Arts Integration at School 12

Arts Integration is thriving at School 12!

In this arts integration project, the third graders at School 12 were reading about the Native Americans and the history of the Ojibwa tribe and dream catchers. 

"Dream catchers can be traced back to the Ojibwes. The Ojibwe people started the phenomenon and over time, dream catchers became adopted by other tribes, cultures and even Nations."

LINK

 An art activity was incorporated (creating dreamcatchers) to provide students with a more authentic experience for studying the history of the Native American Ojibwa tribe and dream catchers that they were reading and writing about.  WPU PIR Mrs. Sandler had the students create dream catchers with recycled cardboard, string, beads and feathers. 

First they measured and cut out cardboard circles.

 

Students were able to weave in a pattern that left spaces for the good dreams to pass through the openings with yarn.They also added beads and feathers.

 The teacher followed up this lesson with a literacy lesson showing realistic fiction, sentence sequence format, and critical analysis of the text.

'Arts integration seems to be the best form of differentiation out there because it taps into so many different interests and abilities and forms of learning.' LINK

This kindergarten lesson (below) was also done at School 12 in conjunction 
with WP Arts Integration PIR Simone Sandler.  First classroom teacher Mrs. Pierre read her students a book about a cat . 

Next, Mrs. Sandler went over the sight words in the story as the students created a three dimensional foldable.