STEAM Art Projects Continue to Expand at NRC/New Roberto Clemente School

At the New Roberto Clemente School, a new collaborative STEAM art project is in the works. Led by Geraldine R. Dodge-funded STEAM Art Professor in Residence Triada Samaras, NRC teachers in all content areas are brainstorming a collaborative STEAM quilt.  This school-wide art project will be eventually hung in the student cafeteria of the NRC building.  Students who attend NRC on Saturdays will be able to gaze upon and interact with this quilt as well as students eating lunch in the cafeteria all week long.
The idea for this quilt first arose after the success of the large, collaborative paper hanging sculpture, Racimo of Reflection, specifically at the All Paterson Student Art Exhibition in March 2016.  LINK  Creating Racimo of Reflection collectively inspired teachers to brainstorm a second collaborative STEAM project and Art PIR Triada Samaras encouraged the teachers to think outside the box.

The idea for a "quilt" arose when art teacher Wendy Roche created the first “prototype” of a quilt piece, inspiring the rest of the teachers to think creatively with her.  Teachers decided that any classroom who wished could produce a quilt square with their students in the classrooms.  In addition, teachers decided that each square would communicate something about their subject using art materials.  The quilt- project would moreover be a way to de-stress the students after strenuous testing this month, e.g. the PARCC Assessment.

Technology teacher Janette Selino suggested that the quilt squares be entered into a school-wide competition for an end of year prize.  (Enrollment in this competition will be strictly voluntary.) In the past few weeks, teacher interest and participation are quickly growing. Teachers that have not yet participated in a STEAM project at NRC are now excited to join the new STEAM collaboration. More quilt news to come!

 

Above Left;

Colorful chart created by art teacher Wendy Roche to illuminate the infinite possibilities using folded paper on a quilt piece to achieve a wide variety of visual effects.

Sketch above by art teacher Wendy Roche who first envisioned the quilt to be a sort of tapestry.

In other STEAM news at NRC:

Ms. Monique Aramayo, art teacher has been doing a math/art project with her students.  Teaching them about radial symmetry and the mathematical components of a symmetrical circle pattern, Ms. Aramayo has encouraged her students to draw with pencil, then paint with tempera to create these extraordinary paintings.

Taken together as a whole these radial symmetry paintings resemble a large rug or beautiful wall hanging.
Students worked on these radial symmetry paintings with paints and papers provided by the Geraldine R. Dodge STEAM grant.

In another new technology/art STEAM project, Ms. Monique Aramayo (pictured above) demonstrates the use of technology to assess her art students using an app named Plickers. This powerful tool allows teachers to collect real-time formative assessment data without the need for student devices. Below are the materials created by Ms. Aramayo for her students to use when she is collecting data with Plickers.

In the “Basket of Math” project (see images below) , math teacher Ms. Vancheri collaborated with art teacher Ms. Roche to create this colorful and artistic basket of equations.  Ms. Vancheri had students utilize the Pythagorean Theorem to determine unknown side lengths of right triangles to solve mathematical problems.  (See rubric below.)  In addition math students wrote their equations onto colorful egg shapes.  With the help of art teacher Ms Roche, a delightful handwoven basket was created, making the math wall visually as well as mathematically inspiring.

 

In the lobby of NRC, 8th grade algebra teacher Ms. Natalie Diaz (pictured below) created a spectacular bulletin board celebrating Albert Einstein and National Pi Day.  Her students worked with the Sierpinski Triangle (see below) and created new formations that were placed onto this bulletin board.

 

The Sierpinski Triangle is a mathematically generated pattern that can be reproducible at any magnification or reduction. It is named after the Polish mathematician Waclaw Sierpiński but appeared as a decorative pattern many centuries prior to the work of Sierpiński. LINK

Ms Diaz also taught her students about the Menger Sponge (see above).  In mathematics, the Menger sponge (also known as the Menger universal curve) is a fractal curve. It is a three-dimensional generalization of the Sierpinski carpet, though it is slightly different from a Sierpinski Sponge.  The Menger sponge simultaneously exhibits an infinite surface area and zero volume.  LINK


In addition several fabulous STEAM bulletin boards have been recently created throughout NRC by teachers of various disciplines. Below, science and social studies teacher Ms. Munem explains how her interactive "Renewable vs. Non-Renewable Energy Sources" bulletin board combines art and science.

Another inspiring example is Ms. Flores's Spanish class which created an interactive Art/Spanish/Science bulletin board using the same art strips used for the NRC Racimo of Reflection project in a whole new way.

Adding Trees at School 2

At School 2 Mrs. Casais’ second grade students were learning to solve addition problems in math.   At the same time, in science, they were studying the structure and function of trees, and how important trees are to our lives.  Students engaged in a project that incorporated both these math and science topics.  
 

Working in pairs, the students were asked to design and create tree houses out of popsicle sticks, markers, crayons, yarn, and recycled cardboard.  A requirement was that each tree had to incorporate a certain addition number fact. 

Art PIR Sandler, who developed the lesson, showed the students photos of houses being built so they could observe the importance of shapes in house construction.  The students had to take into consideration such topics as:  what shapes would they use to create their houses; could their trees support their houses; how would they get into their tree houses.  (Note the ladder in the picture below.)

Students encountered several difficult problems in the construction of their houses, but solved them by communicating with their partners and with the support of Mrs. Casais and Mrs. Sandler.

The students recorded their procedures and descriptions of their tree houses in their journals.

School 7 Seventh Grade Students Consider How to “Nurture Nature”

On March 31st, seventh grade students from Paterson School 7 spent the day at William Paterson University's Ben Shahn Art Galleries engaging in activities that integrated art and science.  They were accompanied by Science Teacher Marla Arrington, Student Teacher and Woodrow Wilson Fellow Sue DeNardo, Art Teacher Vernon Nealy, ScienceTeacher Tracy Pearson, Art PIR Myra Winter, and Geraldine R. Dodge Grant Coordinator Dina Scacchetti.

The day began with a tour of the current exhibition, Living Together: Nurturing Nature in the Built Environment.  This exhibition features living plants as well as photography, drawing, and collage, and addresses, “our complex, mediated, and often fraught relationship with the natural world.”  The exhibition ties in perfectly with a project-based learning effort that the seventh graders are engaged in:  the development of a sustainable village ecosystem, in which criteria such as food/water sources, energy sources, waste disposal/decomposition systems, habitat conservation, and architecture all have to be ecologically sound.  In the pictures below Director of University Galleries Kristen Evangelista leads the discussion about the exhibition.

In the picture at the right students interact with a “beanbag” chair created from recycled materials that mimic artifacts of nature.

 

After seeing the exhibition, the students adjourned to a classroom where Adjunct Professor Gina Miccinili, Gallery Manager Emily Johnsen, and Gallery Interns Kristina Sternesky and Mitchel Sybesma led the students in an art activity.  Each student was supplied with a terracotta flowerpot, and access to acrylic paints of various colors.  They were invited to paint the pots in individual and creative ways.  Some students’ work was very representational, while others developed abstract designs.

                

While the paint on the pots was drying, students toured the   College of Science and Health’s greenhouse, in which different rooms mimic different ecosystems.  Professor Michael Wyrwa showed students plants that have adapted to different environments in various ways.  For example cactus plants have adapted to desert environments by reducing their water loss.  Certain plants that grow in poor soil have developed means to “capture” insects and “digest” them to obtain needed nutrients.

The students also viewed some of the campus sculptures with Ms. Evangelista. In the process they identified and reviewed math vocabulary and concepts that were used in the creation of these artworks






Next, students returned to the classrooms, where the gallery interns gave a brief lesson on seed germination. 

 
The students then found their individual pots, filled them with potting soil, and planted seedlings of herbs, e.g. dill and/or basil.  They were provided with instructions on how to “nurture” their plant.





 
 
At the end of this highly productive and fascinating day, each student left with a painted pot in which a seedling had been planted.  Let’s hope they grow! Transportation for the trip was provided through William Paterson University’s Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation Grant.

Gala Reception held at Paterson Museum for the All Paterson Student Art and STEAM Art Exhibition!

On March 7, 2016, the Gala Reception for the All Paterson Student Art and STEAM Art Exhibition was held at the Paterson Museum at 2 Market Street in Paterson, NJ.  Students, teachers, families, administrators, and WP PIR's were all in attendance for this fabulous event which was catered by students attending the School of Culinary Arts, Hospitality, and Tourism.

Co-curator of the exhibition and SOIT Art Instructor, Marilyn Simon, formally opened the exhibition. (See image below)

A wide variety of excellent artworks in all media were on display at the Paterson Museum including drawings, collages, paintings, and sculpture.  In the center of the exhibition was a STEAM collaborative paper sculpture entitled "Racimo of Reflection," which was created by teachers in many different disciplines at the New Roberto Clemente School under the direction of (STEAM) Art PIR Triada Samaras. This sculpture was done under the auspices of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation STEAM grant. In the image below Art PIR Triada Samaras stands near "Racimo of Reflection."

At the entrance of the exhibition was a video of all the art teachers in Paterson commenting on their roles as art instructors in this lively and imaginative district.  In the image below, GOPA Art Instructor Darryl Jones can be seen speaking on the video.

Overall this gala reception proved to be an inspiring and successful event for the 

Paterson School District!

Left: (from left to right):  GOPA Art Instructor Darryl Jones, Art WPU Professor in Residence Triada Samaras, Dodge Grant Manager Dina Scacchetti, and art student.

Above:   Supervisor of Business, Technology, and Art Hafiz Salim observes student art works.  

Below right:  Dodge Grant Manager Dina Scacchetti speaks with Paterson School 29 Art Teacher JeriAnn Elson and exhibition viewer.

Above:  NRC Assistant Principal Romaine Royal and WPU Art PIR Triada Samaras.  

Below:  CAHTS Art Instructor Vivian Reyes and her students near their artworks.

Below WPU (STEAM) Art PIR Myra Winters views student artworks.

 The exhibition will be on display during normal museum hours until March 31, 2016

School 2 Sixth Graders study "Ebb and Flow" and "Trace Time"

On March 1st, sixth grade students from School 2 traveled to William Paterson University for a full day of art, science and math.  The day began at the Ben Shahn Art Galleries, where students visited the current exhibitions.  Director of WP University Galleries Kristen Evangelista, pictured below, led the students through the exhibition “Tai Hwa Goh:  Ebb and Flow,” in which New Jersey-based artist Tai Hwa Goh used printmaking and hand-waxing techniques to create “a site-specific installation that resembles landscapes and biological forms.” 

Gallery Manager Emily Johnson, at left, guided the students through the exhibition “Traces of Time:  Photographic Exploration of the Natural World,” which featured the work of four photographers who “utilize scientific research, conduct experimental studies, or embark on expeditions to capture the passage of time through changing landscapes, organic life cycles, or celestial activity.”

Dr. Martin Becker, Professor of Environmental Science, gave a presentation on fossils.  Students heard about, saw, and handled real fossils that had been found on the WP campus. 

  Led by Art PIR Simone Sandler, the students 
then engaged in an activity in which they made their own simulated "fossils" using modeling clay and plaster.  They used the paleontological vocabulary that Dr. Becker had taught, distinguishing between the terms cast and mold.  These terms are also the vocabulary of sculpture.  Below left Ms. Sandler explained to students how to make their fossils.  

 

The picture at the left shows the students' fossils drying; at the right are examples of the finished products.





Professor Michael Wyrwa took the students on a tour of the College of Science and Health’s greenhouse, in which different rooms mimic different ecosystems.  They heard about a beachgrass experiment.  Beachgrass is a stabilizer of sand dunes, and the New Jersey shoreline that suffered damage by Hurricane Sandy might benefit from beachgrass-stabilized dunes.


The students then viewed some of the campus sculptures with Ms. Evangelista, in the process identifying and reviewing math vocabulary and concepts that were used in the creation of the artworks.

After lunch at Ben Shahn, the students walked to Shea Performing Arts Center.  They attended the Midday Artist Series:  Student Recital, which featured performances by WP Music Education students.

Transportation for the trip was provided through WP’s Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation Grant.