Lower School

INTEGRATING THE ARTS

Students most remember the lessons that involve more than books, paper, and pencils. Frequently, it is our projects that create the most memorable moments in an American Section Lower School education. Student work includes many forms of creative expression, such as paper bag book reports, creating book characters out of bottles, dressing up as a favorite planet and reporting on it, or integrating gestures and songs to enhance lessons. Adding a creative element to an assignement is a valuable way to enhance learning and make it more fun (see related article on page 11).

We have a fantastic art program in which students learn about line, shape, and color. They build observation skills and produce amazing work. But art in education involves much more than creating art. It is an integrated element of our curriculum, with students from first through fifth grade benefitting. True and deep integration of the arts with academic learning is a powerful way to enhance student enthusiasm and improve information retention. The crux of it all is that the ‘arts’ skill is studied equally to that of the targeted academic skill. Instead of just drawing a picture, students master the skill required to make that drawing. The depiction is then representative of academic learning.

Imagine studying the metamorphosis of a butterfly. Then think of the powerful difference between gluing pasta to a paper plate versus dramatizing that learning through movement and dance. Both teach the various stages of a butterfly’s life, but one is vastly more engaging, imparting a long-lasting impact on learning. Extending our level of integration, we can study the science of metamorphosis and better understand the movements and gestures that would then be combined to perform the dramatization – a full immersion in the subject. Add a costume that represents the metamorphosis and you have a real winner.

Incorporating this type of deeper study into our sixhour per week curriculum is a real challenge and, admittedly, it does not happen every day. It takes a lot of knowledge, planning, coordination, and experience to be successful. We do a lot of our deeper integration during the Lower School’s Project Week. This dedicated week gives our students a true experience in arts integration, as they study a subject tied to a particular theme while completing a creative project that embodies the knowledge gained from the lessons.

Last year, for example, Project Week found students studying portraiture while learning about the life and artistic techniques of creators such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Kehinde Wiley, or Alexander Calder. They examined works by the artist and, in so doing, were able to apply their learning to produce their own piece of creative art in the style of the artist. This was not a lesson in copying an artist’s work. Students were tasked with using their thinking skills to make an accurate representation of themselves in the final piece. They also mastered the artistic skills involved in producing a recognizable piece of art. The finished products were amazing.

In previous years, we have studied topics such as comics and animation. Students learned about stopmotion animation and paired that with story writing. They first prepared a storyboard and props, then, they used an iPad to make their own stop-motion video. Once, many years ago, the theme of Project Week was water. Students studied oil spills and learned about the reactions of oil on water. Building on this knowledge, they learned to make marbled paper. Another year we learned about orchestras and conductors. Students then made costumes, dressed up as conductors, and dramatized the act of conducting.

Project Week is often one of our students best memories from their Lower School years. For over 30 years, Project Week has also allowed us to give our students a quality experience with arts integration.

Beccy Haugen, Lower School Principal