Who is Henri Matisse?

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.

Imagine the vast world of art that inspires ordinary lives. As teachers, we are striving for ways to inspire our students. I am a third grade teacher in an urban public school. My classroom of 27 students come from several cultural backgrounds including Latino and African-American. Majority of my classroom receives free lunch. Of all the differences among them, they are all excited about learning.

Many of my students are struggling learners. A great deal of our day is spent on Reading/Language Arts or Math. There is limited time each day to devote to social sciences or sciences. History consists of learning the same major historical figures yearly. Students rarely hear about certain historical figures such as Pablo Picasso. Art appreciation is something that is not a part of my students lives. Many of my students, although they have lived their entire lives in a big city have never visited an art museum. Pablo Picasso's sculptures have no meaning to the students. They do not understand that behind every artwork, there is a face, an emotion, and a story. With their limited resources, they may never receive a chance to appreciate artworks that our society admires or the artist behind these pieces of artwork. They may never become inspired by their stories.

I would like to introduce my students to Henri Matisse through a cross curricular unit about Henri Matisse. With 30 copies of a children's book about Henri Matisse, we will spend our reading time working in groups to read about his life and his artwork. The students work on reading strategies, such as fluency and comprehension, while learning about this historical figure. The students will also enjoy moving from the normal textbooks during the school days. I would like to give my students the opportunity to also create their own works of art, inspired by Matisse and their own lives. My students rarely use paints or have time to create art. Art supplies will allow my students to express themselves through a medium not often used in our classroom. In my classroom library, I would like to provide several other books about Henri Matisse for my students to read independently. This unit, focusing on reading, history, and art appreciation, may spark my students' interests in art, as well as increase their knowledge about art.

Your donation will help my students learn about Matisse, a name they have never heard of. My students will be able to engage in hands-on learning about a subject they rarely hear about in our busy school day. My students may also begin to explore and appreciate art independently as self- regulated learners. We may discover the next great artist in our class!