My students need 50 Blick drawing notebooks to serve as research journals, 10 sets of fine-point markers for visual note-taking, 8 packs of calligraphy pens, 2 packs of decorative paper, and 20 glue pens.
Our urban school is located in the center of several distinct neighborhoods, making it very diverse. Most of our students either moved to the U.S. in childhood or are first-generation Americans, and 35 percent are recent immigrants who hail from every continent short of Antarctica. In addition, 83 percent of our students are eligible to receive a free or reduced price lunch. We are a smaller middle school with a very strong sense of community among students, administration, parents, and staff, including a highly dedicated after-school program and a caring group of counselors and wellness coaches.
I have loved my first year teaching art because the position has allowed me to cultivate students' understanding that their differences truly are what makes them special.
Instead of having to teach to a test, I have the unique opportunity to guide students in developing their imagination and their creativity, along with the artistic techniques necessary to help them make these visible. Many students start the class saying they are "not a good artist," but at the end of the quarter or semester, they leave feeling confident that art-making is simply the skill of making visible their valuable and unique thoughts and perceptions.
My Project
Next year will be the second year of our newly reopened art class, and I have the rare and exciting opportunity to offer two new year-long, arts-based research courses.
The course curriculum will be based on the belief that children learn more when they are actively involved in the process of meaning-making and knowledge-building.
Therefore, throughout the year, students will work on art projects that stem from their own interests, whether they be based in the sciences, language arts, math, history, the arts, or another subject.
On of the most important elements of the class will be the use of reflective art journals. The students will each use a journal to artistically record their questions, take notes on related research, and jot down conclusions they come to as they do their research. They will engage in deep thinking about their chosen topics and make their thinking and conclusions visible with the use of the journals, along with self-chosen mediums such as paint, sculpture, collage, ceramics, printmaking, and pen and ink.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. McAvoy and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
