My students need the Ghost Army PBS documentary DVD, charcoal, liquid water colors, paper, and wooden manikins to witness and be inspired by the artists in the DVD.
Did you know there was a an active Army in WWII that fought with their imaginations. As I watched a Ghost Army documentary recently, I immediately wanted to share this knowledge with my 5th grade students. The Ghost Army is a wonderful example of how art plays such an important role in history.
Our students are close to 600 in number, coming from a variety of cultural families including, but not limited to, Caucasian, African-American, Hispanic, Asian, and American Indian.
They come from a range of financial situations, averaging 37% free and reduced lunch recipients. Our school is in a suburb of a large southern city, offering the best of both rural and suburban opportunities. One thing our students have in common is that they are excited about learning in general, and they are especially excited about learning
through hand-on standard-linked learning in the art room!
My Project
Learning comes to life when you cater to all learning styles. When lessons and learning are linked, the gained knowledge becomes stronger. As I recently watched a documentary about the Ghost Army's service in WWII, I was amazed at their creative "fake" distractions and their personal work they did on their own. Bill Blass, for one, with his fashion drawings, became a successful designer. He was a member of the Ghost Army! There were many who served our country and expressed themselves through their art and creations. My students need to realize that art is not just pretty, or fun, it can be very meaningful and can impact lives and history. The video and requested materials could possibly stir the imaginations of our next soldiers, fashion designers, teachers, and community members. Of course, in art, we need to also be active learners, so the materials would allow us to use our newly gained knowledge to be visual artists ourselves!
I am the granddaughter of a WWII Marine, the daughter of a Navy Reserve who served during the Vietnam War, and the wife of a National Guard who served during Desert Storm.
Patriotism runs deep in my family, and I passionately support our country. My 5th graders focus on WWII in their homerooms, but as with anything else, there is always more to the story than meets the eye. This grant proposes to broaden classroom learning while celebrating our own talents and potential contributions in life.
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