Art Speaks! Program Highlights Gretna Middle School, Gretna, Louisiana Sheree Caminita and Barbara Phillips English/Language Arts Library 7 th grade honors

Artist: Charles White ( ) Title: Move On Up a Little Higher 1961, charcoal and Wolff carbon pencil on board, 40 3/16 x 48 1/4 in., National Museum of African American History and Culture, Museum purchase, TR Podcast by Dechel S., Gretna Middle School

WHY THIS ARTWORK WAS SELECTED We felt that the student was motivated by the artwork because it reminded her of her own life and beliefs in spirituality. It appeared that she became a part of or connected to the work of art and it became a part of her in that she really was able to grasp the emotions of the character. This caused her to be able to relate to what she saw and put it together to create a fantastic work of poetry.

Project Components RESEARCH COMPONENTS: Smithsonian American Art Website Smithsonian Oh Freedom! Website Leona Tate Website & students created interview questions Poetry for Kids Website Discovery Education FIELD TRIP: New Orleans African American Museum, art and history from early slavery to present day

LESSONS : Mini lesson on where to find web links on library website (created a Pathfinder) Mini lesson on the civil rights movement & explanation of Leona Tate Lesson on navigating the Smithsonian website and how to use “My Collections” Lesson on how to use the Oh Freedom! website & students begin researching artists/artwork Lesson on Visual Thinking Strategies & practice them by looking at different pieces of artwork How to create a collage & Roosevelt art samples (Ms. King, Art Teacher) Lesson on different types of poetry and how to write poetry Lesson on how to conduct an interview (questions to ask- appropriate/not appropriate, etc.)

Reflections How we implemented this project The Library Media Specialist and content teacher collaborated on this project by mapping out the project (a timeline), selecting meeting dates to do the project, and planning what would take place on each day that we would meet. They designed their lesson plan before beginning the projects, listing the resources needed for each meeting. They discussed who would be teaching which lessons. They decided that they would discuss the expectations of the assignment at the first meeting with students -what students would be learning, and what students would learn by the lesson’s end. Being prepared in this way helped the meetings with students to go smoothly and really enhanced each child’s experience because they understood what the expectations were and the task we expected them to complete.

Impact- Professional Development Ms. Phillips’ Professional Development Impact The Smithsonian Project had a positive impact on my professional development in such a way that it caused me to reflect upon the importance of my career. What an awesome opportunity to improve the lives of others by teaching them about life experiences. It also allowed me the flexibility to share knowledge of the Civil Rights Movement in a positive manner although there was a lot of negativity embedded in the movement. This task changed my thinking as well as teaching practices. (Regardless of negativity, many positive things can be birth out of disappointment) I began to see a higher level of student performance as we worked on this project. This was a wonderful experience which created inspiration towards a more dedicated profession.

Impact- Professional Development Ms. Caminita’s Professional Development Impact “I learned a great deal of information about Civil Rights compared to what I had previously had known about it. What really impacted my professional development was when Ms. Leona Tate described her experience. It really opened up my eyes to other things that had occurred that I had not known about and was not written in the history books that I taught my students. Having her speak to the students really put into perspective what was really going on during that time and has influenced me to teach future students and explain how things really were during that time period. I have also learned how to read art and I know what to look for in a work of art, especially using the Visual Thinking Strategy. This is something I feel I can use with many classes in the future when we integrate art with the different subject areas."

Impact on Students How I believe this project impacted my students……. (From the words of my students) The pictures showed how the black race used art to escape the cares of their lives. The project also impacted the students by showing them how African Americans endured through the eyes of various artists. I realized you can escape your pain through the eyes of others. Creating your own art is beautiful, because I think it expresses who you really are. This project was inspiring. It also, enhanced our skills and it made us feel good knowing that you can express yourself without feeling you’ve done something wrong.

Web Resources Used Pathfinder of student web links on library website Computers with Internet Access Pathfinder of student web links on library website Audacity Software Leona Tate web articles (Times Picayune & Foundation website) and Smithsonian American Art Museum website Oh Freedom! website Student art samples from Roosevelt on Wiki techneaux21s.wikispaces.com/Smithsonian+American+Art+Museumhttp://jppss- techneaux21s.wikispaces.com/Smithsonian+American+Art+Museum Poetrykids website ( VoiceThread website

Print Resources Used Project Overview Worksheet (Caminita/Phillips) Interview Question Worksheet (Caminita) How to use “My Collections” Worksheet (Caminita) Visual Thinking Strategies Cards (Phillips) Art Supplies- construction paper, scissors, glue, markers Podcast (Audacity) Worksheet (Caminita) Art Speaks is supported with internal Smithsonian Institution funds from the Youth Access Grants Program