Spring Up...

Despite the snow and sleet that February brings, spring up your lessons plans with the arts. Teachers like Otis Ware (social students), Derrick Moore (science), and Sarah Shauger (math) at Friendship Collegiate Academy in Washington, D.C., have implimented arts-based curriculum and have found them to be very helpful to engage their students.

"I brought out my drums to introduce a lesson," Mr. Moore said. He wanted to students to get excited about a new science concept and tapped into his music background to get things started.

Using the arts allows students to become involved beyond their textbooks. The arts help to bring text alive in every subject area. Students create geometric mobiles, create songs to help students comprehend history lesson, illustrate stories in language arts, or create an infomercial about the periodic table of elements.

In a professional development session at Friendship Collegiate Academy, science teacher Anthony Sessom asked for ways to introduce his lesson about Mars. His colleagues suggested that students go on a scavenger hunt for items that are associated with Mars or have the word mars in them. For instance, students might bring in a Mars bar, or a moon pie for every moon around Mars. Mr. Sesssoms was even challenged to wear red the week he taught the lesson as a symbolic color of Mars.

The classroom can become a stage or a music, dance, or art studio where learning can take place. Teachers, step outside of the textbook box to discover new ways to reach our children.

For additional arts-integrated lesson plans, visit www.crayola.com or http://www.dickblick.com/ or read about the movement of arts-based learning through http://www.imaginationstage.org/.

FOR COLLEGIATE M.O.N.A.R.C.H. TEACHERS ONLY:

Congratulations to Dr. Jennifer Heckard. She will be traveling to Germany as a Fulbright Fellow!