Academics and More New PTC grant secured for teacher site visits
One of two 2nd grade totem pole projects created during a Native American unit that combined art and social studies skills.
Using art to enhance learning RIVERDALE GRADE SCHOOL – Art teacher Liz Randall makes a point of creating projects related to her students’ math, science or social studies lessons. These may include botanical drawings, animated simple machines or creative visual representations of insects, fish, flags and cities. "Usually the project will talk about an element of what they are learning in class and they will be visually depicting that," she says. "This is also tied to art standards because they need to see how art connects to the rest of the world." For example, the 2nd grade is studying Northwest Coast Native Americans and researching the tribes in each region. Throughout this unit, the 2nd grade teachers focused on the overarching question, "How did the land influence a culture?" Students learned about the common characteristics of the Northwest environment and how Native Americans used the land for food, transportation, shelter and tools. They read Native legends and crafted button blankets to represent their own made-up versions. They also made cedar-bark rubbings while discovering the many different uses for this version of the tree of life. Concurrently, Mrs. Randall taught students about the specific art style these tribes used, including shapes, colors and symbolism. Then she helped students create individual sections of a totem pole that were assembled into one large pole. Students also worked on a second, smaller totem with their classroom teachers that featured animals to symbolize their family members. Next time you ask your student about their studies, remember to ask how their art connects to their classroom learning.
Riverdale Review
RIVERDALE GRADE SCHOOL – Thanks to a generous new grant from the Parent Teacher Club, grade school teachers will have the opportunity to spend a day observing a teacher at another school — or even within Riverdale — for inspiration and to learn new tools. Teachers are encouraged to seek out programs or practices they are interested in replicating at Riverdale. While they are just beginning to consider their choices, possible examples could include outings to observe literacy lessons in action, explore handson practices, discover new ways to incorporate technology and see other innovative options for talented and gifted learners or special education, among other varied ideas. "The options are endless and we look forward to how these perspectives will add to our great work and outstanding programming for students," says Principal Joanna Tobin, who adds the site visits will likely affirm the really great work our teachers are doing. In fact, the grant request was inspired by a team of Colorado educators from Academy District 20 that recently visited Riverdale schools to learn from our educational practices. Each year, this large
district selects a new city and identifies schools that provide interesting approaches to a specific topic. This year, the trip’s focus was on projectbased learning and socialemotional learning. Principal Tobin says, "They selected us for both reasons and provided extremely positive feedback on our social-emotional learning opportunities." The visitors were also impressed with our K12 smallschool model, focus on the Habits of Mind, and early release time designated specifically for professional development and teacher collaboration. Riverdale’s grant funds will pay for substitute coverage in order to make local site visits a reality for teachers who wish to participate. Teachers must clearly identify what they wish to gain from the experience before their requests will be approved. Afterward, they will be asked to reflect on and share the strategies, ideas or tools they witnessed and explain how they can be adapted for use in their own classrooms. They’ll also note what made them walk away thinking, "Gosh, I really am doing a great job with this already." Our teachers, who are all lifelong learners, are excited for the PTC’s support in making this new learning opportunity a reality.
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