Art Supplies to Supplement the 7th grade History Content

The most unfortunate part of budget cuts over the past few years has been the loss of art in the classroom. Regardless of age, grade, or ability, students love art. When used in conjunction with the subject taught, it allows students to take their learning to another level. So often children are taught from a textbook and with worksheets. However this format does not target all students, as not all students are alike. Many need to "feel" the information. It is my desire to continue teaching Medieval History with the use of art. However these art supplies are expensive and often unobtainable to the students that I teach. I currently teach at Palms Middle School in Los Angeles. Palms is a school of 2,500 students ranging from low to middle income families. About 3/4 of our student population is bused in from lower income neighborhoods. From this population pool I am assigned approximately 150 students. Over the years, I have developed a curriculum for teaching 7th grade Medieval History that is based around the use of art to reinforce the content being taught. With each unit, be it anthropology, Islam, Africa, or Medieval Europe, I incorporate art projects that focus on that particular topic. An example of this would be a time line created in the fashion of "Dream Time". This representation is formed using pictographs and paint dotting that is similar to art forms found in the Australian Outback created by the original Australians, The Aborigines. This project focuses on not only the art form of the Aborigine, but also the idea of each students past, present, and future. Students create a time line of their lives that represent their lives from birth to death. At the end of the school year, each student leaves with a "Passport/Portfolio of the World". As the school year progresses, each passport will include the art projects created and information pertaining to the subjects learned. The passport/portfolio provides each student with a reference that includes both regional art and written information. In years past, I have typically purchased art supplies ranging from papers and scissors to glue sticks and gel pens. All supplies have been purchased from Blick Blick Art Supplies using funds that are no longer available through LAUSD and my own personal funds. It is my hope that with your generous help will my students will continue to benefit from this mix of art and information.