Inquiry-based Arts Integration A model lesson by: Dominique Reid, Visual Art Gregory Richards, Kindergarten Prince George’s County Public Schools

Inquiry-based Arts Integration Arts Integration is a collaborative process of implementing artistic techniques, literacies, and habits across multiple disciplines to investigate authentic problems, deepen conceptual understandings, and elevate the role of creativity and artistry in teaching and learning.

MESSAGES ABOUT LEARNING www.ryanritchart.com Learning is doing… Learning starts with the learner’s own ideas… Learning involves getting personally involved… Questions drive learning and are also outcomes of learning… Learning involves uncovering complexity… Learning can be a group process and a group outcome… Learning and thinking can be made visible…

Collaboration This project took place over 2 months December through January during the Kindergarten Art time block (45 minutes/week). The art teacher worked in the kindergarten teacher’s room. 23 students 64% African American; 29% Latino; 8 ESOL

INSPIRATION BIG IDEA The organization of the community impacts our lives.

INSPIRATION EVOCATIVE QUESTION How does the organization of our community impact our lives?

INSPIRATION STANDARDS Art Standards Cr2. 3 INSPIRATION STANDARDS Art Standards Cr2.3.K: Create art that represents natural and constructed environments Cr3.1.K: Explain the process of making art while creating Non­-ArtStandards: (Social Studies) SS.K.1.C.1: Describe the roles, rights, and responsibilities of being a member of the family and school CC.SS.K.SL1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about Kindergarten topics and texts with peer and adults in small and larger groups.

INSPIRATION Understanding Goals Arts: Students will understand that the materials used to construct an environment are carefully selected. Students will understand that artists play an important role in communities. Social Studies: Students will understand that communities are fluid and changing. Students will understand that members of a community can influence how a community is organized.

INSPIRATION PROJECT Students will construct a community that they would like to live in using 3-D shapes and a variety of materials.

In Social Studies, students considered the following: EXPLORATION In Social Studies, students considered the following: What is a community? Who lives in a community? Who are the helpers in the community? How do you help? Who works in the community? What types of jobs do people have in the community? What are some of the rules and responsibilities in differing communities? Classroom? Home?

EXPLORATION In Art, students considered the following: What is a city? What buildings make up a city? Who lives/works in a city?

EXPLORATION In Social Studies, students investigated a community map and identified: Important places and spaces Features on the map A place they would like to add to their community

EXPLORATION In Art, students identified the 2D shapes used to create the buildings. Students created and drew an image of a building they would add to their community .

EXPLORATION - Draft After students decided what building they wanted to create they began constructing in groups of two. Students used butcher paper to create a 3-D replica of a place/space found in the city community.

EXPLORATION - Appraise During the development of the community, students assessed their creative process in a journal/ sketchbook to include images and text that relate to the organization of a community. Draw the shapes used in your artwork. Tell me about your work How do smaller shapes help to build bigger shapes? What do you like best? What would you change?

ELEVATION - Refine and also added things that are needed for a successful community. Students added details to their buildings…..

ELEVATION - Reflect Students refine their products. They add an artist statement: Tell me about your work; What did you create and how did you do it? How is this building helpful to the community?

ASSESSMENT

PRESENTATION - Evaluation Students shared their work and critiqued two panels. They identified what had been missing from their community and what they wanted.

PRESENTATION The students discussed what makes for a successful community. The work was displayed in a showcase for Kindergarten parents to view when they picked up their children.

Teacher Reflection - Art Teacher Overall, the students enjoyed this project and asked to do more; that was the best part for me. They were guided in the direction to create a community, but they had creative license to make any and everything they wanted/needed. When I first started this project I wanted to give the students the answers, but eventually I let them make the choices as to what should be in our community. In the end, the students were able to answers the questions posed in the beginning What is a city, What buildings make up a city, and Who lives/works in a city? We found that there were residential buildings, but lacked commercial (grocery, mall), or government (library, post office) to name a few. After this was noticed students wanted to add to their to community all the things we discovered were missing to make for a successful community.

Teacher Reflection - Kindergarten Teacher One of the rewarding experiences of arts integration is the ability to enhance the magnitude of a lesson by adding the arts component and collaborating at my school with arts educators who can provide a wealth of ideas seemingly instantly on a topic. At the MATI session in the summer, an arts educator and myself worked together to develop this lesson. We started with brainstorming important concepts within the Kindergarten curriculum that we could explore further in AI, and the arts educator seamlessly wove in artistic concepts that could fit with the academic content. Once we narrowed it down to community, and building a 3-D map, the plan developed quickly. It was rewarding to be able to bounce ideas around and see how social studies and the arts can connect for an enhanced series of lessons. As the students began the construction process, the enthusiasm was evident from the start. Not only that, but the ownership of the academic vocabulary both from the social studies and artistic concepts was noticeable. The students not only enjoyed putting the pieces of the map together, but could talk effectively and independently about each component of the community map that they were putting together. That was the ultimate goal, and it was great to see the smiles and the high energy towards the final product