to be an excellent way of introducing the idea of quilts and their meaning and relevance to “story” cultures and material culture in general. I found that when I went to do my quilting piece I asked myself some interesting questions. What story does this piece tell? Who is it telling it to? Why am I telling this story? In the end my quilt piece became a story about two dolphins dancing in the starlit waves together. It is quite clear that they two dolphins enjoy each other’s company. A very good friend of mine is expecting her first child in May. It is my intent to embroider the details of her child’s birth onto the cloth and present it as a story of their love for their new child.

Creative Research Topic: Jane Ash Poitras

The image I have selected for this assignment is The Contrary, (1999) a mixed media collage on canvas by Canadian First Nations artist Jane Ash Poitras. There are many reasons for choosing such an important piece for this assignment, not least of which is my love for contemporary First Nations art. Jane Ash Poitras often works in mixed media and collage. Sometimes when working in the fine arts, students can feel limited by their artistic ability. Working in mixed media and collage can overcome this as the process of assembly and construction is more important that fine motor skill ability.

I have also chosen this specific piece for its connection to the Grade 6 Social Studies curriculum. While the majority of this curriculum is based in the past, it does have two very small, yet highly significant, specific expectations based on contemporary issues. This piece highlights the struggle between historical characters and contemporary stereotypes and overtly asks the viewer to examine them in conjunction with one another. Not only does this piece demonstrate contemporary concerns for First Nations people, it was created only a few years ago. It has been my experience that most visual aids used when teaching about the First Nations are more historical ethnological artefacts (or paintings by Paul Kane). This, on the other hand, is by an important, current, female artist.

I would show this picture after most of the historical data has been taught and students are beginning to form their own opinions of modern First Nations culture.
Some questions I would ask my students:

• What is going on in this picture?
• Who is represented?
• Who I not represented?
• How do you think it was made?
o How can you tell?
• What was this piece made?
o How do you know?
• Who created this piece?
o A man?
o A woman?
o What race of heritage do they come from?
• How do you know?
• What is this piece about?
• What would be a good title for this piece?
o Why?
• Why is this picture important?
• Why was it created?
• How does it relate to what we have already learned about First Nations people?
• If you had to make a picture about your culture what would you include?
• How would you go about finding out about your culture?
• How does this piece relate to the following quote?
o "Today, more and more Indians are becoming successful warriors and healers, storytellers and teachers in mainstream society, applying historical values to contemporary situations, proud and certain of their identity, successfully maintaining their culture as adapted to their new situation, and relying on the same spiritual resources that guided their ancestors."1

http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/template/index.php?action=output.loHome&id=1821&collectionId=1668&user=

Activity #9: Create your own Kalimba

Motivation:
- Introduce students to different musical instruments around the world.

Art Concepts:
- World Music
- Instrument Construction

Cross Curricular links:
- The concepts of music are quite easily linked to social studies allowing students a deeper understanding of the differences and similarities of cultures.

Equipment and Materials:
- For this activity we were constructing Kalimbas, materials will vary depending on the instrument being taught.
- Wood block
- Doweling
- Screws
- Screw drivers
- Popsicle sticks
- Wood strapping to hold down popsicle sticks
- Sandpaper

Step-by-Step Process or Procedure:
1. Show students an example of a kalimba and its sound.
2. Show students an example of a kalimba that you have constructed
3. Have students smooth the sides of the block with sandpaper
4. Drill holes in strapping.
5. Screw strapping in part way.
6. Slide Popsicle sticks in between the block and the strap.
7. Tighten until sticks are tight but still moveable.
8. Slide doweling under the Popsicle sticks.

REFLECTION: This piece is still ongoing - our next class will be a discussion with a practising musician - MORE TO COME

LINK TO TEXT: pg 360 information on how to make your own rhythm instruments.

Activity #8: What is Music?

Motivation:
- Introduce students to the concept of sound and music. “What is music to you?”

Art Concepts:
- Music
- Sound
- Environmental noise

Cross Curricular links:
- The concepts of sound are quite easily linked to science both in its physiology and its connection to the world around us.
- Students may also explore the different types of sounds in different environments.
- How does music change around the world? (Social Studies)

Equipment and Materials:
- Paper that says “this paper is a musical instrument – how would you use it?”

Step-by-Step Process or Procedure:
1. Discuss what sound is and where the line is between noise and music.
2. Give students a piece of paper and tell them to use it (and only it) to make noise.
3. Construct an orchestra by requiring each student to make a different sound with that paper.
4. Rotate the students through the role of the conductor.

REFLECTION: I think the power in this lesson lies in its simplicity. We were able to create a virtual orchestra with a single piece of paper per student. I liked how it question the notion of music and identified its roots in social convention. It allowed room for discussion and interpretation and for individual ideas to come through.

Mini-assignment: write down the noises around you
ON THE PLANE
whirrinngs, bussing, sniffles, coughing, dings from the call button, patter of feet, creaking of chairs, groans, whispers, talking

LINK TO TEXT: Chapters 11 and 12 discuss the role of Music in an integrated arts program. Like drama, many suggestions and strategies are presented.

Activity #7: Puppet Show

Motivation:
- Once the puppets have been made, inspire the students to come up with a creative way of using these puppets.

Art Concepts:
- Puppetry
- Play writing
- Dramatic performance

Cross Curricular links:
- Puppets can be used in the dramatic arts and in the oral communication portion of the Language Curriculum.
- Any subject matter can be linked to the theme of the play.
- This is also an excellent method of working on learning and interpersonal skill development.

Equipment and Materials:
- Puppets (purchased of made – see activity #6)
- Puppet theatre (table, science display boards, scrolling back drop etc.)
- Paints, fabric, found materials for ‘set decoration’

Step-by-Step Process or Procedure:
1. Depending on the order you choose, students could create a play based on their collective of puppets, or may create puppets to match a play. Students may also be required to write a play based on a specific theme or topic, or they may create a dramatic presentation based on a book, movie etc.
2. Allow time for set construction, script writing and practice.
3. Perform the shows in front of the class.

REFLECTION: This activity was an excellent way of putting our puppets to work. While it was rushed, the process of making the puppets and creating story to go along with it was absolutley hilarious. Despite being in the same class as my peers for close to 6 months, I had no idea how creative and inventive and out going they could be with a sock on their hands!

LINK TO TEXT: Chapter 7 is completly devoted to the use of drama througout the curriculum. Clear links and strategies are identified along with assessment and differentiated instruction strategies - worth a second read through.

Activity #6: Sock Puppets

Motivation:
- Introduce the notion of puppetry and its use in society
- Brainstorm different ways to make puppets
- Discuss the concept of making puppets out of found materials (socks)

Art Concepts:
- Puppetry
- Found Object

Cross Curricular links:
- Like bookmaking and quilting, students can create puppets based on a common theme to demonstrate learning.
- Puppets can be used in the dramatic arts and in the oral communication portion of the Language Curriculum

Equipment and Materials:
- Socks (new or used)
- Embellishments (sequins, fabric, buttons)
- Hot glue gun
- Fabric glue
- Cardboard for mouth piece

Step-by-Step Process or Procedure:
1. Have students cut a slit in their sock to insert the cardboard mouth
2. Hot glue a scored piece of cardboard to act as the mouth (assistance required)
3. Start creating the puppet. One method could be to have them brainstorm character traits and have them create a puppet to match – the opposite method would also be successful.
4. Decide what to do with the puppets (see next entry)

REFLECTION: I throughly enjoyed the puppet making process - while I have made many a puppet in my time - never had I made one out of socks. This puppet truly morphed throughout the process, begining as a mean rabbit, to a confused hippo to a rhino. I had no idea that Rhonny would be the result. While my peers chose to embellish thier puppets with buttons and feathers, I wanted to focus on the idea that a sock could be a sculpture. I used a lot of stiches and sculpting in ways I had never done before. I love my puppet!

LINK TO TEXT: pg. 203-204 The text provides an extensive list of puppet types and how to integrate them into your lessons.

Activity #5: Quilt making

Motivation:
- Guest speaker, Alice Williams, First Nations artist and quilter
- Introduce the topic of quilt making and give examples of quilts around the world
- Read books by Faith Ringgold or Patricia Polacco

Art Concepts:
- Quilt making / story quilts / Arpilleras
- Appliqué

Cross Curricular links:
- Like bookmaking, quilting is an excellent to consolidate learning through the arts.
- There are many ways in which quilts can be created, mathematical properties, social studies, and science.

Equipment and Materials:
For this particular project we opted for felt and glue but scrap pieces of fabric and sewing can also be used in older grades.

- Felt
- Fabric glue
- Scissors
- Books of images for student inspiration
- Embroidery Floss
- Needles
- Accents such as sequins and buttons

Step-by-Step Process or Procedure:
1. Have students look through books of relevant subjects for inspiration (in our case it was animal life)
2. Have them trace the image on to newsprint and cut out
3. Using one sheet of felt as a canvas, layer the design, materials on the canvas
4. Glue or sew into place
5. Have all the individual pieces on one wall to see the “quilt” effect.

REFLECTION: I love anything that would fall under "traditional crafts." When I worked at the Ontario Arts Council, this was always my favourite panel to run. I loved the way it was impossible to separate the history of the medium from the product, even in the most modern of cases. The process of quilt making has always been interesting to me too, and the power they have to convey such important stories. Faith Ringgold has always been a favourite artist of mine and it was nice to see her VERY important work integrated into the classroom so well.

http://faithringgold.com/ringgold/default.htm

LINK TO THE TEXT: pg 198-199 demonstrates the potential link between quilting and mathematics.

Activity #4: Bookmaking

Motivation:
- Read a variety of texts to students demonstrating point of view.
- Discuss the idea that books are made by people and start with an idea.
- Talk about the many ways that books are made and presented.

Art Concepts:
- Bookmaking and binding (in this case Star Folding Books and Accordion Books)

Cross Curricular links:
- Bookmaking is an excellent method for assessing student knowledge throughout the curriculum.
- While the specific act of making the book is based in the visual arts, the writing, potential research and presentation of the book can draw in elements from the entire curriculum.

Equipment and Materials:
- Construction paper or heavier weight paper
- Mod-podge for gluing
- Tissue paper and cardboard for decorative cover
- Brushes for the glue
- Scissors and rulers

Step-by-Step Process or Procedure:
1. The process for making books depends on the type of book being made.
2. The main concept remains the same for all types of books
a. Choose shape/book type
b. Cut paper according to required size
c. Bind together
- Please see resources section for specific instructions on the Star Folding Books.

REFLECTION: I loved the way the entire class gasped with the Star folding books were presented - that is the type of awe-inspiring reactions I hope to have in my own classroom. These are a perfect alternative to traditional holiday crafts, and an excellent way to demonstrate learning in the social studies curriculum. Students could make a different book on each strand that they learn.

LINK TO TEXT: Pg. 191-192 provides more step-by-step instruction on how to go about making books with students.

Here are two other books I found on bookmaking for my science unit:

Chapman, G., Robson, P. Making Books. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1991.
• Highly informational on different types of books and how to make them.
• This is a student/teacher resource.

Johnson, P. Making Books. Markham, ON: Pembroke Publishing, 2000.
• Provides many projects on making books of different shapes for different purposes.
• Includes step-by-step illustrations and photographs.
• Includes connection to Language curriculum.
• This is a student/teacher resource.

Activity #3: Cultural Museum

Motivation:
- Read the article “A community Art Museum Celebrates Diversity” by Kristin Congdon and Karen Branen
- Begin by thinking about things that are important to you, something that you may take with you wherever you go

Art Concepts:
- Creating your own museum
- Curatorial Techniques/Concepts
- Preservation of cultural and ethnological artefacts.

Cross Curricular links:
- Clear links to social studies, geography and history
- The idea could be transferred to all areas in that students could be asked to bring in their favourite objects about any thing (Math Museum etc.)

Equipment and Materials:
- Cards for identification purposes
- Exposure to museum displays and concepts (through visits or books)
- A personal object
- Display theatre (classroom, library etc.)

Step-by-Step Process or Procedure:
1. Discuss important objects of different cultures – how did they come to be important?
2. Describe the task.
3. Allow students time to think about and select an object.
4. Have them bring in their object and present it in a way that is meaningful to them.
5. Invite the community to participate if relevant.

REFLECTION: With a background in art history and museum studies, it was very hard for me not to be critical of this assignment. While I found the article to be very informative both on the process and the outcomes of a cultural museum in the school, I still have questions and concerns on the curatorial aspects of this museum. How does one prevent this from being a spectacle of objectification without more specific training. While I will use this lesson and idea in my classroom, I would hesitate to create a school-wide museum without consulting more informed sources.

LINK TO TEXT: pg. 193 - Museum scavenger hunt - this is a short plan to have students work through a list of elements to find in a museum - this could easily be linked to the cultural museum or used as an extension.

Activity #2: Printmaking

Motivation:
- Discussing patterns as they exist in nature
- Cut fruit and vegetables in half to look at the cross section
- Talk about designers (clothing and interiors) and discuss some of the objects they may use for inspiration

Art Concepts:
- Printmaking on Styrofoam sheets

Cross Curricular links:
- Easily linked to the history of printmaking (renaissance art blocks, modern printing presses)
- Mathematical concepts of shape, and symmetry
- Industrial design
- Social studies – use of printing around the world

Equipment and Materials:
- Styrofoam sheets (could use lunch plates)
- Block Ink
- Wax paper (to act as palette for rolling and mixing ink)
- Brayer (ink roller)
- Construction paper
- Newsprint for test pieces

Step-by-Step Process or Procedure:
1. Discuss elements of design (line, contour, depth etc.)
2. Draw the Design on paper
3. Transfer to Styrofoam (use light box or window on sunny day)
4. Ink the palette with the block ink.
5. Ink the plate using the brayer. If the ink rises off the brayer you have too much ink on it.
6. Lay the plate on the paper and press. Using the warmth of your hand, smooth over the surface.
7. Hang the piece to dry

REFLECTION: I love printmaking! I always have too. I can distinctly remember in the 4th grade having a visiting artist come to my school to do print making in large styrofoam blocks. We were allowed to use any image we wanted. I chose the Tamandua Ant Eater - an animal I had discovered during our unit on the rain forest. This animal followed me every where through out grade four showing up in my art works, drama presentations and short stories - a perfect example on how the sciences can be meaningfully integrated with the arts.

LINK TO TEXT: pg 188 speaks to the convention of printmaking.

Activity #1: Line Contour

Motivation:
- Elements of Design
- Thinking about line

Art Concepts:
- Contour Lines

Cross Curricular links:
- Science drawings, medical images
- Geometry and shapes in math
- Mapping skills

Equipment and Materials:
- Manila paper
- Pencil
- An object (in this case a shoe)

Step-by-Step Process or Procedure:
1. Discuss the use of line in other art forms
2. Ask students to draw a shoe from memory
3. Have them draw the shoe using an object. Keep the focus on the line of the shoe.

REFLECTION: I have always found contour drawing to be difficult. All through my arts training I would want to use a more expressive line. I have found that for me, a blind contour is often the only way to actually achieve the contour affect. This is a great opening activity to learning about line and drawing principles.

LINK TO THE TEXT: pg 186-187 give some examples of the different types of line ways of going about the principles of drawing.